As of 2023, roughly one in 15 active physicians in the United States were Hispanic (regardless of race). Asians were overrepresented, accounting for nearly one in 5 physicians in the U.S., while Asians made up just 6.3 percent of the total U.S. population.

The number of male physicians outnumbers female physicians in the U.S. in most specialties. The only major exceptions are found in pediatrics, child and adolescent psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, although female physicians do slightly outnumber males in a few other specialties. As of 2021, there were around 68,400 male family medicine/general practice physicians compared to 50,000 women in this specialty. Physicians in the U.S. Both the number of doctors and rate of doctors in the U.S. have increased over the years. As of 2021, there were around 946,800 active doctors of medicine in the U.S. This was around 29.9 physicians per 10,000 civilian population. In 1995, this rate stood at 24.2 physicians per 10,000 population. Physicians by state The states with the highest overall number of active physicians are California, New York, Texas, and Florida. However, the states with the highest rate of physicians per 10,000 civilian population include Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maryland. The District of Columbia has the highest rate of physicians by a large margin, with around 74.6 physicians per 10,000 population. The state with the highest annual compensation for physicians is Oklahoma, where physicians earn an annual average of 337,000 dollars.

The number of physicians across the United States reveals significant variations, with California leading the pack at nearly ******* active doctors as of April 2025. This concentration of medical professionals in populous states highlights the ongoing challenge of ensuring adequate healthcare access nationwide. The stark contrast between California's physician count and Wyoming's mere ***** doctors underscores the need for targeted efforts to address healthcare workforce shortages in less populated areas. Primary care and specialist distribution California leads also in both primary care physicians and specialists, accounting for over ** percent of each category nationally. This concentration of medical expertise in California reflects broader trends, with New York and Texas following as the states with the highest numbers of active primary care physicians. The distribution of specialists also mirrors national patterns, with psychiatry, surgery, and anaesthesiology among the most common specialties. Physician burnout While the number of physicians continues to grow, physician burnout remains a significant issue. There are large variations in rates of burnout depending on a physician's gender and specialty. For example, burnout is disproportionally high among women, affecting ** percent of female physicians and ** percent of male physicians. Meanwhile, emergency medicine physicians reported the highest levels of burnout among specialists, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to support the individual needs of doctors depending on their different circumstances.

Data on visits to physician offices, hospital outpatient departments and hospital emergency departments by selected population characteristics. Please refer to the PDF or Excel version of this table in the HUS 2019 Data Finder (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/contents2019.htm) for critical information about measures, definitions, and changes over time. Note that the data file available here has more recent years of data than what is shown in the PDF or Excel version. Data for 2017 physician office visits are not available. SOURCE: NCHS, National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. For more information on the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, see the corresponding Appendix entries at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus17_appendix.pdf.

Introduction

Male and Female Doctors Statistics: Doctors play an essential role in the medical industry. Male and female doctors play critical roles in providing different healthcare services in medicine.

Historically, men have significantly dominated the medical profession. However, there has been a considerable growth in the number of female doctors over the years, as more women seek professions in medicine.

The distribution of male and female doctors across different specializations and geographic locations can vary significantly.

Key factors such as personal preferences, cultural norms, work-life balance considerations, etc., may influence the choices made by male and female doctors regarding their work environment as well as location.

This study was conducted in order to gather detailed specialty-specific data for most of the physician population of the United States. Each member of sample groups of physicians in each of 24 specialty areas completed numerically coded "log diaries" (self-enumerated questionnaires) over the course of one week during the survey data gathering period of 1976-1978. With the information obtained from the log diaries, three data files containing detailed information on the activities of the physicians surveyed and on the characteristics of their practices were prepared for each of the 24 specialty areas: allergy, cardiology, dermatology, emergency medicine, endocrinology, family practice, gastroenterology, general practice, general surgery, hematology, infectious diseases, internal medicine, nephrology, neurological surgery, neurology, obstetrics/gynecology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, otorhinolaryngology, pediatrics, psychiatry, pulmonary diseases, and rheumatology. As a result, there are 71 discrete datafiles in this dataset (emergency medicine has only two files). Parts 1-24 contain detailed information about each physician's medical or surgical practice, e.g., specialty, major professional activity, board certifications, type of practice, physician's opinion concerning distribution of specialties in the community, number of hours per week worked and in what capacity, and type of employees in physician's practice and number of hours worked. Parts 28-48 contain data on each patient the physician saw in person during the week in which he or she kept the log diary. Parts 49-71 hold the data derived from each encounter the physician had via telephone with a patient during the same period. The data in the latter two groups of files contain patient age, sex, problem focus, role, source, and diagnoses.

The CMS Program Statistics - Medicare Physician, Non-Physician Practitioner and Supplier tables provide use and payment data for physicians, other practitioners, limited-licensed practitioners, and durable medical equipment, prosthetic, and orthotic (DMEPOS) suppliers.

For additional information on enrollment, providers, and Medicare use and payment, visit the CMS Program Statistics page.

These data do not exist in a machine-readable format, so the view data and API options are not available. Please use the download function to access the data.

Below is the list of tables:

MDCR PHYSSUPP 1. Medicare Physicians, Non-Physician Practitioners, and Suppliers: Utilization, Program Payments, Cost Sharing, and Balance Billing for Original Medicare Beneficiaries, by Type of Entitlement, Yearly Trend MDCR PHYSSUPP 2. Medicare Physicians, Non-Physician Practitioners, and Suppliers: Utilization, Program Payments, Cost Sharing, and Balance Billing for Original Medicare Beneficiaries, by Demographic Characteristics and Medicare-Medicaid Enrollment Status MDCR PHYSSUPP 3. Medicare Physicians, Non-Physician Practitioners, and Suppliers: Utilization, Program Payments, Cost Sharing, and Balance Billing for Original Medicare Beneficiaries, by Area of Residence MDCR PHYSSUPP 4. Medicare Physicians, Non-Physician Practitioners, and Suppliers: Utilization, Program Payments, and Balance Billing for Original Medicare Beneficiaries, by Type of Service MDCR PHYSSUPP 5. Medicare Physicians, Non-Physician Practitioners, and Suppliers: Utilization, Program Payments, and Balance Billing for Original Medicare Beneficiaries, by Place of Service MDCR PHYSSUPP 6. Medicare Physicians, Non-Physician Practitioners, and Suppliers: Utilization, Program Payments, and Balance Billing for Original Medicare Beneficiaries, by Physician Specialty MDCR PHYSSUPP 7. Medicare Physicians, Non-Physician Practitioners, and Suppliers: Utilization and Program Payments for Original Medicare Beneficiaries, by Berenson-Eggers Type of Service (BETOS) Classification

Number of doctors per 10,000 population Source: Doctors - Boards and Councils Office, Department of Health Population - Demographic Statistics Section (1), Census and Statistics Department

Physician demographics.

As of 2018, the largest distribution of U.S. physicians was between the ages of 55 and 65 years old. At that time about ** percent of physicians fell within this age group. With just **** percent of all physicians, the smallest distribution of U.S. physicians was among those aged 35 years or younger. Data suggests that in the U.S. the average age of medical students is around 24 years old and the average age of matriculants is about **.

U.S. Physician demographics  

It is estimated that one of the best ways to combat aging population health needs is to increase the number of doctors practicing in the U.S. In general, the number of physicians in the U.S. has been on the rise. Every year about 20 thousand new physicians join the U.S. workforce. Despite an increase in the number of physicians the number of active physicians per 10,000 people has remained relatively stagnant in recent years. As of 2019, the specialty with the largest number of physicians was psychiatry, followed by surgery.

Physician compensation  

Physician compensation varies significantly between regions and genders. With graduates owing an average of ******* U.S. dollars in student loans upon graduation, equal compensation has become especially important. However, women in the medical industry make significantly less income than their male counterparts. As of 2019, female physicians earned between ** and ** thousand U.S. dollars less than male physicians. Regionally, there are also significant differences. As of 2018, physicians working in the North Central U.S. had higher annual compensation than those in other areas. Those working in the Northeast had the lowest annual compensation.

Yemen YE: Physicians: per 1000 People data was reported at 0.311 Ratio in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.310 Ratio for 2009. Yemen YE: Physicians: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 0.219 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2014, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.338 Ratio in 2004 and a record low of 0.007 Ratio in 1990. Yemen YE: Physicians: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Yemen – Table YE.World Bank: Health Statistics. Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.; ; World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.; Weighted average;

Afghanistan Physicians: per 1000 People data was reported at 0.254 Ratio in 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.212 Ratio for 2019. Afghanistan Physicians: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 0.186 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2020, with 26 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.298 Ratio in 2014 and a record low of 0.035 Ratio in 1960. Afghanistan Physicians: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Afghanistan – Table AF.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.;World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.;Weighted average;This is the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 3.c.1 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

Tanzania TZ: Physicians: per 1000 People data was reported at 0.022 Ratio in 2014. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.030 Ratio for 2012. Tanzania TZ: Physicians: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 0.040 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2014, with 14 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.055 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 0.008 Ratio in 2010. Tanzania TZ: Physicians: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Tanzania – Table TZ.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.; ; World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.; Weighted average;

Belarus BY: Physicians: per 1000 People data was reported at 4.470 Ratio in 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 4.434 Ratio for 2019. Belarus BY: Physicians: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 3.300 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2020, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.051 Ratio in 2015 and a record low of 2.896 Ratio in 1991. Belarus BY: Physicians: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Belarus – Table BY.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.;World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.;Weighted average;This is the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 3.c.1 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

Graph and download economic data for All Employees, Offices of Physicians (CES6562110001) from Jan 1972 to Aug 2025 about physicians, health, establishment survey, education, services, employment, and USA.

The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), collects data on visits to physician offices to describe patterns of ambulatory care delivery in the United States. As part of NAMCS, the Physician Induction Interview collects information about practice characteristics at physician offices. Partway through the 2020 NAMCS, NCHS added questions to the Physician Induction Interview to assess physician experiences related to COVID-19 in office-based settings. The data include nationally representative estimates of experiences related to COVID-19 among office-based physicians in the United States, including: shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the past 3 months; the ability to test for COVID-19 in the past 3 months; providers testing positive for COVID-19 in the past 3 months; turning away COVID-19 patients in the past 3 months; and telemedicine or telehealth technology use before and after March 2020. Estimates were derived from interviews with physicians in periods 3 and 4 of 2020 NAMCS and periods 1 through 4 of 2021 NAMCS, which occurred between December 15, 2020 and May 6, 2022. The data are considered preliminary, and the results may change with the final data release.

In 2024, there was one doctor or physician for ****** people in the Philippines, indicating a significant decrease in the physician-to-population ratio from the previous year. The ratio of doctors to population has gradually declined since 2019.

Niger NE: Physicians: per 1000 People data was reported at 0.019 Ratio in 2010. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.019 Ratio for 2008. Niger NE: Physicians: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 0.023 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2010, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.035 Ratio in 1997 and a record low of 0.011 Ratio in 1960. Niger NE: Physicians: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Niger – Table NE.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.; ; World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.; Weighted average;

Laos LA: Physicians: per 1000 People data was reported at 0.491 Ratio in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.447 Ratio for 2013. Laos LA: Physicians: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 0.277 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2014, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.729 Ratio in 1985 and a record low of 0.020 Ratio in 1960. Laos LA: Physicians: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Laos – Table LA.World Bank: Health Statistics. Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.; ; World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.; Weighted average;

Algeria DZ: Physicians: per 1000 People data was reported at 0.987 Ratio in 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.732 Ratio for 2018. Algeria DZ: Physicians: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 0.894 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2019, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.842 Ratio in 2016 and a record low of 0.116 Ratio in 1965. Algeria DZ: Physicians: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Algeria – Table DZ.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.;World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.;Weighted average;This is the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 3.c.1 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].