Size of medical practices in the U.S. 2012-2022

In 2022, roughly three in ten surveyed physicians worked in medical practices that were fewer than five physicians in size. Another two in ten physicians were in practices of five to ten physicians, while 18.3 percent were in practices with 50 or more physicians. On the other hand, one in ten physicians surveyed were directly employed or contracted by a hospital.

U.S. physicians

The number of active doctors of medicine in the U.S. has increased dramatically in the past 50 years. Currently there are over a million active doctors in the United States. Among all U.S. states, California, followed by New York, was the state with the highest number of active physicians. It is estimated that there will be a deficit of over 121 thousand physicians by 2030.

Medical practices

Many sources indicate that physicians are moving away from private practice and into practices owned by hospitals or medical groups. In 2022, a minority of physicians were practice owners, partners or associates and over half of physicians were employed by someone else. In the same year, a majority of U.S. physicians said that they are at full capacity or overworked within their practices while only one fifth of physicians indicated that they had time to see more patients.