FSMB Census of Licensed Physicians in the United States, 2020

Abstract

ABSTRACT There are 1,018,776 licensed physicians in the United States and the District of Columbia, representing a physician workforce that is 20% larger than it was a decade ago, according to data from 2020 compiled by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). The licensed physician population has grown in number relative to the total population, but concerns about a doctor shortage remain as both the general and physician populations age. Late career physicians generally work fewer hours and retire at higher rates, while younger physicians place more emphasis on work-life balance that may also limit work hours, even as many older physicians have delayed retirement in recent years. The mean age of licensed physicians is now 51.7 years, a year higher than it was in 2010. The physician workforce is increasingly mixed in gender and type of physician, with more women and more individuals with Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degrees, specialty board certification and international medical degrees than a decade ago. The ability to inventory a nation’s health care workforce across all specialties and jurisdictions is essential to the delivery of quality health care where it is needed most. This paper marks the FSMB’s sixth biennial census of licensed physicians in the United States and the District of Columbia and provides valuable information about the nation’s available physician workforce, including information about medical degree type, location of undergraduate medical education, specialty certification, number of active licenses, age and sex. As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the United States is not yet fully known, this report should help state medical boards as they consider changes to their statutes and regulations to facilitate telemedicine and licensure portability after the pandemic ends and before another national public health emergency.