Research: U.S. Healthcare Workers by City

By Ana Gonzalez-Ribeiro, MBA, AFC®
Published on: 04/02/2020

The coronavirus outbreak has called into question the nation’s preparedness to respond to and mitigate health crises.

As the number of presumptive and confirmed COVID-19 cases continue to increase, hospitals across the country face shortages of equipment, personnel, and beds. While the pandemic is highlighting shortcomings of the U.S. healthcare system overall, it is also evident that some parts of the country are better staffed with healthcare workers than others.

Despite current shortages, healthcare employment growth has actually outpaced the average across all workers for the past three decades.

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), healthcare workers have experienced a cumulative 106 percent increase from 1990 to 2020, compared to a 40 percent increase for all workers over the same time period.

Even without taking into account the recent outbreak, BLS projections indicate that employment in healthcare occupations will continue to grow much faster than the average for all occupations, mainly due to increased demand from an aging population.

Employment growth in healthcare chart

Nationwide, there are 3.9 healthcare workers for every 100 residents. In Massachusetts, the density of healthcare workers is 5.06 per 100 residents, the highest in the country. But in Nevada, that number is just 2.94, the lowest in the country.

Compared to the Northeast and Midwest, there is a shortage of healthcare workers in the South and West. Interestingly, these are regions where many older adults who require healthcare services choose to retire.

Chart of states with the most healthcare workers

Similar trends exist at the local level. To identify which metropolitan areas have the most healthcare workers per capita, researchers at Self Financial analyzed statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Metros were ordered by the total number of healthcare workers employed per 100 residents. The total number of healthcare workers includes both practitioners (for example, physicians, surgeons, and registered nurses) and healthcare support occupations (for example, home health aides, nursing assistants, and medical equipment preparers).

To improve relevance, metros were categorized by population size:

  • Large metros: 1,000,000 residents or more
  • Midsize metros: 350,000-999,999 residents
  • Small metros: less than 350,000 residents

As with the statewide trends, the metropolitan areas with the most healthcare workers per capita tend to be located in the Midwest or the Northeast. The West and the South have a far lower density of healthcare workers.

Cities with the most and least healthcare workers per capita

Large Metros With the Most Healthcare Workers Per Capita

Healthcare workers in Cleveland, OH
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1. Cleveland-Elyria, OH

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 5.34
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 109,860
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 74,970
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 34,890
  • Population: 2,057,009

Healthcare workers in Pittsburgh
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2. Pittsburgh, PA

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 5.32
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 123,680
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 88,370
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 35,310
  • Population: 2,324,743

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Healthcare workers in Boston, MA
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3. Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 5.23
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 255,150
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 181,080
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 74,070
  • Population: 4,875,390

Healthcare workers in Indianapolis, IN
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4. Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 4.96
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 101,500
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 74,760
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 26,740
  • Population: 2,048,428

Healthcare workers in Birmingham, AL
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5. Birmingham-Hoover, AL

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 4.95
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 56,960
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 42,910
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 14,050
  • Population: 1,151,801

Healthcare workers in Milwaukee, WI
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6. Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 4.93
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 77,680
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 56,170
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 21,510
  • Population: 1,576,113

Healthcare workers in Philadelphia
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7. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 4.89
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 298,120
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 196,170
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 101,950
  • Population: 6,096,372

Healthcare workers in Saint Louis
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8. St. Louis, MO-IL

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 4.85
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 136,120
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 95,170
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 40,950
  • Population: 2,804,724

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Healthcare workers in Baltimore, MD
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9. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 4.74
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 132,790
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 93,450
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 39,340
  • Population: 2,802,789

Healthcare workers in Grand Rapids, MI
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10. Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 4.74
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 50,700
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 35,010
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 15,690
  • Population: 1,069,405

Large Metros With the Fewest Healthcare Workers Per Capita

Healthcare workers in San Bernardino, CA
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1. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 2.47
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 114,260
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 80,630
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 33,630
  • Population: 4,622,361

Healthcare workers in Las Vegas
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2. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 2.91
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 65,020
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 45,500
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 19,520
  • Population: 2,231,647

Healthcare workers in Sacramento
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3. Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 3.11
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 72,980
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 50,490
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 22,490
  • Population: 2,345,210

Healthcare workers in Austin, TX
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4. Austin-Round Rock, TX

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 3.17
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 68,790
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 47,550
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 21,240
  • Population: 2,168,316

Healthcare workers in San Jose, CA
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5. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 3.21
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 64,100
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 45,320
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 18,780
  • Population: 1,999,107

Healthcare workers in Los Angeles, CA
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6. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 3.25
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 431,400
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 296,230
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 135,170
  • Population: 13,291,486

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Healthcare workers in San Diego, CA
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7. San Diego-Carlsbad, CA

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 3.27
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 109,350
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 76,290
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 33,060
  • Population: 3,343,364

Healthcare workers in San Francisco
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8. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 3.31
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 156,320
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 112,170
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 44,150
  • Population: 4,729,484

Healthcare workers in Atlanta
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9. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 3.31
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 196,930
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 139,190
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 57,740
  • Population: 5,950,828

Healthcare workers in Houston
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10. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

  • Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 3.35
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 234,390
  • Number of healthcare practitioners: 168,220
  • Number of healthcare support workers: 66,170
  • Population: 6,997,384

Methodology & Detailed Findings

Across the U.S., there are 12.7 million healthcare workers. About two-thirds of these are categorized as “Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations” (such as doctors, nurses, and licensed therapists), while the rest are categorized as “Healthcare Support Occupations” (workers who assist healthcare practitioners). Interestingly, the breakdown between the two categories varies widely across locations. For example, in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro, about 43 percent of healthcare workers are categorized as “Healthcare Support Occupations,” compared to 32 percent nationally.

Six of the top 10 large cities with the fewest healthcare workers per capita are located in California, one of the states most affected by the spread of COVID-19. As the nation grapples with containing the disease in the short run and looks ahead to the mass retirement of baby boomers in the long run, it is clear that additional healthcare support is needed and newly minted medical professionals should be incentivized to move to areas with significant shortages.

Statistics on healthcare workers is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment Statistics. Population statistics are from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The total number of healthcare workers used in this report includes both “Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations” and “Healthcare Support Occupations.”

Metropolitan areas were ordered based on the total number of healthcare workers per 100 residents. In the event of a tie, the metro with the greater number of total healthcare workers was ranked higher. Additionally, metros were grouped into cohorts based on population size: large metros (1,000,000 residents or more), midsize metros (350,000-999,999 residents), and small metros (less than 350,000 residents).

About the Author

Jeff Smith is the VP of Marketing at Self.

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Written on April 2, 2020
Self is a venture-backed startup that helps people build credit and savings.

Self does not provide financial advice. The content on this page provides general consumer information and is not intended for legal, financial, or regulatory guidance. The content presented does not reflect the view of the Issuing Banks. Although this information may include references to third-party resources or content, Self does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of this third-party information. Any Self product links are advertisements for Self products. Please consider the date of publishing for Self’s original content and any affiliated content to best understand their contexts.

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