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Ohio Physician Shortage Facts


Physician supply lags patient demand nationally and across Ohio. As supply falls, patients wait longer to see a doctor, and doctors burn out.

The U.S. is projected to have 120,000 too few doctors nationally.1,2,3

  • Nearly 40% of American physicians will reach retirement age.
  • The United States will face a shortage of over 120,000 physicians.
  • 30.5% of Ohio’s physicians are within retirement range right now.

Ohio is projected to be short 681 doctors.4

The rural and Appalachian regions of Ohio are most impacted by this shortage.5

  • 71.3% of rural and Appalachian residents report inadequate access to healthcare services as opposed to only 44.9% of nonrural residents.
  • More than 20% of rural and Appalachian residents travel at least 20 miles or 50 minutes for healthcare services.

57 of Ohio’s 88 counties are health professional shortage areas (HPSAs).6,7,8

  • Low-income citizens are disproportionately affected by these shortages.
  • HPSA designations indicate areas where there are 3,500 or more patients for every one provider.
  • 2,401,969 Ohio residents live in an HPSA.

Ranked against other states,
Ohio’s doctor-to-patient ratio is:

14% worse
for dermatology

17% worse
for geriatric medicine

11% worse
for preventative medicine

20% worse
for psychology