Oklahoma Physician Shortage Facts
Physician supply lags behind patient demand nationally and across Oklahoma. As supply falls, patients wait longer to see a doctor, and doctors burn out.
By 2030
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.
- 32.7% of Oklahoma physicians are within retirement range right now.
Oklahoma is projected to be short 451 primary care providers.4,5,6
- There are only 195 residency slots in Oklahoma for primary care each year.
- 45.2% of those residents will practice out of state.
Overall, Oklahoma ranks in the bottom half of states for primary care and physician availability.
75 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties are health professional shortage areas (HPSAs).7,8,9
- 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.
- 1,177,865 Oklahoma residents live in an HPSA.
Oklahoma’s physician-to-patient ratio is 39 percent worse than the national average:
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