Texas Physician Shortage Facts
THE PROBLEM
Physician supply lags behind patient demand nationally and across Texas. 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.
- The United States will face a shortage of over 120,000 physicians.
- 29.4% of Texas physicians are within retirement range right now.
Texas is projected to be short 20,420 doctors.4,5,6
- There are only 334 residency slots in Texas for primary care each year.
- 45.2% of those residents will practice out of state.
Overall, Texas ranks in the bottom half of states for primary care and physician availability.7
224 of Texas’ 254 counties are health professional shortage areas (HPSAs).8,9,10
- 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.
- 6,066,420 Texas residents live in an HPSA.
Texas’ physician-to-patient ratio is 26% worse than the national average:
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