Virginia Physician Shortage Facts
THE PROBLEM
Physician supply lags patient demand nationally and across Virginia. As supply falls, patients wait longer to see a doctor, and doctors burn out.
By 2030
![](https://ciceroinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/healthcare-icon-1.png)
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.
- 32.4% of Virginia’s physicians are within retirement range right now.
![](https://ciceroinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/healthcare-icon-2.png)
Virginia is projected to be short 3,911 doctors.2,4
- Primary care alone is projected to be short 1,622 providers.
![](https://ciceroinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/VA-rank-stats.png)
Overall, Virginia ranks in the bottom half of states for primary care and physician supply availability.4
70 of Virginia’s 95 counties are health professional shortage areas (HPSAs).5,6
- 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.
![VA HPSAs](https://ciceroinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/VA-HPSAs.png)
![](https://ciceroinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/8-percent-decrease.png)
Virginia’s physician-to-patient ratio is 8 percent worse than the national average.
24% worse
for infectious disease
46% worse
in pediatric internal medicine
10% worse
for internal medicine
35% worse
in sports medicine
Louisiana Physician Shortage Facts