How the Doctor Shortage Crisis in Georgia Compares to Other States

The United States has been battling a doctor shortage for a few years. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed just how big the problem is. Medical institutions have been warning that there could be a shortage of up to 124,000 primary care physicians and specialty care doctors nationwide within a decade, according to research by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

There is already a shortage in some places in the U.S., with rural areas disproportionately affected. If people living in rural communities, minorities, and those with no health insurance, had the same access to medical care as others have, the country would need an additional 180,400 doctors to meet demand. (These are the states where the most people don’t have health insurance.)

According to the 2021 State Physician Workforce Data Report from the Association of American Medical Colleges, there are 940,254 physicians actively practicing in the United States. Adjusting for population using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey, this comes out to 283.3 for every 100,000 people. And this number varies considerably by state.

In Georgia, there are 25,072 active physicians, or 232.2 for every 100,000 people, the 11th fewest among states.

Other than a low supply of doctors, lack of health insurance can be another barrier to accessing care. An estimated 12.6% of Georgia residents are uninsured, the third most among states. Meanwhile, 19.3% of adults across the state report being in less than optimal health, compared to 17.1% of adults nationwide.

Data on the percentage of adults reporting fair or poor health is from the 2022 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. Data on the share of the population without health insurance came from the 2021 ACS and are one-year estimates.

RankStateDoctors per 100,000 peopleTotal mumber of active physiciansAdults in fair or poor health (%)Uninsured rate (%)
1Idaho184.33,50415.18.8
2Mississippi198.55,85722.011.9
3Oklahoma208.08,29321.313.8
4Wyoming211.61,22515.712.2
5Nevada214.16,73120.111.6
6Arkansas214.86,50024.19.2
7Utah215.67,19814.89.0
8Alabama217.910,98321.49.9
9Iowa221.07,05613.64.8
10Texas227.567,18220.918.0
11Georgia232.225,07219.312.6
12Kentucky233.510,52822.05.7
13Indiana233.915,91818.97.5
14Kansas234.26,87417.19.2
15South Carolina235.012,19717.810.0
16North Dakota235.61,82613.37.9
17Nebraska245.54,82013.97.1
18South Dakota247.32,21415.19.5
19New Mexico249.05,26920.010.0
20Montana249.02,75014.48.2
21Arizona252.118,34318.310.7
22Tennessee253.617,68720.310.0
23North Carolina262.127,65018.510.4
24Virginia264.722,87416.16.8
25Florida270.158,82217.812.1
26Wisconsin271.015,97515.05.4
27Louisiana271.612,55721.77.6
28West Virginia275.64,91424.36.1
29Washington280.821,73115.76.4
30Delaware284.02,85018.05.7
31Alaska286.82,10115.711.4
32California289.8113,71817.87.0
33Colorado291.716,95613.78.0
34Illinois293.037,12217.17.0
35Missouri296.618,29717.69.4
36Michigan298.930,04018.25.0
37Ohio299.935,33318.16.5
38New Jersey300.327,83215.57.2
39Minnesota308.717,61713.34.5
40Oregon309.213,12717.46.1
41Hawaii316.14,55715.33.9
42New Hampshire316.14,39114.35.1
43Pennsylvania324.442,05117.65.5
44Maine324.94,45917.25.7
45Connecticut359.912,97714.35.2
46Rhode Island370.84,06316.34.3
47Vermont373.32,41012.63.7
48New York381.975,74916.45.2
49Maryland385.923,79114.06.1
50Massachusetts459.832,11613.42.5

by Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square

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