Healthcare Insights

Average provider age by medical specialty

With possible healthcare provider shortages and many professionals facing burnout, organizations are also confronting an aging workforce.

Full retirement age as defined by the Social Security Administration is 67 years old, however, the average retirement age is about 64 years old. In addition, psychologists, dentists and physicians and surgeons have some of the highest rates of workers over the age of 65.

What is the average age of healthcare providers?

We analyzed over 800,000 healthcare providers tracked in the Definitive Healthcare PhysicianView product with a reported birth year. The average age of these providers is 53.2 years old as of 2021.

The following tables lists the highest and lowest average ages of providers by their primary specialty.

Highest average provider age by medical specialty

RankPrimary specialtyAverage ageNumber of providers analyzedExplore dataset
1Cardiology - Cardiac Surgery581,288Explore
2General Practice582,140Explore
3Psychiatry - Forensic58101Explore
4Psychology - Clinical Neuropsychologist58108Explore
5Addiction Medicine57599Explore
6Radiology - Nuclear Medicine57620Explore
7Adolescent Medicine56844Explore
8Occupational Medicine56537Explore
9Preventive Medicine56584Explore
10Psychiatry - Geriatric Psychiatry56280Explore
11Surgery - Thoracic Surgery562,611Explore
12Allergy/Immunology554,279Explore
13Cardiology - Cardiologist5523,087Explore
14Obstetrics/Gynecology - Maternal & Fetal Medicine55359Explore
15Ophthalmology5518,387Explore
16Surgery - Neurosurgery554,695Explore
17Surgery - Orthopedic Surgery5520,742Explore
18Surgery - Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery556,326Explore
19Urology559,672Explore
20Endocrinology - Reproductive54804Explore
21Otolaryngology549,362Explore
22Psychiatry5438,305Explore

Fig. 1. Data is from the Definitive Healthcare PhysicianView product and sourced from proprietary research, the NPI Registry and Physician Compare. Only specialties with at least 100 providers reporting a birth year are included. Data accurate as of January 2022.

Which provider specialties have the highest average age?

Cardiac surgery, general practice, forensic psychiatry and clinical neuropsychologist specialties have the highest average provider age of 58 years old. Addiction medicine and nuclear medicine radiologists have the next highest average age, 57 years old. 65 specialties have an average provider age of 50 years or older.

Lowest average provider age by medical specialty

RankPrimary specialtyAverage ageNumber of providers analyzedExplore dataset
60Allergy/Immunology - Pediatric50165Explore
61Cardiology - Cardiac Electrophysiology502,466Explore
62Otolaryngology - Pediatric50150Explore
63Pediatric Medicine5055,183Explore
64Sleep Medicine50768Explore
65Surgery - Surgical Oncology501,145Explore
66Cardiology - Pediatric Cardiologist49875Explore
67Emergency Medicine4946,767Explore
68Endocrinology - Pediatric49923Explore
69Gastroenterology - Pediatric491,051Explore
70Oncology - Pediatric Hematology/Oncology491,516Explore
71Pain Management492,619Explore
72Radiology - Interventional Radiology492,076Explore
73Anesthesiology - Pediatric Anesthesiologist48248Explore
74Critical Care (Intensivists)485,029Explore
75Critical Care (Intensivists) - Pediatric481,535Explore
76Hospice and Palliative Care482,049Explore
77Emergency Medicine - Pediatric471,533Explore
78Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine47245Explore
79Rheumatology - Pediatric47236Explore
80Sports Medicine461,813Explore
81Hospitalist4325,797Explore

Fig. 2 Data is from the Definitive Healthcare PhysicianView product and sourced from proprietary research, the NPI Registry and Physician Compare. Only specialties with at least 100 providers reporting a birth year are included. Data accurate as of January 2022.

Which provider specialties have the lowest average age?

The average age for hospitalists is 43 years old, the lowest on the list of specialties. Sports medicine providers have an average age of 46 years old.

Healthcare Insights are developed with healthcare commercial intelligence from the Definitive Healthcare platform. Want even more insights? Start a free trial now and get access to the latest healthcare commercial intelligence on hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare providers.

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