Healthcare Insights
Average age of doctors and providers by medical specialty
Numerous factors contribute to the continued healthcare provider shortages including many medical professionals facing burnout and the aging provider workforce. Effects to patient care and service accessibility are just a couple of long-term impacts healthcare staffing shortages may have in the coming years.
What is the average age of a physician?
We analyzed more than 810,000 healthcare providers tracked in the Definitive Healthcare PhysicianView product with a reported birth year. The average age of these providers is 53.9 years old as of 2023. Data in this analysis is sourced from a number of sources including proprietary research, the NPI Registry, and Physician Compare.
In comparison, the median age of the U.S. labor force is 41.8 years old.
Knowing which specialties may face staffing pressures before others can help recruiting firms better place doctors where they are needed most. And understanding the demographic characteristics of a medical specialty can help life science organizations better reach certain audiences.
The following tables list the highest and lowest average ages, or the oldest and youngest doctors, by their medical specialty. Our analysis included nearly 820,000 providers across more than 110 medical specialties.
| Rank | Medical specialty | Average age | Number of providers with birth year | Explore dataset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiology - Cardiac Surgery | 59 | 1,194 | Explore |
| 2 | Adult Medicine | 58 | 131 | Explore |
| 3 | General Practice | 58 | 2,102 | Explore |
| 4 | Adolescent Medicine | 57 | 1,747 | Explore |
| 5 | Psychology - Clinical Neuropsychologist | 57 | 110 | Explore |
| 6 | Radiology - Nuclear Medicine | 57 | 601 | Explore |
| 7 | Addiction Medicine | 57 | 622 | Explore |
| 8 | Occupational Medicine | 56 | 636 | Explore |
| 9 | Preventive Medicine | 56 | 557 | Explore |
| 10 | Surgery - Orthopedic Surgery | 56 | 19,330 | Explore |
| 11 | Surgery - Thoracic Surgery | 56 | 2,593 | Explore |
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. Accessed November 2023.
Which medical specialties have the oldest doctors and providers?
Cardiac surgeons have the highest average age at 59 years old, making it the specialty with the oldest doctors in this analysis. Adult medicine and general practice doctors have the second oldest average age at 58 years old each.
| Rank | Medical specialty | Average age | Number of providers with birth year | Explore dataset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hospitalist | 44 | 26,485 | Explore |
| 2 | Rehabilitation Medicine - Pediatric | 46 | 114 | Explore |
| 3 | Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine | 47 | 255 | Explore |
| 4 | Rheumatology - Pediatric | 47 | 358 | Explore |
| 5 | Sports Medicine | 47 | 1,680 | Explore |
| 6 | Anesthesiology - Pediatric Anesthesiologist | 48 | 521 | Explore |
| 7 | Cardiology - Pediatric Cardiologist | 48 | 1,252 | Explore |
| 8 | Critical Care (Intensivists) | 48 | 5,175 | Explore |
| 9 | Critical Care (Intensivists) - Pediatric | 48 | 2,186 | Explore |
| 10 | Emergency Medicine | 48 | 47,771 | Explore |
| 11 | Emergency Medicine - Pediatric | 48 | 2,363 | Explore |
| 12 | Hospice and Palliative Care | 48 | 2,024 | Explore |
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. Accessed November 2023.
Which medical specialties have the youngest doctors and providers?
Hospitalists are the youngest doctors in our analysis with an average age of 44 years old, the lowest on the list of specialties. Pediatric rehabilitation medicine providers have an average age of 46 years old, the second youngest on the list.
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