In which metropolitan areas does the healthcare sector make up the largest or smallest portion of the area's total employment? The "Healthcare Metro Monitor Supplement" from the Brookings Institution has identified the top 20 in each category.
Overall, healthcare accounts for between 7 percent and 20 percent of total employment across the 100 largest metro areas in the country. The 20 metro areas with the highest levels of healthcare intensity vary in size and population and are clustered on the East Coast and in the Midwest, with a few areas in Florida and the Southwest. The 20 metro areas with the lowest levels of healthcare intensity tend to be found out West and in metro areas with a younger demographic and emphasis on a "knowledge economy," such as Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
Healthcare intensity measures the share of the area's total employment that is made up of the healthcare sector. The intensity results from the interaction of the size of a region's healthcare employment base with the size of its overall employment base. Therefore, relatively small regions with large hospitals or clusters of services have high intensity levels.
Areas are presented in alphabetical order.
20 most healthcare-intensive metro areas
1. Allentown, Pa.
2. Boston
3. Cleveland
4. Dayton, Ohio
5. Detroit
6. Grand Rapids, Mich.
7. Lancaster, Pa.
8. McAllen, Texas
9. New Haven/Milford, Conn.
10. North Port, Fla.
11. Palm Bay, Fla.
12. Philadelphia
13. Pittsburgh
14. Providence, R.I.
15. Scranton, Pa.
16. Springfield, Mass.
17. Toledo, Ohio
18. Tucson, Ariz.
19. Worcester, Mass.
20. Youngstown, Ohio
20 least healthcare-intensive metro areas
1. Atlanta
2. Austin, Texas
3. Bakersfield, Calif.
4. Charleston, S.C.
5. Charlotte, N.C.
6. Colorado Springs, Colo.
7. Denver
8. Greenville, S.C.
9. Honolulu
10. Las Vegas
11. Madison, Wis.
12. Oxnard, Calif.
13. Raleigh, N.C.
14. Salt Lake City
15. San Diego
16. San Francisco
17. San Jose, Calif.
18. Seattle
19. Virginia Beach, Va.
20. Washington, D.C.
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