In the U.S., general surgery is the specialty with the most practitioners while transplant surgery has the fewest, according to the American College of Surgeons.
The ACS used data from the 2025 National Plan and Provider Enumeration System, CMS Provider of Services Current files and the Census Bureau to find the number of practicing surgeons by county, hospital referral area and core-based statistical area.
The nation’s supply of surgeons is projected to decline 4.2% from 2023 to 2038, while demand for surgeons will increase 12.8%, according to a study led by the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland.
In a study published Sept. 26, the ACS found that:
1. Thirty percent of counties have no identified surgeon.
2. Of 4,532 hospitals and 6,468 ambulatory surgical centers, 4.3%, or 475, were in counties without an identified surgeon.
3. Nationally, there are 59.2 surgeons per 100,000 population, but hospital referral region supply ranged from 20.8 to 250.4 per 100,000.
Here are the surgeon specialties along with their total practitioners and rate per 100,000 people:
| Specialty | Total surgeons in the U.S. | Rate per 100,000 people |
| General surgeons | 37,477 | 11 |
| Neurosurgeons | 7,585 | 2.2 |
| OB-GYN surgeons | 9,060 | 2.7 |
| Ophthalmologists | 23,787 | 7 |
| Orthopedic surgeons | 33,870 | 10 |
| Otolaryngologists | 13,357 | 3.9 |
| Plastic surgeons | 8,254 | 2.4 |
| Thoracic surgeons | 5,711 | 1.7 |
| Transplant surgeons | 882 | 0.3 |
| Urologists | 13,428 | 3.9 |
| Vascular surgeons | 4,685 | 1.4 |
