Primary care is the backbone of healthcare and the only part of the healthcare system where increased supply is linked to improved health, lifespan and equity. Yet access to primary care providers can vary greatly by state.
The average number of primary care providers — a term encompassing physicians in general practice, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, geriatrics and internal medicine, as well as physician assistants and nurse practitioners — per 100,000 people in the country is 232. Massachusetts sits at the highest end of the spectrum and California at the lowest in terms of supply.
The September 2023 figures come from HHS and are cited in United Health Foundation's latest America's Health Rankings report, which is the longest-running annual assessment of the nation's health on a state-by-state basis.
Here are the complete state-by-state rankings the foundation used to calculate states' overall health scores. Values reflect the number of active primary care providers per 100,000 population. Primary care here includes general practice, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, geriatrics and internal medicine, as well as physician assistants and nurse practitioners.
(Washington, D.C.) — 411.3
1. Massachusetts — 322.1
2. Maine — 320.1
3. North Dakota — 306.2
4. Rhode Island — 301.5
5. Alaska — 298.3
6. New Hampshire — 292.1
7. West Virginia — 291.9
8. South Dakota — 289.6
9. Minnesota — 282.9
10. Vermont — 275.4
11. Kentucky — 270.8
12. New York — 270
13. Delaware — 268.9
14. Michigan — 267.7
15. Tennessee — 265.2
16. Nebraska — 264.7
17. Florida — 262.9
18. Pennsylvania — 261.3
19. Wisconsin — 259.3
20. Kansas — 258.7
21. Ohio — 253.1
22. North Carolina — 253
23. Montana — 251.7
24. Connecticut — 248.9
25. Colorado — 245.4
26. Iowa — 239.6
26. Maryland — 239.6
28. Mississippi — 239.5
29. Missouri — 238.1
30. Indiana — 236.8
31. Illinois — 234.7
32. New Mexico — 234.6
33. Washington — 232.1
34. Oregon — 224.9
35. Virginia — 221.5
36. Wyoming — 221.4
37. South Carolina — 219.4
38. Idaho — 218
39. Louisiana — 216.9
40. Arizona — 213.5
41. Hawaii — 212.6
42. Georgia — 209.3
43. Oklahoma — 205.6
44. Arkansas — 205
45. Alabama — 201.6
46. Nevada — 192.6
47. Utah — 184.3
48. Texas — 182.3
49. New Jersey — 181.4
50. California — 178.9