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Physician Workforce Stats

 

  • There are 5,857 active physicians in the state.
  • Mississippi has 67.4 per 100,000 population active primary care physicians, with a U.S. state median of 94.7. The state is currently 50th in physician to population ratio in overall physicians. 
  • Between 2019 and 2020, Mississippi had 2,007 primary care physicians in direct patient care, of which 900 were family physicians. 
  • Mississippi has 178.6 active patient care physicians per 100,000 population (2019-2020) with a U.S. state median of 239.8
  • Mississippi ranks fifth for percentage change in student enrollment at M.D. and D.O. Schools (2010-2020).
  • 35.9 percent of active physicians are 60 years or older compared to the U.S. state median of 32.9 percent.
  • Mississippi ranks fourth in percentage of medical students matriculating in state  -  87 percent compared to the  U.S. state median of 67 percent. 
  • According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), more than half of the state’s residents live in rural areas and 80 of Mississippi’s counties are medically underserved. 94 percent of the counties include shortages of primary care physicians who practice family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics-gynecology, and more
  • American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) statistics show that more than 75 percent of residents who received both their undergraduate and graduate medical education in Mississippi remain in Mississippi to practice.
  • Within five years, Mississippi medical school graduates will likely increase to more than 365 annually; more than three times the Mississippi medical student graduation rate prior to 2005.
  • A 2019 report from the American Medical Association shows that office-based physicians play a vital role in national and state economies by supporting jobs, purchasing goods and generating tax revenue. The study revealed that each physician, on average, in Mississippi contributed a total of $1.8 million in economic output. The total economic activity generated by physicians is $8.2 billion.

* Statistics based on American Association of Medical Colleges 2021 Physician Workforce Data Book, the American Medical Association, and the Health Resources and Services Administration.