Nationwide decline in rural family physicians continues despite workforce efforts

Background: In this study, researchers used the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile to identify family physicians aged 65 years or younger in the U.S. actively practicing outpatient care from 2017 to 2023. Physicians' office addresses were mapped to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural-Urban Continuum Codes to identify and describe family physicians in rural communities.

What this study found:

• There has been an 11% nationwide decline in rural family physicians from 2017 to 2023.

• The Northeast saw the greatest percentage loss (15.3%), while the West saw the least (3.2%).

• The proportion of female rural family physicians increased from 35.5% in 2017 to 41.8% in 2023. 

Implications: Despite decades of programs to develop the rural workforce, the study findings show an ongoing loss of rural practicing family physicians, which further exacerbates existing disparities rural communities face.