Occupational
Geographic trends in the gender composition of US physicians from 2014-2024 Jag Lally* Jag Lally Amanda Bunting David M. Kline Amanda Bunting
Background: The gender composition of the physician workforce in the United States is constantly evolving. We aimed to determine how female physician representation has changed from 2014-2024 with attention to geographic and rural trends.
Methods: Data were obtained from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Doctors and Clinicians national downloadable file (2014-2024). All physician providers with valid National Provider Identifiers (NPIs), zip code, and gender data were included. The Gender Diversity Index (GDI), a metric that relates to the likelihood that two randomly selected providers in a country would be of different genders, was utilized (0 is a population of only one gender, 100 is full gender parity). The state of provider practice was utilised and rurality was defined using Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC) with codes 1-3 as urban and 4-9 as rural.
Results: Female physician representation across the US rose from 28.9% (2014) to 35.1% (2024), corresponding to a GDI increase from 82.2 (2014) to 91.1 (2024). The average GDI increase per state was 9.0 with a SD of 2.1, from a mean of 79.9 (2014) to a mean of 88.9 (2024). The state with the highest GDI in 2024 was Massachusssets and the state with the lowest GDI in 2024 was Mississippi. The GDI for providers in urban areas increased from 83.4 (2014) to 91.7 (2024), while the GDI for providers in rural areas increased from only 70.2 (2014) to 78.5 (2024).
Conclusions: Although there have been broad increases in female representation in many regions throughout the US, some regions remain disparate and enduring rural-urban gaps underscore the complexity of achieving gender parity. Targeted interventions such as rural recruitment incentives, enhanced loan-forgiveness programs, and mentorship opportunities could assist in fostering a more equitable physician workforce.
