Access to Care

Health Care Workforce

Many areas, especially rural counties, face workforce shortages for a wide variety of health-related occupations.

Current workforce data from Jobs EQ shows significant shortages in some counties — not just doctors, dentists and mental health professionals, but nurses, pharmacists and more. The table below shows workers per 10,000 population for 20 health care occupations.

Counties with the most population density (Jackson, Johnson and Wyandotte counties) meet or exceed the national average for most occupation categories, while in the most rural counties the numbers are much smaller.

Health Care Professionals per 10,000 Population, 2017

SOC Title CA CL JA LA PL RA AL JO LV MI WY US
29-1011 Chiropractors  2.1 1.9 1.8 1.2 1.8 1.3 1.6 2.7 1.2 1.5 0.7 1.5
29-1021 Dentists, General 2.8 4.7 3.7 1.2 4.0 0.9 2.4 5.6 2.2 1.8 2.7 4.1
29-1031 Dietitians & Nutritionists  1.4 2.0 3.3 1.5 1.6 1.3 1.6 2.3 2.4 1.8 4.4 2.1
29-1041 Optometrists  0.7 1.7 1.8 0.6 2.8 0.4 1.6 2.8 1.9 1.8 0.9 1.3
29-1051 Pharmacists  6.5 10.4 12.4 6.4 9.6 7.5 10.2 9.9 6.9 5.5 16.6 9.7
29-1062 Family & General Practitioners  1.6 5.9 6.2 0.9 3.1 2.2 2.4 5.1 2.0 1.8 5.2 4.2
29-1064 Obstetricians & Gynecologists  0.2 0.8 0.9 0.0 0.5 0.4 - 0.8 0.2 0.3 0.7 0.7
29-1065 Pediatricians, General 0.3 1.1 1.3 0.3 0.6 0.4 0.8 1.1 0.2 0.3 0.9 1.0
29-1066 Psychiatrists  0.3 0.7 1.1 0.3 0.4 0.4 - 0.7 0.5 3.0 1.3 0.9
29-1067 Surgeons 0.4 1.6 2.0 0.3 1.0 0.4 0.8 1.7 0.5 0.6 1.6 1.5
29-1069 Physicians and Surgeons, All Other 4.3 15.4 20.3 3.1 8.4 6.2 3.1 15.0 11.5 4.2 21.1 11.6
29-1071 Physician Assistants  0.7 2.7 3.6 0.6 1.7 0.9 1.6 2.8 1.4 0.9 3.8 3.4
29-1081 Podiatrists  0.1 0.3 0.4 - 0.5 - - 0.4 0.2 - 0.2 0.4
29-1122 Occupational Therapists   2.7 4.2 5.7 3.1 2.8 2.2 2.4 4.9 3.1 2.7 6.7 4.0
29-1123 Physical Therapists  3.7 7.0 9.1 3.7 4.5 2.6 2.4 7.9 4.1 2.1 10.2 7.5
29-1141 Registered Nurses  41.5 90.0 146.0 43.5 44.9 54.5 62.9 85.2 83.3 51.0 269.4 91.5
29-2041 EMTs and Paramedics  3.8 6.4 7.9 8.3 8.7 14.5 7.1 3.9 3.1 2.4 10.6 7.6
29-2052 Pharmacy Technicians  10.1 15.0 16.4 9.8 14.6 11.4 15.7 13.9 8.5 7.3 18.6 12.3
29-2061 LPNs & LVNs 16.6 20.4 27.6 19.9 13.7 13.2 11.8 23.9 14.0 19.7 24.5 21.7

CA=Cass, CL=Clay, JA=Jackson, LA=Lafayette, PL=Platte, RA=Ray, AL=Allen, JO=Johnson, LV=Leavenworth, MI=Miami, and WY=Wyandotte

Source: JobsEQ 2017 Q3, U.S. Census Bureau 2016 Estimates

Help-wanted ads indicate a rising demand for health care workers.

Help-wanted ads fluctuate widely from month to month, but the overall trend in health care job postings indicates a rising demand.

 

Demand for health care workers is expected to grow — and in some cases, grow significantly — over the next five years.

The table below shows the top 25 health-related job occupations, ranked by current job totals, along with the projected change over the next five years, annual openings (which includes turnover) and median hourly earnings. (Source: JobsEQ)

Occupation Title 2017 jobs Projected 2026 jobs Change Percent Change Annual Openings Median Hourly Earnings
Registered Nurses 23,266 24,690 1,424 6% 1,510 $30.73
Nursing Assistants 11,248 11,807 559 5% 1,414 $12.85
Licensed Practical and Vocational Nurses 4,700 4,918 218 5% 386 $20.85
Medical Assistants 3,812 4,297 485 13% 542 $15.49
Home Health Aides 3,587 4,315 728 20% 616 $11.64
Physicians and Surgeons 3,194 3,391 197 6% 127 $97.97
Pharmacy Technicians 2,968 3,091 123 4% 261 $14.72
Pharmacists 2,203 2,251 48 2% 104 $58.02
Dental Assistants 2,103 2,294 191 9% 284 $17.37
Medical Records/ Health Info Technicians 1,765 1,873 108 6% 131 $18.37
Radiologic Technologists 1,678 1,770 92 5% 108 $27.02
Medical and Clinical Lab Technologists 1,596 1,697 101 6% 123 $28.86
Physical Therapists 1,542 1,705 163 11% 100 $36.57
Medical and Clinical Lab Technicians 1,516 1,628 112 7% 121 $16.90
Dental Hygienists 1,465 1,600 135 9% 120 $34.41
EMTs and Paramedics 1,303 1,364 61 5% 92 $17.73
Nurse Practitioners 1,197 1,387 190 16% 104 $46.84
Healthcare Social Workers 1,140 1,159 19 2% 28 $26.59
Family and General Practitioners 1,015 1,091 76 7% 43 $74.61
Speech-Language Pathologists 1,000 1,074 74 7% 67 $35.53
Occupational Therapists 980 1,068 88 9% 68 $36.65
Massage Therapists 858 991 133 16% 125 $14.73
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers 802 816 14 2% 20 $18.42
Medical Transcriptionists 448 450 2 0% 53 $15.99
Nurse Anesthetists 376 402 26 7% 24 $69.87

Source: JobsEQ 2017 Q3, U.S. Census Bureau 2016 Estimates

 



Data is the most current available as of September 2017.

Produced by the Mid-America Regional Council for the REACH Healthcare Foundation | www.marc2.org/healthdata ©