Physicians are only part of American health care. The November 2026 NPI registry lists 521,112 nurse practitioners, 220,301 physician assistants, 272,176 dentists, 327,115 pharmacists, 288,806 physical therapists and 158,368 clinical psychologists. This map shows clinicians per capita by county and state: how many of each practice, per 100,000 residents.
Key findings
- 154 nurse practitioners per 100,000 residents nationally. The District of Columbia (241.6), Tennessee (237.4), Kentucky (222.2), Mississippi (220.7) and Florida (210.1) have the most; Puerto Rico (4.5), California (96.6) and Hawaii (104.2) the fewest.
- NPs reach almost every county: only 130 counties (1.1 million people) have none, compared with 144 counties that have no physician. Of those 130, 39 are in Puerto Rico.
- Clinical psychologists are the scarcest of these professions: 957 counties, home to 10.9 million people, have none.
| Clinicians | In the U.S. | Per 100,000 residents | Counties with none | People in those counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse practitioners (all types) | 521,112 | 154.1 | 130 | 1,148,099 |
| Pharmacists | 327,115 | 96.7 | 198 | 717,143 |
| Physical therapists | 288,806 | 85.4 | 328 | 2,177,632 |
| Dentists (all) | 272,176 | 80.5 | 243 | 921,405 |
| Physician assistants | 220,301 | 65.1 | 473 | 4,769,661 |
| Clinical psychologists | 158,368 | 46.8 | 957 | 10,877,243 |
For nurse practitioners and physician assistants compared with physicians in the same place, see nurse practitioners per physician. What NPs and PAs can do is explained in our FAQ.
How we count clinicians per capita by county
Every clinician with an active NPI and a U.S. practice address, by primary specialty and practice county, per 100,000 residents (Census ACS 2020–2024). Registered clinicians may work part time or in several places, and a registry address is sometimes a billing office. Details on the Methodology page.
Source: contact.doctor analysis of the NPPES NPI Registry (November 2026) and U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024.
Frequently asked questions
How many nurse practitioners are there per capita?
The national figure and every state and county are on the map above; switch between nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dentists and other clinicians with the picker.
Where do nurse practitioners outnumber doctors?
In many rural counties, especially in the West and South, nurse practitioners outnumber physicians. See nurse practitioners per physician by state and county.
Where does the data come from?
Clinicians registered in the NPI Registry with a practice address in each county, divided by Census population estimates.
Sources: the CMS NPI Registry (opens in a new tab) and the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (opens in a new tab).