User:Katielewis02/Medical deserts in the United States

Copied from Physician Shortages

While approximately 20% of Americans live in rural regions, only 9% of the country's doctors practice in rural areas. The average age of doctors in rural areas has increased, with over 50% of rural physicians over the age of 50. It was predicted in 2019 that the number of rural doctors will decline by 23% by 2030 due to these physicians retiring. An additional contributing factor to this decline is newly graduated doctors' reluctance to move to rural areas. Doctors originally from rural areas are more likely to practice in rural regions, however, a study from the Association of American Medical Colleges found that the percentage of rural Americans enrolling in medical school is declining. A 2023 survey of physicians found that 68% of newly graduated doctors wanted to work in hospitals, rather than jobs in family practices that are more common in rural areas. Additionally, only 4% of resident physicians wanted to work in a community of 25,000 or less, highlighting the difficulty in recruiting new physicians to rural areas.