2025 Doctor Job Outlook: Why Go Locum Tenens?

The United States doesn’t have enough doctors and the problem is only growing—according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the country is facing an estimated shortage of between 13,500 and 86,000 primary and specialty care physicians by 2036. Despite this shortage, the doctor employment outlook is looking promising—read on to learn more about the doctor job outlook for 2025 and beyond.

What is the job outlook for a physician?

Despite projected shortages, the overall job outlook for a doctor in the United States is positive—according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), overall employment of physicians is projected to grow 4% between 2023 and 2033, which is as fast as the average for all occupations, healthcare or otherwise.

The numbers break down like this: in 2023, physician employment (excluding surgeons) was at 776,500, but the BLS projects that to expand to 808,500 in 2033. Surgeons are also projected to face the same 4% growth in employment: BLS data shows that 58,000 surgeons were employed in 2023, with 60,500 projected to be in the labor market in 2033.

A deeper look at BLS data shows that the organization projects around 32,000 physician openings each year on average until 2033, and around 2,500 openings each year for surgeons in the same timeframe. 

Medical Doctor Job Outlook by Specialty

While the overall job outlook for a doctor in the U.S. is looking positive, there are different employment outlooks for each specialty. Here’s the job outlook for a doctor by specialty between 2023 and 2033 as reported by the BLS:

• Anesthesiologists: 4% projected growth
• Cardiologists: 5% projected growth
• Dermatologists: 7% projected growth
• Emergency Medicine Physicians: 3% projected growth 
• Family Medicine Physicians: 5% projected growth
• General Internal Medicine Physicians: 3% projected growth
• Neurologists: 7% projected growth
• Obstetricians and Gynecologists: 3% projected growth
• General Pediatrician: 2% projected growth
• Pathologists: 5% projected growth
• Psychiatrists: 8% projected growth
• Radiologists: 4% projected growth 
• All Other Physicians: 4% projected growth

Job Outlook for Doctors: States with Highest Employment

The BLS does not give state information for physicians in general, instead, the organization breaks it out by specialty. Here are the states with the highest physician employment rates by specialty as of May 2024:

• Anesthesiologists
  • California, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, New York
• Cardiologists
  • New York, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio
• Dermatologists
  • New York, Texas, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon
• Emergency Medicine Physicians
  • New York, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, Illinois
• Family Medicine Physicians
  • California, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
• General Internal Medicine Physicians
  • New York, California, Georgia, Maryland, Texas
• Neurologists
  • New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Illinois
• Obstetricians and Gynecologists
  • New York, California, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana
• General Pediatrician
  • California, New York, Ohio, Massachusetts, Texas
• Pathologists
  • California, Texas, New York, Missouri, Ohio
• Psychiatrists
  • California, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Texas 
• Radiologists
  • Washington, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida
• All Other Physicians
  • Texas, Florida, Ohio, California, Illinois

What is the unemployment rate for physicians in the United States?

Physicians have a low unemployment rate when compared to the national average—according to the 100 Best Jobs list released by the U.S. News & World Report in 2024, the unemployment rate for physicians is 0.3%, which is less than the national unemployment rate of 4.2% in April 2025.

Where do physicians commonly work?

When you think of healthcare, you likely think of doctors first. These crucial healthcare providers can be found in almost every healthcare setting, including, but not limited to:

• Hospitals
• Private Practices
• Urgent Cares
• Higher Education
• Corporate Clinics
• Telehealth Services
• Insurance Companies
• Correctional Facilities
• Indian Health Service (IHS) Facilities 

Why is the physician shortage growing?

If you’re confused as to why there’s a projected growth in doctor employment at the same time as the physician grows, you’re not alone. One of the main reasons why the physician shortage is growing is because the Baby Boomer generation is entering old age at a high rate, which increases the demand for more complex healthcare. On the other side of the coin, many physicians are part of this generation and are retiring from being doctors. 

Although doctor employment is growing, the numbers show that it’s not keeping pace with physician demand and doctors leaving the profession to retire. 

Why become a locum tenens physician?

One way to increase access to care to patients who need it—especially those who live in rural areas with a higher shortage of healthcare professionals—is for current physicians to take locum tenens positions. 

Locum tenens is a Latin phrase meaning “to hold the place” but in healthcare, it refers to a temporary travel medical professional who substitutes for a provider or works an open job until it can be filled with a permanent worker.

Taking a locum tenens assignment provides additional benefits not available to permanent professionals who work at a clinic or private practice, including greater work flexibility and higher earning potentials. 

Learn more about how much money physicians make on average in our Physician Salary Guide. 

Find Locum Tenens Jobs with Barton Associates

Interested in becoming a locum tenens physician? We connect skilled doctors with facilities that are short-staffed across the country, placing them on temporary assignments that meet personal needs and professional goals. 

Check out our job board and apply today to get started!

Editor’s Note: This blog was originally published in February 2024 by Mike Connors and was updated in May 2025 by MIke Connors to reflect new information.