There are 18,469 active orthopedic surgeons in the country, according to the Association of American Medical College's "2022 Physician Specialty Data Report."
The report is based on data from the American Medical Association, the Census Bureau, and a national resident database and tracking system. Overall, it covers about 950,000 physicians and physicians-in-training among 48 of the largest specialties in 2021, according to a Jan. 12 AAMC news release.
Here are four more stats on the orthopedic surgery workforce to know:
1. A total of 17,374 orthopedic surgeons (94.1 percent) are men and 1,090 (5.9 percent) are women.
2. There are 17,682 people per active orthopedic surgeon.
3. Of all active orthopedic surgeons, 7,267 (39.4 percent) are younger than 55 and 11,191 (60.6 percent) are 55 or older.
4. The majority of orthopedic surgeons (17,526) practice patient care, whereas the remainder focus on teaching, research or other areas.