The share of physicians working in practices with fewer than five doctors has plummeted over the past decade, according to the American Medical Association’s Physician Practice Benchmark Survey.
The AMA surveyed 5,000 physicians who have completed residency, provide patient care for at least 20 hours per week, are not employed by the federal government and practice in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia.
Here’s a breakdown of the distribution of physicians by practice size from 2012 to 2024:
| Fewer than 5 physicians | 5 to 10 | 11 to 24 | 25 to 49 | 50+ physicians | Direct hospital employee/contractor | |
| 2012 | 40% | 21.4% | 13.4% | 7.1% | 12.2% | 5.8% |
| 2014 | 40.9% | 19.8% | 12.1% | 6.3% | 13.5% | 7.4% |
| 2016 | 37.9% | 19.9% | 13.3% | 7.4% | 13.8% | 7.7% |
| 2018 | 35.7% | 20.8% | 12.7% | 7.6% | 14.7% | 8.5% |
| 2020 | 33.6% | 20% | 11.5% | 7.8% | 17.2% | 9.7% |
| 2022 | 32.8% | 19% | 12.1% | 7.7% | 18.3% | 10.1% |
| 2024 | 28.8% | 18.7% | 12.5% | 8.8% | 18.3% | 13% |
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