The supply of physicians rose steadily during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, fell in the early 2000s, but has been rising since then. There were 281 non-federal physicians for every 100,000 persons in 2003, fewer than the 288 in 2000, but almost twice the capacity as in 1970.

Note: Non-federal physicians are not employed by the federal government and include medical doctors and osteopaths. They represent 98% of total physicians.

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, Trends and Indicators in the Changing Health Care Marketplace, 2002, May 2002, Exhibit 5.7, p. 54, at http://www.kff.org/insurance/3161-index.cfm, updated for 2001, 2002 and 2003 with KFF calculations using data from State Health Facts, at www.statehealthfacts.kff.org, based on American Medical Association, Physicians Professional Data, and U.S. Census Bureau data at http://www.census.gov/popest/national/NA-EST2004-01.html.