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OPA People Research Desk

Healthcare workforce statistics for 2026.

A current, source-linked reference for employers, healthcare leaders, writers, and anyone tracking the U.S. healthcare workforce.

At A Glance

The numbers behind healthcare hiring pressure.

These figures combine current employment counts with published projections. Forecasts describe what could happen under each source's stated assumptions, not a guarantee of future hiring conditions.

1.9M

healthcare occupation openings projected each year

The 2025 to 2035 projection includes new jobs plus openings created when people leave the field.

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180,800

registered nurse openings projected each year

BLS expects registered-nurse employment to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with openings from growth and replacement needs.

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24%

projected growth for medical and health services managers

BLS projects about 62,300 manager openings each year, on average, from 2025 to 2035.

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36%

projected growth for APRN roles

Nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife, and nurse practitioner employment is projected to rise from 399,000 roles in 2025 to 543,000 in 2035.

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21%

projected growth for physician assistants

BLS projects the physician assistant workforce will rise from 168,900 roles in 2025 to 204,600 in 2035, with about 11,500 annual openings.

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760,500

home health and personal care aide openings projected each year

BLS projects 18% employment growth from 2025 to 2035, reflecting both new demand and replacement needs across home and community-based care.

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109,700

medical assistant openings projected each year

BLS projects 13% employment growth from 2025 to 2035, as healthcare teams add clinical and administrative support.

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86,000

potential physician shortfall by 2036

The AAMC projects a potential shortage of up to 86,000 physicians across primary and specialty care, depending on future supply and demand conditions.

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Methodology & Sources

How to read these figures.

Employment figures and annual opening estimates come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2025 to 2035 projections. The physician shortfall figure comes from the AAMC's scenario-based 2021 to 2036 projection study.

Cite This Page

Use this reference with a stable link.

OPA People. "Healthcare Workforce Statistics for 2026." Updated September 21, 2026. https://opastaffing.com/resources/healthcare-workforce-statistics

For an individual figure, link directly to the statistic heading and cite the original source listed with it.

For Healthcare Employers

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