Family physicians and general practitioners are more likely than internists to practice in nonurban areas, according to a report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
In 2010, 22.5% of the 89,000 practicing FPs and GPs worked in rural areas, compared with 10.2% of general internists and 11% of all physicians. For the United States as a whole, 20% of the population worked in rural areas and 80% worked in urban areas in 2010, the AHRQ noted.
FPs and GPs are also more likely to work in nonurban areas than are nurse practitioners (15.6% rural) and physician assistants (15.6% rural), the report said.
Note: Based on data from the National Provider Identifier file, November 2010. Population in large rural areas = 10,000-50,000; population in small rural areas = 2,500-9,999; population in remote rural/frontier areas is less than 2,500.
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality