
Max Mello
Director of Physician & APP Recruitment
Healthcare Recruiting · Massachusetts
We track Massachusetts's provider workforce from federal data that updates every month, the same numbers we use when we take a search. Here is the current picture, and what it means if you are hiring.
Provider supply
38,266
Physicians
13,177
Nurse practitioners
5,848
Physician assistants
Over the last 12 months, Massachusetts added 573 newly enrolled nurse practitioners, 240 physicians, and 285 physician assistants to the registry. New NP enrollments outpaced new physicians: the advanced-practice workforce is growing faster than the physician base, and hiring plans that ignore that mix are competing for the scarcer pool.
Source: CMS NPPES registry, June 2026.
Demand
199,578 employed, down 2.7% year over year. Average wages up 7.7% over the same period.
201,489 employed across 12,834 sites, and the site count itself is up 6.0% year over year: more locations competing for the same clinicians.
Source: BLS QCEW, statewide, private ownership, Q4 2024 vs Q4 2025.
Compensation
| Role | Employed in Massachusetts | Mean annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Family medicine physicians | 3,540 | $271,340 |
| Nurse practitioners | 8,070 | $152,320 |
| Physician assistants | 4,470 | $146,480 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 estimates.
Shortage pressure
0 of them score in the high-need range. If your facility sits in or near one, you are not imagining it: the supply math is against you, and every open req is competing with 96 other designated areas for the same clinicians. That is the search we run every day.
Source: HRSA HPSA primary care detail file.
Tell us about the openingThe desk
Tell us about the role. We'll give you an honest read on the market for it: who's movable, what they expect, and a realistic timeline.