Representation of Texas physicians by gender and race across graduation cohorts and specialties

Current population projections suggest a continuing trend of the browning of the U.S. population. On average across the nation, and particularly in Texas, minorities are projected to collectively attain majority status by 2050. These projections have resulted in discussions regarding the adequacy of a still largely white physician workforce to serve an increasingly minority and non-white patient population. Furthermore, in a #MeToo era, more questions are surfacing regarding the extent to which male physicians can adequately provide care to female patients. Fortunately, these concerns are assuaged by the fact that an increasing share of the physician workforce is minority and female. However, an increasing share of females among physicians also changes the dynamics of physician workload as the data consistently point to fewer weekly work hours by female physicians than by their male counterparts for virtually all specialties.

Against the backdrop of these concerns, this study provides an analysis of the Texas physician workforce by gender and race across graduation cohorts for a selection of specialties. We also compare physician profiles between rural and urban counties and by ethnicity. Using monthly physician licensure files from the Texas Medical Board for 2010 – 2018 we find that while on the whole, there is an increasing share of physicians that are female and non-white, this is not necessarily true of all specialties. Physician profiles also differ markedly between urban and rural areas with significant implications for rural counties that have a significant presence of minorities. In general, minority physicians tend to initiate practice in rural areas, and then transition to urban, higher paying communities by the mid-career stage. This is partly attributable to the fact that a greater share of minority physicians are immigrants, and rural counties offer more incentives to attract these physicians who may not be able to establish practice in more competitive and higher rewarding urban centers. The data also suggest that over the past decade at least in Texas, the share of female physicians has increased more rapidly than the share of minority physicians.