Figure 1. Percentages of the National Health Services Corp (NHSC) Health Care Clinicians Practicing in Rural Areas, 2000-2020.

Percentages were calculated by aggregating clinician full-time equivalent from the NHSC Field Strength Database and computing urban or rural percentages for each year and clinician type. The rural status variable is defined by the Health Resources and Services Administration and includes: all nonmetro counties, all metro census tracts with rural-urban commuting area codes (RUCA) codes 4 to 10 and large area metropolitan census tracts of at least 400 square miles in area with population density of 35 or less per square mile with RUCA codes 2 and 3.