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. 2015 Jan;13(1):23–26. doi: 10.1370/afm.1735

Table 1.

Supply of Physicians With DEA DATA Waivers in US Counties, by Rural-Urban Status

Metropolitana Adjacent to Metropolitanb Micropolitan, Not Adjacent to Metropolitanc Small and Remote Rural Countiesd

Characteristic UIC 1–2 UIC 3–7 UIC 8 UIC 9–12 Total
US population, No. (%) 260,479,400 (83.6) 33,691,096 (10.8) 9,677,339 (3.1) 7,744,082 (2.4) 311,591,917 (100.0)
Counties with ≥1 physicians with waivers, No. (%) 789 (72.4) 419 (39.6) 132 (46.8) 125 (17.5) 1,465 (46.6)
Counties with no physician with a waiver, No. (%) 301 (27.6) 639 (60.4) 150 (53.2) 588 (82.5) 1,678 (53.4)
Total counties, No. (%) 1,090 (34.7) 1,058 (33.7) 282 (9.0) 713 (22.7) 3,143 (100.0)
Physicians with waivers per 100,000 residents, No. 6.3 3.3 4.2 3.1 5.8
Physicians with waivers, % 90.4 6.1 2.3 1.3 100.0

DATA = Drug Addiction Treatment Act; DEA = Drug Enforcement Administration; UIC = Urban Influence Code.

Note: counties were classified as urban or into 1 of 3 categories of rural using the US Department of Agriculture UIC.

a

Counties with an urban core with a population of at least 50,000.

b

Counties that are geographically adjacent to a metropolitan area whose largest town/urban cluster has 10,000–49,999 residents.

c

Counties that are not adjacent to a metropolitan area and whose largest town/urban cluster has 10,000–49,999 residents.

d

Counties whose largest town has fewer than 10,000 residents regardless of proximity to a micropolitan county.