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TABLE 601. ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF ACTIVE ALLIED HEALTH PERSONNEL, SELECTED YEARS: 1970-2000 1/

OCCUPATION
1970
1980
1990
2000
Allied health personnel 750,000 1,276,000 1,831,000 2,672,000
Dental hygienists 40,000 54,000 81,000 112,000
Dental assistants 112,000 156,000 201,000 224,000
Dental laboratory technicians 31,000 43,000 50,000 54,000
Dietitians 17,000 32,000 57,000 90,000
Dietetic technicians 20,000 38,000 36,000 41,000
Emergency Medical Technician
EMT-Paramedic
35,000 70,000 98,000 125,000
Health information administrators 10,000 13,000 18,000 24,000
Health information technologists 42,000 60,000 69,000 77,000
Clinical laboratory workers 135,000 249,000 297,000 337,000
Occupational therapists 6,000 25,000 42,000 72,000
Orthotics and Prosthetics 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000
Physical therapists 30,000 50,000 92,000 130,000
Radiologic service workers 87,000 116,000 157,000 220,000
Respiratory therapy workers 30,000 56,000 75,000 125,000
Speech pathologist/ audiologists 19,000 50,000 65,000 121,000
Other allied health 2/ 135,000 262,000 490,000 916,000

1/ All numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand. Due to revisions and independent estimations, some numbers may differ from those that appear elsewhere.
2/ Includes dietetic assistants, genetic assistants, operating room technicians, ophthalmic medical assistants, optometric assistants and technicians, pharmacy assistants, occupational and physical therapy assistants, podiatric assistants, medical transcriptionists, vocational rehabilitation counselors, other rehabilitation service workers, and other social and mental health service workers.

SOURCE: Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis.