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The New York Health Workforce: Highlights from the Health Workforce Profile

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State Health Workforce Profiles
Highlights
New York

Printer-friendly New York Highlights (PDF - 41 KB)

  • There were over 887,000 people employed in the health sector in New York in 2000, 10.5% of New York‘s total workforce. This was higher than the national rate of 8.8%. New York ranked 15th among the states in per capita health services employment in 2000.
  • Health services employment in New York grew 32% between 1988 and 2000, while the state’s population grew by only 6%, resulting in a net per capita growth of 25% in health services sector employment. This exceeded the national rate of per capita growth in the health services sector of 21%.
  • The total population of New York is projected to grow 2% between 2000 and 2020, while the population 65 and over is projected to grow 19% between 2000 and 2020.
  • In 1999, New York was slightly below the national rate of deaths due to cancer and above the rate of deaths due to heart disease. The rate of deaths due to firearms was significantly less than the national rate. In 2000, New York had one of the highest number of reported AIDS cases in the country and had a very high incidence of TB.
  • In 2000, New York was above the national rate in the number of hospital beds per 100,000.

Highlights of the findings about the health workforce in New York are presented below. Medicine

  • There were over 49,000 active patient care physicians in New York in 2000. With 259 physicians per 100,000 population, New York was well above the national ratio of 198 physicians per 100,000.
  • New York ranked 3rd among states in physicians per capita.New York had 80 active primary care physicians per 100,000 population in 2000, higher than the rate of 69 per 100,000 for the entire country.
  • Medical schools in New York graduated 1,947 new physicians in 1999-00. New York ranked 1st among the 46 states with medical schools in number of medical school graduates. On a per capita basis, New York graduated more new physicians per 100,000 population (10.5) than did the entire United States (6.4) and ranked 7th among the 46 states with medical schools in medical school graduates per capita.
  • There were 4,368 physician assistants practicing in New York in 2000. This was equal to 23 physician assistants per 100,000 population, higher than the national rate of 14.4.

Nursing

  • There were nearly 198,000 licensed registered nurses (RNs) in New York in 2000; over 160,000 were employed in nursing. There were 842.2 RNs per 100,000 population in New York in 2000, more than the national rate of 780.2.
  • In 2000, New York ranked 3rd among the states in the number of Licensed Practical/ Vocational Nurses (LPNs) employed in 2000 with 47,370 workers. However, with 249.3 LPNs per 100,000 population as compared to the national rate of 240.8 per 100,000, New York ranked 22n d in the per capita employment of LPNs.
  • New York had over 9,700 nurse practitioners in 2000. This was equal to 51.5 nurse practitioners per 100,000 population, well above the national rate of 33.7.
  • With 848 certified nurse midwives in 2000, New York had 4.5 certified nurse midwives per 100,000 population, above the national rate of 2.9. New York ranked 12th among states in certified nurse midwives per capita.
  • With 774 certified registered nurse anesthetists in 2003, New York had 4.1 nurse anesthetists per 100,000 population, less than half the national rate. New York had one of the lowest ratios of nurse anesthetists per capita in the nation.

Dentistry, Pharmacy and Mental Health

  • There were 15,890 dentists, 11,140 dental hygienists, and 16,870 dental assistants practicing in New York in 2000. There were 83.6 dentists per 100,000 population in New York in 2000, well above the national rate of 63.6. New York ranked 4th in the nation in dentists per capita. The per capita ratio of dental hygienists was slightly higher than the national rate.
  • The number of dentists in New York increased 21% between 1991 and 2000 while the state’s population grew 5%. The result was a 15% increase in dentists per capita, comparable to the 16% increase nationwide.
  • New York had 67.6 pharmacists and 74.4 pharmacy technicians and aides per 100,000 population in 2000, which ranked them 41st and 38th, respectively, among the 50 states. The ratio of pharmacy technicians/aides to pharmacists in New York of 1.10 ranked 27th in the nation.
  • In 2000, New York had 26.7 psychiatrists, 46.0 psychologists, and 211.5 social workers per 100,000 population. New York ranked 2nd among states in psychiatrists per capita, 10th among states in psychologists per capita, and 10th among states in social workers per capita.

Aides

  • There were 107,130 home health aides and 90,000 nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants working in New York in 2000. New York had 563.8 home health aides and 473.7 nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants per 100,000 population in 2000, which ranked 1st and 2nd, respectively, among the 50 states