Primary care marketing statistics 2026
Primary care demand in the US is broad, but patient loyalty is weakest among young adults. CDC data show 84.7% of adults saw a health professional in 2025, and 90.3% had a usual source of care in 2024. Yet only 67.7% of adults aged 18–34 named a doctor's office as that source. This page collects verified statistics on demand, competition, supply, payers and digital behavior.
- Demand: 84.7% of US adults saw a doctor or other health professional in the past year (CDC NHIS, 2025).
- Competition: 27.6% of people visited an urgent care center and 19.0% a retail clinic in the past year (NCHS, 2024).
- Supply: 8,830 primary care shortage-area designations cover about 102.3 million people (HRSA, September 2026).
- Digital: 91% of adults own a smartphone (Pew, 2025), and 29% use AI chatbots for health information monthly (KFF, 2026).
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How many Americans see a doctor each year, and how many have a usual place of care?
Demand for primary care is broad and steady. CDC data show 84.7% of US adults and 94.7% of children saw a doctor or other health professional in the past year (2025). Nine in ten adults also report a usual source of care, so most patients already have a default practice to return to.
Those figures come from the National Health Interview Survey, summarized on CDC's FastStats physician visits page, 2025. The same page reports roughly 1.0 billion physician office visits in 2019, about 320.7 visits per 100 people. Primary care physicians received 50.3% of those office visits, according to the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey 2019 summary tables cited there.
The NCHS data brief on source of usual health care, 2024 adds detail. In 2024, 90.3% of adults had a usual source of care: 93.3% of women and 87.1% of men. A doctor's office or health center was the usual source for 77.5% of adults. Urgent care centers or retail clinics were the usual source for 8.6%, and a hospital emergency room for 1.7%.
The age gap is the real story
| Age group (2024) | Any usual source of care | Doctor's office or health center | Urgent care or retail clinic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18–34 | 83.7% | 67.7% | 12.2% |
| 35–49 | 88.1% | 73.4% | 10.5% |
| 50–64 | 93.6% | 82.8% | 6.8% |
| 65 and older | 97.5% | 88.8% | 3.8% |
Source: NCHS Data Brief No. 558, 2026 (2024 NHIS data).
What it means for your marketing
- Young adults are the open market. They are the least attached to a doctor's office and the most likely to name urgent care as their usual source. Acquisition campaigns for new patients should speak to them first.
- Older adults are a retention market. Almost all of them already have a usual place of care. Winning them usually means being chosen at a life change: a move, a retirement, a plan switch or a physician retiring.
- Your existing panel is an asset. When most patients return to the same place, recall, reminders and portal engagement often matter as much as new-patient ads.
How often do patients use urgent care and retail clinics instead?
Convenience care is now part of the primary care market. In 2024, 27.6% of people in the US visited an urgent care center at least once in the past year, and 19.0% visited a retail health clinic, according to NCHS. Adults 18–64 used urgent care most; adults 65 and older used retail clinics most.
The figures come from the NCHS data brief on urgent care center and retail health clinic use, 2024, published in May 2026. Use differs by age and by where people live.
| Group (2024) | Urgent care visit, past 12 months | Retail clinic visit, past 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| All people | 27.6% | 19.0% |
| Children 0–17 | 28.5% | 10.9% |
| Adults 18–64 | 28.9% | 20.1% |
| Adults 65 and older | 21.9% | 25.0% |
Source: NCHS Data Brief No. 562, 2026 (2024 NHIS data).
Geography matters too. Among adults 18–64, urgent care use was 31.5% in large fringe metro areas (the suburbs) and 26.6% in large central metro areas. Retail clinic use among the same age group was 23.1% in large fringe metro areas and 12.7% in nonmetro areas.
What it means for your marketing
- Compete on access, not only on care. Same-day slots, online booking, evening hours and clear wait-time messages answer the reason patients choose convenience care.
- Suburban practices face the most convenience competition. Map listings and "near me" searches decide many of these choices. Keep your Google Business Profile hours, services and booking link current.
- Turn one-off visits into relationships. Patients who use urgent care still need annual visits and chronic care. Content that explains what a primary care relationship adds is a fair, useful message.
How large is the primary care workforce shortage?
Supply is tight and getting tighter. The AAMC projects a US shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. HRSA counts 8,830 primary care shortage-area designations covering about 102.3 million people as of September 30, 2026. Primary care physicians make up 26% of all physicians, per the Milbank scorecard.
The AAMC projection released in March 2024 also notes that physicians aged 65 or older are 20% of the clinical physician workforce, and those aged 55 to 64 are another 22%. A large share of the workforce is near retirement age.
HRSA's designated HPSA quarterly summary, fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026 gives the shortage-area picture for primary medical care.
| Primary medical care HPSA measure | Figure (as of Sept 30, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Number of designations | 8,830 |
| Population of designated areas | 102,257,076 |
| Percent of need met | 46.75% |
| Practitioners needed to remove designations | 17,675 |
| Designations classified as rural | 5,480 (62.06%) |
Source: HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce, 2026.
The Milbank Memorial Fund 2026 Primary Care Scorecard reports 67 primary care physicians per 100,000 people in 2023. Primary care nurse practitioner supply rose from 26 to 28 per 100,000. The share of new physicians entering primary care rose from 18.6% to 22%.
What it means for your marketing
- In shortage areas, capacity is the constraint. Marketing should fill the right slots: annual visits, chronic care and new-patient appointments you can actually offer.
- Market the whole care team. As nurse practitioner supply grows, patients need to understand who they will see. Clear provider pages with credentials build trust.
- Retirements create openings. When a local physician retires, patients search for a new practice. A clear "accepting new patients" message on your site and profile helps them find you.
Who owns primary care practices, and how much is spent on primary care?
Fewer physicians now own their practices, and primary care gets a small slice of spending. The AMA found 42.2% of physicians worked in private practice in 2024, down from 60.1% in 2012. Milbank reports primary care physicians received 4.5% of total US health spending in 2023, under its narrow definition.
The ownership data come from the AMA Physician Practice Benchmark Survey, 2024. The AMA describes this as an 18-percentage-point drop over twelve years. It also reports that practices are increasingly owned by hospitals or other organizations, not by physicians.
The spending data come from the Milbank 2026 Primary Care Scorecard. Under the narrow definition (physicians only), primary care's share slipped from 4.6% in 2022 to 4.5% in 2023. Under the broad definition, which adds nurse practitioners, physician associates, behavioral health clinicians and OB/GYNs, the share fell from 13% to 12%.
What it means for your marketing
- Independent practices must look independent. Patients often value continuity and a named physician. Say who owns the practice and who the patient will see.
- Thin margins demand tracked spend. With limited revenue per visit, every marketing dollar should tie to booked appointments, not clicks. See our healthcare marketing budget guide.
- Groups need one brand voice. Multi-site and employed-physician groups should keep location pages, profiles and messages consistent across every site.
- Alternative models need their own story. Membership and direct-pay practices sell a different promise. Our direct primary care marketing guide covers that positioning.
What does insurance coverage look like for primary care patients?
Most Americans have coverage, and payer mix shapes who you can reach. The Census Bureau reports 7.9% of people, or 26.7 million, were uninsured for all of 2025. Employment-based insurance covered 53.5%. Medicare covered 20.1% and Medicaid 17.1%. Medicare Advantage now enrolls 55% of eligible beneficiaries.
Coverage figures come from the Census report Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2025, released September 15, 2026. Public coverage of any kind was 35.8% of the population, not statistically different from 2024. The Census Bureau found the uninsured rate was not statistically different from 2024.
KFF's Medicare Advantage in 2026 enrollment update counts about 35.2 million Medicare Advantage enrollees, out of about 64.2 million beneficiaries with both Part A and Part B. That is 55% of those eligible.
| Coverage measure | Figure | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uninsured all year | 7.9% (26.7 million) | 2025 | Census Bureau |
| Employment-based coverage | 53.5% | 2025 | Census Bureau |
| Public coverage (any) | 35.8% | 2025 | Census Bureau |
| Medicare | 20.1% | 2025 | Census Bureau |
| Medicaid | 17.1% | 2025 | Census Bureau |
| Medicare Advantage share of eligible beneficiaries | 55% (about 35.2 million) | 2026 | KFF |
What it means for your marketing
- "Do you take my insurance?" is the first question. A clear, current insurance page answers it before the phone call. Our insurance page guide shows how to structure one.
- Medicare Advantage networks change. Plan switches during enrollment periods send seniors looking for in-network practices. Keep plan lists accurate and dated.
- Employers are a channel. With most people covered through work, local employer relationships can bring in working-age patients. Keep any arrangements within anti-kickback and state rules, and check with counsel.
How common are chronic conditions and preventive gaps among adults?
Chronic disease is the core of primary care demand. A CDC study found 76.4% of US adults, about 194 million people, reported at least one chronic condition in 2023. Among adults 65 and older, 93.0% had one or more, and 78.8% had two or more.
The figures come from a CDC analysis in Preventing Chronic Disease, 2025, using 2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. The study grouped adults by life stage.
| Life stage (2023) | One or more chronic conditions | Two or more chronic conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Young adults (18–34) | 59.5% | 27.1% |
| Midlife adults (35–64) | 78.4% | 52.7% |
| Older adults (65 and older) | 93.0% | 78.8% |
Source: CDC, Preventing Chronic Disease, 2025.
Preventive gaps remain among older adults. The NCHS brief on vaccinations among adults 65 and older, 2024 found 67.1% had a flu vaccine in the past 12 months, down from 70.5% in 2019. The share who ever had a pneumonia vaccine was 64.7%, down from 67.0% in 2019.
What it means for your marketing
- Build service pages around ongoing care. Pages for annual physicals, chronic care management and care coordination match what most adults need. Keep them factual and free of outcome promises.
- Reminders are marketing. Seasonal vaccine and wellness-visit reminders to existing patients fill schedules. Send texts only with documented consent and honor opt-outs.
- Young adults have needs too. More than half of young adults report a chronic condition. Content that explains why a regular primary care relationship helps can reach this group.
How do patients use phones, portals, telehealth and AI for health?
Patients are online, and the practice's digital front door matters. Pew reports 91% of US adults own a smartphone (2025). ASTP reports 65% of individuals were offered and used a patient portal in 2024. KFF found 29% of adults use AI chatbots for health information at least monthly in 2026.
Smartphones and portals
Smartphone ownership is high at every age, per the Pew Research Center mobile fact sheet, 2025: 97% of adults 18–29, 96% of 30–49, 90% of 50–64 and 78% of those 65 and older.
The ASTP/ONC data brief on patient portals, 2024 found more than 3 in 4 individuals were offered online access to their records in 2024, and 65% were offered and accessed a portal or online record. Among those offered access, 87% of people encouraged by their provider used it, against 57% of those not encouraged. Primary care was the most common source of the portals people held, at 68%. And 57% of individuals reported using an app to access their records, up from 38% in 2020.
Telehealth
The NCHS Health E-Stat on physician telemedicine use found 86.2% of office-based primary care physicians used telemedicine in 2024, down from 91.4% in 2021. Across all specialties, use fell from 86.5% to 80.0%.
AI and social media
KFF's tracking poll on social media and AI for health information, 2026 found monthly AI chatbot use for health information rose from 17% in June 2024 to 29% in 2026. Some 31% of adults use social media for health information at least monthly, rising to 40% of adults under 30. In an earlier KFF poll from March 2026, 32% of adults said they had used AI for health information or advice in the past year. KFF's May 2026 report adds that, in that March poll, 18% of AI users named not having a regular health care provider as a major reason.
What it means for your marketing
- Design for the phone first. Tap-to-call, short forms and fast pages serve nearly every adult patient.
- Ask patients to use the portal. The ASTP data show encouragement and portal use go together. Front-desk scripts and visit summaries can carry that ask.
- Write pages AI tools can quote. Clear answers about services, hours, insurance and new-patient steps help AI assistants describe your practice correctly. Our guide on getting cited in AI Overviews and ChatGPT explains the format.
- Keep tracking HIPAA-safe. HHS OCR's guidance on online tracking technologies still covers patient portals and other authenticated pages. Avoid ad pixels on booking and intake flows.
Which numbers should a primary care practice track for itself?
National statistics set context, but your own data decide your plan. Track where new patients come from, how many calls and forms become booked visits, and how many new patients return for a second visit. These numbers show which channels earn their budget in your market.
| Metric | What it tells you | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| New-patient bookings by source | Which channels bring patients, not just clicks | Intake question plus call tracking |
| Call answer rate | Whether demand is lost at the front desk | Phone system reports |
| Inquiry-to-booking rate | How well staff convert calls and forms | CRM or scheduling records |
| Second-visit rate | Whether new patients become panel patients | Practice-management reports |
| Review volume and recency | How your profile compares in the map results | Google Business Profile |
| Portal activation rate | How engaged existing patients are | Portal admin reports |
What it means for your marketing
- Compare against yourself first. Month-over-month trends in your own practice are more useful than any national average.
- Fix leaks before buying traffic. Missed calls and slow form replies waste paid campaigns. Measure answer rates before raising ad spend.
- Agree goals in writing. At Ichelon Consulting US, we agree monthly goals with each client, track them live on Ichelon Agency OS and send a report every Monday.
How we compiled these primary care statistics
We used only primary sources: federal agencies, a professional association, a medical-school association and nonprofit research groups. Every figure links to the page we opened. We checked each one in October 2026 and dropped any number we could not confirm at its source.
- Federal sources: CDC and its National Center for Health Statistics, HRSA, the Census Bureau and ASTP/ONC (HHS).
- Professional and research bodies: AAMC, AMA, KFF, Pew Research Center and the Milbank Memorial Fund.
- Years differ by source. Survey years range from 2019 (office-visit counts) to 2026 (HRSA shortage areas, KFF polls). We give the year beside each figure.
- Definitions differ. "Usual source of care", "primary care" and "chronic condition" are measured differently across surveys. Compare figures only within the same source.
- No blending. We did not average, combine or project any figures ourselves.
This page is for marketing planning, not legal or clinical advice. Confirm advertising and privacy questions with your counsel. For how we apply these numbers to a primary care growth plan, see our doctor and primary care marketing hub, or book a call with the US team.
Related pages from the US team
Doctor and primary care marketing USA
Our hub for growing US primary care and physician practices.
Insurance pages that convert
How to answer the first question most primary care patients ask.
Direct primary care marketing guide
Positioning and channels for membership-based primary care.
US healthcare marketing statistics 2026
Sourced figures across US healthcare specialties.
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We benchmark your last 90 days, agree monthly goals with you, and track them live on Ichelon Agency OS with a report every Monday. Performance-Linked Payout Models are available. Our US leadership is based in Dallas, and strategy calls run in US business hours.
Common questions
What percentage of US adults have a usual source of health care?
In 2024, 90.3% of US adults had a usual source of health care, according to NCHS Data Brief No. 558 (2026). A doctor's office or health center was that source for 77.5% of adults. The share was lowest among adults aged 18–34, at 83.7%, and highest among adults 65 and older, at 97.5%.
How many Americans use urgent care each year?
In 2024, 27.6% of people in the US made at least one urgent care visit in the past 12 months, according to NCHS Data Brief No. 562 (2026). Retail clinic use was 19.0%. Adults aged 18–64 used urgent care most, at 28.9%, while adults 65 and older used retail clinics most, at 25.0%.
How big is the US primary care shortage?
As of September 30, 2026, HRSA counted 8,830 primary medical care shortage-area designations covering about 102.3 million people. HRSA estimates 17,675 more practitioners are needed to remove those designations. Separately, the AAMC projected in 2024 a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians across all specialties by 2036.
What share of physicians work in private practice?
The AMA Physician Practice Benchmark Survey found that 42.2% of US physicians worked in private practice in 2024, down from 60.1% in 2012. The AMA reports that practices are increasingly owned by hospitals or other organizations rather than by physicians.
How many patients use online patient portals?
According to an ASTP/ONC data brief on 2024 survey data, more than 3 in 4 individuals were offered online access to their medical records, and 65% were offered and used a portal or online record. Among people offered access, 87% of those encouraged by their provider used it, compared with 57% of those not encouraged.
How many adults use AI chatbots for health information?
A KFF tracking poll fielded in May 2026 found 29% of US adults use AI tools or chatbots for health information at least monthly, up from 17% in June 2024. In a KFF poll from March 2026, 32% of adults said they had used AI for health information or advice in the past year.
A note on this guide: it explains marketing practice, not legal advice. Rules on privacy, advertising and insurance change and vary by state, so confirm anything compliance-related with your own counsel.
Turn these numbers into a primary care growth plan
Book a 30-minute call with the US team. We will review your Google profile, insurance and new-patient pages, and tracking setup, then agree monthly goals. Retainers start at $499/month, and we sign a BAA with every US client.