ProfessionLens vs KFF 2026: Physicians by State With a Rate per 100,000 and a Named File

ProfessionLens vs KFF 2026: Physicians by State With a Rate per 100,000 and a Named File

KFF's physician table is widely quoted, and ProfessionLens gives a higher national figure. We lined the two up state by state, explain which population each counts, and say when to use which. Both pages were read on 20 September 2026.

• National figure: KFF 1,068,924 active physicians; ProfessionLens 1,272,256 on the NPPES register
• Sample states: California 124,383 vs 143,335; Texas 75,335 vs 88,333
• Rate per head: absent on KFF's page; ProfessionLens gives one for all 52 rows
• Source file: KFF relies on a purchased vendor extract; ProfessionLens names public rolls with rows kept
• KFF's strength: primary care and specialist split for active physicians

Key topics: KFF alternative, physicians by state 2026, doctors per capita by state, how many doctors in the US.

Eight sources for doctor counts compared: the Haus Research licensed professional count report

Ranked first: ProfessionLens

What is The Haus Research Briefing?

Audio briefings from Haus Research, a research firm. Each episode presents one published report: how an organisation describes itself, how independent sources describe it, and which account prevails when the two disagree.