A look at chiropractic statistics and opportunities

Have you ever wondered which states have the most chiropractors? The least? Or which states require a bachelor’s degree to get licensed?

The answers to these questions may influence your decision concerning where to practice. Chiropractic Economics did some sleuthing to help you and compiled information from the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FLCB) (www.fclb.org), which asks state licensing boards to update information on licensing requirements, as well as statistics concerning the number of licensed chiropractors within the state.

Note: As you review these statistics, keep in mind that the number of active licenses does not equate to the number of practicing chiropractors. Some people keep their licenses active even if they do not practice.

Here are some of the more interesting facts we found:

• States with the most chiropractors. The five states with the most active licenses include California (13,554), New York (6,225), Florida (4,755), Texas (4,190), and Pennsylvania (4,000).

• States with the fewest chiropractors. The five states with the fewest number of chiropractors with active licenses are Alaska (178), Wyoming (205), Vermont (247), North Dakota (258), and Rhode Island (272). The District of Columbia reports 60 active licenses.

• Ratios of DCs to the population. The 10 states that have the lowest number of chiropractors compared to the general population include Delaware (1 DC for 9,533 people), Mississippi (1 to 8,595), Louisiana (1 to 8,276), Maryland (1 to 8,049), Indiana (1 to 5,829), Alabama (1 to 5,828), West Virginia (1 to 5,740), Ohio (1 to 5,198), Virginia (1 to 5,006), and Texas (1 to 4,977). (These calculations are based on population statistics taken from the 2000 U.S. census and the number of active licenses in 2004, according to FCLB.)

• States requiring a bachelor’s degree for licensure. Several states require a bachelor’s degree in addition to a DC degree and successfully passing the NBCE (National Board of Chiropractic Examiners) tests. These states are Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Montana, North Carolina, Rhode Island (pre-chiropractic degree), Tennessee, and West Virginia.

Additionally, several states are considering making a bachelor’s degree a requirement for obtaining a DC license. These states include Louisiana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Vermont.

A number of the remaining states require some college prior to licensure.