Average DC age jumps, retirements loom according to 2021 Chiropractic Economics Salary & Expense Survey

Chiropractors in the U.S. responding to the latest Chiropractic Economics Salary & Expense Survey, measuring the pandemic months from April 2020 to April 2021, reported the average age of doctors of chiropractic in the U.S. jumping from 48.6% to 52.1%, the first time the average age has crested 50% or above

“There is not a great deal of data on the aging of the chiropractic practitioner,” David S. O’Bryon, JD, CAE, and president of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges wrote earlier this year for Chiropractic Economics. “The National Board of Chiropractic Examiners provides some insights in their studies of the profession in broad areas by the number of years in practice.

“The medical professions projected a severe shortage of doctors to serve a growing population and increased enrollment in medical schools by 30%. In a similar fashion osteopathic schools increased enrollment by doubling the number of schools and growing graduation rates from 1,500 to 4,500 DOs per year … Are we adding the resources that are needed? Having a larger portion of our population retired will have an impact on the economy, with potentially slower growth … What we do know is that chiropractic care is growing. The Department of Veterans Affairs has had a steady growth of providers giving care. The baby boomer population is an active group. We can also learn about aging populations by studying Japan’s experience, for example … we need to continue to train future chiropractors mindful of the nation’s pending needs.”

The 2021 Chiropractic Economics Salary & Expense Survey will be released in mid-May of this year, but survey respondents and chiropractors who subscribe or re-subscribe for free (click here) to Chiropractic Economics will receive the survey results at the end of April, two weeks before it is released in print.

From the 2021 survey, pandemic conditions also saw solo chiropractic practitioners increase roughly 6% to 63%, group practitioners/partners and associates down slightly, franchise owners increasing to 1%, and urban practitioners up roughly 3% to 30% while suburban and rural practitioners were down slightly, as reported by U.S. chiropractors.

The 2021 Chiropractic Economics Salary & Expense Survey is the go-to source for annual salary data and trending information in the chiropractic industry.

To receive the full 2021 survey results before they are published in May, via email PDF, click here for a complimentary subscription (or to renew or add on to your subscription) to Chiropractic Economics.