Family Medicine Physicians
Also called: Family Physician, Family Practice Physician (FP Physician), Medical Doctor (MD), PhysicianDiagnose, treat, and provide preventive care to individuals and families across the lifespan. May refer patients to specialists when needed for further diagnosis or treatment.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 7 of its 12 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 3.3% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 0.6% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other physicians”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 95% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $134,550 | $104,830 to $218,870 | not published |
| Alaska | $323,490 | $214,660 to $399,300 | 760 |
| Arizona | $292,760 | $230,310 to $406,360 | 2,620 |
| Arkansas | $215,820 | $183,110 to $282,220 | 290 |
| California | $252,010 | $137,220 to $349,420 | not published |
| Colorado | $265,560 | $177,800 to $318,840 | 2,700 |
| Connecticut | $163,930 | $94,700 to $269,180 | 790 |
| Delaware | $228,000 | $167,600 to $266,340 | 640 |
| District of Columbia | $233,390 | $233,380 to $464,160 | 150 |
| Florida | $227,700 | $108,910 to $282,520 | not published |
| Georgia | $259,320 | $210,760 to $366,520 | 3,690 |
| Hawaii | $218,210 | $187,330 to $273,690 | 260 |
| Idaho | $347,160 | $210,650 to $347,510 | 690 |
| Illinois | $245,120 | $149,990 to $304,990 | 1,960 |
| Indiana | $261,940 | $209,490 to $386,330 | 1,410 |
| Iowa | $265,200 | $207,410 to $351,300 | 1,140 |
| Kansas | $229,390 | $171,410 to $303,760 | 210 |
| Kentucky | $248,730 | $137,290 to $312,370 | 1,170 |
| Louisiana | $255,330 | $168,430 to $353,190 | 1,090 |
| Maine | $239,870 | $206,340 to $275,640 | 730 |
| Maryland | $285,730 | $199,990 to $384,430 | 1,050 |
| Massachusetts | $277,490 | $215,730 to $361,670 | 3,540 |
| Michigan | $214,070 | $123,240 to $312,140 | 3,770 |
| Minnesota | $280,030 | $198,530 to $331,490 | 1,820 |
| Mississippi | $235,630 | $162,280 to $362,530 | 570 |
| Missouri | $171,180 | $75,650 to $354,760 | 3,740 |
| Montana | $330,760 | $233,460 to $469,580 | 460 |
| Nebraska | $228,590 | $155,250 to $312,610 | 830 |
| Nevada | $251,550 | $208,000 to $284,950 | 340 |
| New Hampshire | $268,650 | $234,120 to $286,310 | 350 |
| New Jersey | $292,170 | $213,200 to $386,730 | 3,050 |
| New Mexico | $228,040 | $133,010 to $315,340 | 650 |
| New York | $210,920 | $90,280 to $311,070 | 4,000 |
| North Carolina | $215,230 | $176,810 to $269,270 | 1,520 |
| North Dakota | $280,100 | $228,630 to $297,870 | 260 |
| Ohio | $223,700 | $78,300 to $310,040 | 1,490 |
| Oklahoma | $361,350 | $206,570 to $481,870 | 2,170 |
| Oregon | $293,240 | $225,880 to $316,680 | 1,490 |
| Pennsylvania | $306,030 | $214,660 to $397,910 | 4,190 |
| Puerto Rico | $112,990 | $90,670 to $132,130 | 1,050 |
| Rhode Island | $467,160 | $215,420 to $467,160 | 210 |
| South Carolina | $239,200 | $174,260 to $301,890 | 1,200 |
| South Dakota | $239,970 | $200,830 to $322,950 | 550 |
| Tennessee | $226,830 | $166,350 to $441,770 | 2,260 |
| Texas | $235,710 | $176,090 to $339,810 | 6,190 |
| Utah | $297,510 | $230,310 to $352,360 | 550 |
| Vermont | $239,340 | $215,070 to $269,390 | 240 |
| Virginia | $222,630 | $173,660 to $281,510 | 2,930 |
| Washington | $292,900 | $274,260 to $310,300 | 1,270 |
| West Virginia | $272,680 | $181,670 to $344,250 | 320 |
| Wisconsin | $290,640 | $255,700 to $344,470 | 1,470 |
| Wyoming | $264,580 | $234,510 to $328,940 | 100 |
Nationally: $244,180. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 7 of its 12 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Collect, record, and maintain patient information, such as medical history, reports, or examination results. | Not published |
| Not much | Prescribe or administer treatment, therapy, medication, vaccination, and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease, or injury. | Not published |
| AI + software | Order, perform, and interpret tests and analyze records, reports, and examination information to diagnose patients' condition. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor patients' conditions and progress and reevaluate treatments as necessary. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Explain procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients. | Not published |
| Not much | Advise patients and community members concerning diet, activity, hygiene, and disease prevention. | 0.03% |
See all 12 tasks
| AI alone | Refer patients to medical specialists or other practitioners when necessary. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Coordinate work with nurses, social workers, rehabilitation therapists, pharmacists, psychologists, and other health care providers. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, students, assistants, specialists, therapists, and other medical staff. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan, implement, or administer health programs or standards in hospitals, businesses, or communities for prevention or treatment of injury or illness. | Not published |
| Not much | Train residents, medical students, and other health care professionals. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare government or organizational reports which include birth, death, and disease statistics, workforce evaluations, or medical status of individuals. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 3 of the 12 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 12 tasks fall under 17 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #24 Assist others to access additional services or resources
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assist others to access additional services or resources | |||
| Advise others on healthcare or wellness issues | |||
| Explain medical information to patients or family members | |||
| Analyze health or medical data | |||
| Advise patients or clients on medical issues | |||
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals | |||
| Collect information about patients or clients | |||
| Administer basic health care or medical treatments |
Show all 17 activities
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Prepare health or medical documents | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care | |||
| Develop public or community health programs | |||
| Order medical tests or procedures | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Prescribe medical treatments or devices |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation38%
- An explanation or answer37%
- An analysis or summary10%
- A document or report4%
- A plan or strategy3%
How they worked with Claude
4% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for family medicine physicians specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 4,203 moves out
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 15%
- 2 Physicians and Surgeons, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 9%
- 3 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 7%
- 4 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 5%
- 5 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 4,584 moves in
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 12%
- 2 Physicians and Surgeons, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 8%
- 3 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 6%
- 4 Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants Very high +0.0% 4%
- 5 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 2% bachelor's
- 9% master's
- 29% post-doctoral training
- 59% not published
O*NET marks 59% of the answers as too uncertain to publish, so the parts shown don't add up to 100%.
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 20 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 83% professional degree
- 17% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other physicians” · 10,590 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other physicians”
2 programs: Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
>99.5% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | >99.5% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 27.8% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/29-1215.00