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Healthcare providers in Alabama: counts by specialty
How many healthcare providers work in Alabama? The federal NPPES registry listed 93,591 active NPIs with a practice address in the state as of the June 2026 snapshot, the 31st largest workforce among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The single largest specialty is Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program, and Birmingham is the city with the most records. The table below lists the 30 specialties with the most active providers and the share each one holds.
The 30 largest specialties in Alabama
| # | Specialty (primary taxonomy) | Active NPIs | % of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program | 4,748 | 5.1% |
| 2 | Pharmacist | 4,593 | 4.9% |
| 3 | Family Nurse Practitioner | 4,447 | 4.8% |
| 4 | Physical Therapist | 3,309 | 3.5% |
| 5 | Family Medicine Physician | 3,106 | 3.3% |
| 6 | Behavior Technician | 3,006 | 3.2% |
| 7 | Mental Health Counselor | 2,647 | 2.8% |
| 8 | Internal Medicine Physician | 2,269 | 2.4% |
| 9 | Professional Counselor | 2,207 | 2.4% |
| 10 | Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist | 2,205 | 2.4% |
| 11 | Clinical Social Worker | 2,078 | 2.2% |
| 12 | General Practice Dentistry | 1,951 | 2.1% |
| 13 | Speech-Language Pathologist | 1,938 | 2.1% |
| 14 | Chiropractor | 1,519 | 1.6% |
| 15 | Nurse Practitioner | 1,502 | 1.6% |
| 16 | Registered Nurse | 1,471 | 1.6% |
| 17 | Optometrist | 1,463 | 1.6% |
| 18 | Occupational Therapist | 1,303 | 1.4% |
| 19 | Community/Retail Pharmacy | 1,202 | 1.3% |
| 20 | Dentist | 1,165 | 1.2% |
| 21 | Physician Assistant | 1,148 | 1.2% |
| 22 | Public Health or Welfare Agency | 1,056 | 1.1% |
| 23 | Counselor | 1,033 | 1.1% |
| 24 | Pediatrics Physician | 1,031 | 1.1% |
| 25 | Specialist | 1,016 | 1.1% |
| 26 | Acute Care Nurse Practitioner | 965 | 1.0% |
| 27 | Emergency Medicine Physician | 897 | 1.0% |
| 28 | Durable Medical Equipment & Medical Supplies | 884 | 0.9% |
| 29 | Social Worker | 870 | 0.9% |
| 30 | Home Health Agency | 858 | 0.9% |
What the numbers show
Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program leads with 4,748 active records, 5.1% of everything the state has, or 1.0 times the volume of Pharmacist, the runner up at 4,593. Family Nurse Practitioner rounds out the podium with 4,447. Together, the top 5 specialties account for 21.6% of Alabama's providers, and the 30 listed in the table cover 61.9% of the total. Overall, the state registry splits into 682 distinct taxonomies.
Geographically, active NPIs spread across 646 cities and towns in the state, but with heavy concentration: Birmingham (18,521), Mobile (8,110) and Huntsville (7,172) post the largest volumes. Alabama holds 1.0% of all active US providers registered across the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Source and method
Data: NPPES Data Dissemination file (National Plan and Provider Enumeration System), published by CMS as public domain data, snapshot of June 2026. Each provider is counted once, in the state and city of the Provider Business Practice Location, under the primary taxonomy declared in the NPI record itself. Only active NPI records are counted.
Important: an active NPI does not mean the professional is currently practicing, accepting new patients or even still working in the field; it only means the registration number remains valid. This page publishes aggregate counts only, never individual records.
Last updated: · Methodology and sources