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Healthcare providers in Massachusetts: counts by specialty
How many healthcare providers work in Massachusetts? The federal NPPES registry listed 255,238 active NPIs with a practice address in the state as of the June 2026 snapshot, the 10th largest workforce among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The single largest specialty is Mental Health Counselor, and Boston 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 Massachusetts
| # | Specialty (primary taxonomy) | Active NPIs | % of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mental Health Counselor | 19,409 | 7.6% |
| 2 | Clinical Social Worker | 18,730 | 7.3% |
| 3 | Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program | 11,668 | 4.6% |
| 4 | Behavior Technician | 10,808 | 4.2% |
| 5 | Counselor | 8,995 | 3.5% |
| 6 | Physical Therapist | 7,625 | 3.0% |
| 7 | Internal Medicine Physician | 7,620 | 3.0% |
| 8 | Pharmacist | 5,920 | 2.3% |
| 9 | Social Worker | 5,529 | 2.2% |
| 10 | Developmental Therapist | 5,216 | 2.0% |
| 11 | General Practice Dentistry | 5,207 | 2.0% |
| 12 | Behavior Analyst | 5,020 | 2.0% |
| 13 | Registered Nurse | 4,956 | 1.9% |
| 14 | Family Nurse Practitioner | 4,713 | 1.8% |
| 15 | Physician Assistant | 4,647 | 1.8% |
| 16 | Speech-Language Pathologist | 4,214 | 1.7% |
| 17 | Dentist | 3,808 | 1.5% |
| 18 | Occupational Therapist | 3,697 | 1.4% |
| 19 | Clinical Psychologist | 3,534 | 1.4% |
| 20 | Nurse Practitioner | 3,531 | 1.4% |
| 21 | Psychiatry Physician | 3,052 | 1.2% |
| 22 | Pediatrics Physician | 2,856 | 1.1% |
| 23 | Family Medicine Physician | 2,612 | 1.0% |
| 24 | Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner | 2,581 | 1.0% |
| 25 | Psychologist | 2,570 | 1.0% |
| 26 | Registered Dietitian | 2,502 | 1.0% |
| 27 | Chiropractor | 2,491 | 1.0% |
| 28 | Addiction (Substance Use Disorder) Counselor | 2,433 | 1.0% |
| 29 | Anesthesiology Physician | 2,194 | 0.9% |
| 30 | Optometrist | 2,134 | 0.8% |
What the numbers show
Mental Health Counselor leads with 19,409 active records, 7.6% of everything the state has, or 1.0 times the volume of Clinical Social Worker, the runner up at 18,730. Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program rounds out the podium with 11,668. Together, the top 5 specialties account for 27.3% of Massachusetts's providers, and the 30 listed in the table cover 66.7% of the total. Overall, the state registry splits into 773 distinct taxonomies.
Geographically, active NPIs spread across 883 cities and towns in the state, but with heavy concentration: Boston (44,025), Worcester (14,439) and Springfield (9,350) post the largest volumes. Massachusetts holds 2.8% 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