Measuring Income Inequality Within 8 Health Care Professions in the United States
Ioana Popovici1, Manuel J Carvajal2
1Department of Sociobehavioral and Administrative Pharmacy, Nova Southeastern University, College of Pharmacy, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Medical Care
|March 4, 2026
Summary
Healthcare income inequality varies significantly across professions, with dentists and physicians showing the most dispersion. Gender pay gaps persist, impacting overall wage distribution within these vital roles.
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Occupational Health
- Socioeconomic Disparities in Healthcare
Background:
- Income and wage-rate disparities are prevalent within the healthcare sector.
- Understanding these intraoccupational differences is crucial for addressing equity in the workforce.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate income and wage-rate distributions within eight distinct healthcare professions.
- To analyze the extent of income inequality across various roles, including physicians, dentists, and nurses.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 142,527 U.S. practitioners from the 2019-2022 American Community Survey (ACS).
- Employed four key inequality indicators: coefficient of variation, lower median share, 90-10 decile ratio, and Gini coefficient.
Main Results:
- Dentists and physicians/surgeons exhibited the highest income inequality.
- Pharmacists, registered nurses, physical therapists, and nurse practitioners/midwives showed more equitable distributions.
- Significant gender disparities were observed, with males earning more, and inequality was higher in male-dominated professions.
Conclusions:
- Income inequality varies substantially within healthcare professions.
- Gender plays a significant role in observed wage disparities.
- Further research is needed to understand the determinants and long-term trends of these income inequalities.
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