The Workforce Shortage Isn't Closing — It's Stabilizing at a Deficit
The radiologist shortage has moved from "looming" to structural. A December 2025 federal workforce analysis projected a national shortfall of roughly 141,000 full-time physicians by 2028, with radiology positioned only slightly better than the physician workforce overall, according to the American College of Radiology's coverage of a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) report.
A few figures make the shape of the problem concrete:
- Attrition has more than doubled. U.S. radiologist attrition rates climbed from 1.1% to 2.5% annually between 2014 and 2022, with a sharp acceleration during the pandemic years, per a 2025 Neiman HPI study conducted with Jay R. Parikh, MD, FACR.
- The workforce is aging out. Roughly 32% of practicing U.S. radiologists are now 55 or older, with about 15% at 66 or beyond, according to an AJR expert panel narrative review — a retirement wave that training pipelines aren't built to absorb.
- Open positions are piling up. ACR Career Center listings grew from roughly 611 posted radiologist positions in 2010 to more than 14,000 across 2022, with the pace accelerating further in 2023 and 2024.
- Access is regionally uneven. National averages mask the real story: some states have as few as 9 radiologists per 100,000 residents, well under the national rate, leaving rural and underserved markets structurally short-staffed
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