47 Chiropractic Statistics, Facts & Demographics

New chiropractic statistics show that over 35 million people in the US are treated by chiropractors every year.

steven zauderer
Steven Zauderer
July 23, 2023
6
min read

Top 10 Chiropractic Statistics

  1. Over 35 million people in the US are treated by chiropractors every year.
  2. Chiropractic treatment can be 40% more effective than doing yoga, getting massages, pilates, and over-the-counter prescriptions.
  3. By choosing to go to a chiropractor instead of a doctor for chronic back pain, patients save about $83.5 million in Medicare expenses every year.
  4. Regularly seeing a chiropractor can lower all pharmaceutical expenses by 85% or higher.
  5. To become a chiropractor, a minimum of 4,200 hours of laboratory, clinical, and classroom internships must be finished during a doctoral program within a four-year timespan.
  6. Because of chiropractors, more than 100 million adjustments are done every day around the world.
  7. Patients are nearly 30 times less likely to need surgery to the spinal cord when visiting a chiropractor instead of a surgeon at a hospital.
  8. The highest-rated health practitioners for treating lower back pain are chiropractors.
  9. The chiropractic industry in the United States has a value of over $15 billion per year.
Chiropractic Statistics - Top Picks
Source: TheGoodBody.com

Chiropractor Statistics & Facts

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Chiropractors:

Employment Employment RSE Average hourly wage Average annual wage Wage RSE
35,810 2.5% $39.06 $81,240 1.4%

Below are percentile wage estimates for Chiropractors:

Percentile 10% 25% 50% (Median) 75% 90%
Hourly Wage $17.98 $24.27 $36.06 $47.48 $61.90
Annual Wage $ 37,400 $ 50,470 $ 75,000 $ 98,760 $128,750

Industries with the highest levels of employment for Chiropractors:

Industry Employment Percent of industry employment Hourly salary Annual salary
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 33,900 3.48 $38.86 $80,840
Offices of Physicians 1,030 0.04 $39.97 $83,140
Outpatient Care Centers 290 0.03 $44.85 $93,290
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 90 0.03 $39.90 $82,990
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 80 0.00 $47.55 $98,910

Top paying industries for Chiropractors:

Industry Employment Percent of industry employment Hourly salary Annual salary
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 80 $ 47.55 $ 98,910
Outpatient Care Centers 290 0.03 $ 44.85 $ 93,290
Offices of Physicians 1,030 0.04 $ 39.97 $ 83,140
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 90 0.03 $ 39.90 $ 82,990
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 33,900 3.48 $ 38.86 $ 80,840

Employment of Chiropractors by State

State Employment Employment per 1,000 jobs Location quotient Hourly average wage Annual average wage
Florida 3,350 0.39 1.53 $ 38.08 $ 79,210
Texas 2,520 0.21 0.81 $40.63 $84,500
California 2,350 0.14 0.56 $39.82 $82,820
Illinois 2,030 0.36 1.42 $37.62 $78,260
Georgia 1,610 0.37 1.45 $27.51 $57,220
Employment of Chiropractors, by state, May 2021

Top Paying States for Chiropractors

State Employment Employment per 1,000 jobs Location quotient Hourly mean salary Annual mean salary
Connecticut 230 0.15 0.58 $55.93 $116,340
New Jersey 730 0.19 0.75 $54.43 $113,220
Nevada 370 0.29 1.13 $54.05 $112,420
Massachusetts 780 0.23 0.90 $48.13 $100,120
New York 1,200 0.14 0.54 $46.82 $97,380
Annual mean wage of Chiropractors

How Many People See A Chiropractor?

  • Every year, between 30 and 40 million people are treated by chiropractors.
  • 10% of the American populace, both men and women, see chiropractors each year.
How Many People See A Chiropractor?
Source: TheGoodBody.com

Who Visits A Chiropractor The Most? Demographics

  • People aged between 45 and 64 are among those most likely to visit a chiropractor, with women making up the gender that's most likely to visit.
  • 60% of all patients that visit chiropractors are women.
  • 77% of all chiropractors are male. Because of the noticeable disparity, more women have been encouraged to take an employment interest in the job.
  • Children between 12 and 17 years of age are more likely to see a chiropractor than kids of other ages.
  • 35% of the respondents in a recent survey claimed to not have visited a chiropractor within the last 12 months due to the treatment they received is sufficient enough for them not to require an additional visit.
  • In most states, chiropractors are considered to be providers at the same level as doctors.
  • three out of four people that have seen a chiropractor, about 77% of patients, believe that the treatment was very effective.
  • Between men and women, the latter are more likely to have migraines and headaches.
  • Lower back pain treatment that's done by a chiropractor is 40% cheaper than getting treatment by a medical physician.
  • Of all people living in the world, 10% of them have pain in the lower back.
  • About 30% of all American believe that back pain can cause stress levels to increase.
  • There are more than 100 million back injuries that occur within a place of work every year.
  • $50 billion a year is spent by Americans in attempting to treat pain in the back.
  • 20% of all chiropractic patients have treatment that's focused on the pain in the neck.
  • Insurance coverage is used by 60% of patients that see a chiropractor, with 40% that don't.
  • Throughout the world, there are over 100,000 chiropractors registered.
  • Every year, most chiropractors make a salary of $85,870.
  • There are over 22 million Americans that visit a chiropractor each year.
  • Each year, $400 to $500 million is spent by Medicare on patients receiving care from a chiropractor.
  • In the United States, there are an estimated 95,438 licensed chiropractic businesses.
  • The 3rd biggest group of medical specialists is chiropractors.
  • In the United States, as well as in 39 other countries, chiropractors are recognized by law and regulated by various governments. In all US states, there are licensed chiropractors.
  • The US has over 10,000 students enrolled in education programs specifically for studying to be a chiropractor.
  • Daniel David Palmer is credited with giving the first medical adjustment in 1895. His patient was Harvey Lillard, who has his ability to hear restored after an injury.
  • Every football team in the NFL has an on-staff chiropractor to help boost player performance levels.
  • Infants are shown to benefit from chiropractic care, with an adjustment being overwhelmingly safe for babies and small children.
  • According to some scientists, the spine is home to about 90% of the stimulation required for the brain to function normally.
  • The sounds of popping and cracking that are heard when a chiropractor adjusts are air bubbles passing outside of the joints numbering two or more.
  • Studies indicate that chiropractic care can be just as effective, if not more, than ordinary physical therapy and steroid injections in the treatment of pain in the nervous system.
  • Chiropractic care is considered a science that's provably beneficial through numerous studies on the effects and benefits of making adjustments.
  • Chiropractic care ranks among the fastest-growing primary healthcare professions in the United States.
  • Getting treatment from a chiropractor could be 40% effective in losing weight.
  • Women can achieve an 84% reduction in back pain by visiting a chiropractor when pregnant.
  • More than 60% of people that visit chiropractors are 45 and older.
  • Chiropractic care is especially beneficial to people that are suffering from whiplash, a common injury that results from automobile accidents.
  • 264 million days of work are lost every year due to back pain.
  • Injuries to the back are the most common reason for missing days of work, beaten only by the common cold and flu.
  • About a third or 33% of all patients have a high chance of experiencing back pain that appears to manifest in intervals.
  • 85% is the prevalence of lower back pain over the lifetime of the average individual.
  • About 41% of people in a survey claimed that care from a chiropractor significantly helped with persistent aching in the neck and back.
  • Primary care has a larger rate of injury than chiropractic care does.
  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, 92% of chiropractors have patients that receive back and neck pain that seemed to worsen.

Chiropractic Injury Statistics

  • Care from a chiropractor has a lower rate of injury than most primary care centers, particularly for patients aged 66 and older.
  • The likelihood of receiving an injury when getting care from a chiropractor is 40 injuries for every 100,000 patients. As for primary care injuries, the number is 153 for every 100,000 patients.

Chiropractic Deaths Per Year

  • The chances of a fatal neck injury from chiropractic care are one out of every 1 million persons.

Odds Of Being Paralyzed By A Chiropractor

  • The odds of being hurt or paralyzed by chiropractors that are licensed and experienced are no different from that of a licensed doctor, which is highly unlikely.
  • The chances of receiving an injury due to chiropractic care are slim to none, with fewer than 50 people being injured out of hundreds of thousands.
  • There are 1 to 3 reports of stroke that occur out of 1 million patients that receive chiropractic treatment annually.

How Many Chiropractors Are In The U.S?

how many chiropractors are in the usa
Source: TheGoodBody.com
  • More than 70,000 chiropractors are registered and licensed in the United States.
  • Accredited schools for learning chiropractic care enroll about 10,000 students.

How Many Chiropractors Are In The World?

Through research conducted in medical journals, the number of chiropractors is estimated to be 100,000 registered globally.

How Much Is The Chiropractor Industry Worth?

  • In the United States, the chiropractic market is worth nearly $20 billion.
  • Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and large-scale mandates, the chiropractic industry earned less than the $20 billion amount that was estimated for 2019.
  • According to figures released by the US government, the chiropractic industry is expected to grow by 4% between 2022 and 2029.

How Much Do Chiropractors Make?

  • Of all chiropractors, the average salary is $70,720 annually.
  • The average chiropractor takes in a $34 hourly wage. Chiropractors can potentially earn a six-figure salary, especially when heading their practice independently or taking on years of experience in the field.

References

  1. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291011.htm
  2. https://www.op.nysed.gov/professions/chiropractic/license-statistics
  3. https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-chiropractor