15 million Americans live in a county with no general surgeon

More than 15 million Americans reside in counties without a general surgeon, according to a new nationwide study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. This analysis, released at the ACS Clinical Congress 2026 in Washington, D.C., combines data on 12 surgical specialties across all 3,144 U.S. counties for the first time.

In 951 counties (30%), no surgeon is identified in any of the 12 specialties, and these areas are home to 9.6 million people. In 1,180 counties (38%), no general surgeon exists, and these 15.1 million residents lack access to this specific surgical field. The study, led by Erin P. Fraher, Ph.D., MPP, and Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, highlights the varying surgeon supply and access to care across regions.

While every hospital referral region has at least one general surgeon, rural areas within these regions may face significant travel distances for surgical care. The interactive Surgical Workforce Mapping Tool, developed by the American College of Surgeons and the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, allows users to access county-level data for surgical workforce distribution.

This tool can help policymakers, health systems, and communities identify access gaps and guide investments in surgical training and support for underserved communities. The findings emphasize the need to consider specialty-specific distribution when evaluating healthcare workforce needs, as transplant surgery is highly concentrated due to regionalization for quality preservation.