62/Health Care and Social Assistance
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
22.1M
employees, 2023
22.1M
employees, 2023
In 2023, 1.00 million US Health Care and Social Assistance business locations employed 22.1 million people and paid $1.39 trillion in annual payroll, $63,214 per employee on average. Employment was up 4.2% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
1,003,398
+2.8% vs 2022
Employees
22,063,238
+4.2% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$1.39T
+9.0% vs 2022
Average pay
$63,214
+4.6% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Health Care and Social Assistance in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 132,345 | 2,347,305 | $75,446 | 14.31% |
| New York | 61,104 | 1,861,291 | $60,487 | 21.23% |
| Texas | 80,576 | 1,718,907 | $59,121 | 14.31% |
| Florida | 73,984 | 1,286,330 | $64,356 | 12.88% |
| Pennsylvania | 39,602 | 1,142,207 | $59,752 | 19.99% |
| Ohio | 31,168 | 883,961 | $60,691 | 17.40% |
| Illinois | 37,597 | 857,043 | $61,336 | 15.14% |
| Michigan | 28,979 | 645,129 | $58,200 | 15.96% |
| North Carolina | 27,809 | 641,503 | $61,238 | 14.99% |
| New Jersey | 29,996 | 635,422 | $64,039 | 16.11% |
| Massachusetts | 21,002 | 618,482 | $70,184 | 17.74% |
| Georgia | 30,047 | 586,195 | $63,074 | 13.31% |
| Washington | 23,923 | 499,464 | $69,551 | 16.34% |
| Virginia | 23,812 | 488,231 | $64,980 | 13.63% |
| Minnesota | 19,985 | 482,616 | $58,805 | 17.22% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Health Care and Social Assistance employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 65,817 | 1,804,859 | $62,243 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 53,869 | 845,665 | $68,996 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 29,768 | 642,081 | $62,481 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 19,759 | 589,442 | $61,158 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 23,741 | 449,862 | $66,000 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 15,127 | 444,538 | $73,565 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 20,054 | 401,276 | $64,093 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 26,082 | 380,934 | $66,139 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 19,078 | 365,086 | $66,724 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 18,435 | 335,426 | $65,879 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 16,920 | 319,201 | $91,339 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 13,207 | 312,551 | $60,953 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 16,243 | 306,069 | $63,783 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 13,890 | 293,543 | $56,469 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 13,557 | 283,099 | $74,173 |
Business size
US Health Care and Social Assistance business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 472,802 | 47.1% |
| 5 to 9 | 202,848 | 20.2% |
| 10 to 19 | 157,484 | 15.7% |
| 20 to 49 | 103,599 | 10.3% |
| 50 to 99 | 35,898 | 3.6% |
| 100 to 249 | 21,296 | 2.1% |
| 250 to 499 | 5,055 | 0.5% |
| 500 to 999 | 2,112 | 0.2% |
| 1,000 or more | 2,304 | 0.2% |
Related industries
Health Care and Social Assistance and the 4 industries directly below it
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 621 | Ambulatory Health Care Services | 8,697,480 | $71,409 |
| 622 | Hospitals | 6,344,178 | $80,674 |
| 624 | Social Assistance | 3,742,670 | $33,470 |
| 623 | Nursing and Residential Care Facilities | 3,278,910 | $41,647 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Health Care and Social Assistance in the US?
22.1 million people worked at 1.00 million US Health Care and Social Assistance business locations in 2023, up 4.2% from 2022. That is 15.78% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Health Care and Social Assistance?
$63,214 a year per employee in 2023, from $1.39 trillion in annual payroll (up 4.6% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Health Care and Social Assistance jobs?
California had the most, with 2,347,305 employees in 2023, followed by New York (1,861,291) and Texas (1,718,907).
Which metro areas have the most Health Care and Social Assistance jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (1,804,859), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (845,665), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (642,081) had the most Health Care and Social Assistance employees in 2023.
Are most Health Care and Social Assistance businesses small?
83.0% of the 1,003,398 Health Care and Social Assistance business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 4,416 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.