Over the past decade, an increasing number of states and organizations have been collecting health workforce data. Consistent and reliable data collection is essential for effective health workforce planning, as it serves several key purposes:
Supply Data: Provides insights into the availability and distribution of health care professionals, informs supply-and-demand forecasting models, and supports the development of workforce programs and policies
Demand Data: Helps identify workforce shortages and anticipate future needs
Education Pipeline Data: Offers early indicators of potential disruptions in the pipeline of new health care professionals, aiding long-term planning
To facilitate these efforts, the Health Workforce Technical Assistance Center (HWTAC) conducts an ongoing survey of states to gather information about their health workforce data collection and analysis activities. This brief highlights findings from this survey to date.
Citation: Armstrong D, Pang J, Shirey S. Health Workforce Data Collection in the United States. Center for Health Workforce Studies, University at Albany, College of Integrated Health Sciences; February, 2025.