Interactive: Demographics of State Doctors, Health Care Professionals

Texas may be a majority-minority state, but minorities are largely underrepresented among the state's health care professionals, according to new figures published by the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The makeup of the health care industry contrasts significantly with the state’s demographics. Though whites make up less than half of the state population, a majority of physicians are white. Hispanics make up roughly 40 percent of the population, but hold only a small percentage of positions as health care providers.

The data was collected by the state from professional licensing boards last fall.

Use these interactives to explore the demographics of some health professions by race/ethnicity, gender and age.

Whites dominate most of the health professions analyzed by The Texas Tribune, including physicians, registered nurses and physician assistants. Whites are only the minority among community health workers.

Nursing is the only health profession in which the share of black workers is in line with the general population. Blacks made up just under 12 percent of Texas population in 2014, while 11.8 percent of registered nurses are black.

Women make up half of the population but are the minority gender among physicians. They fill most jobs among registered nurses, physician assistants and community health workers.

Psychiatry has the largest percentage of professionals 65 or older, while physicians are most likely to be middle-aged. Roughly half of registered nurses, and a majority of physician assistants, are likely to be 45 or younger.

^{Note: The data for “primary care physicians” is a subset of “direct patient care physicians” and only includes those in general practice, family practice/medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, or geriatrics.}