In the 2024-25 U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) survey of American hospitals, only 160 hospitals surveyed received national recognition in at least one of the 15 adult specialties examined in the USNWR study. The five-state Rocky Mountain region of the U.S. is home to multiple teaching hospitals, but no teaching hospital in the region earned a spot in the survey's honor roll of the top hospitals in the nation.  As such, the Rocky Mountain region was the only region of the country without at least one hospital that made the honor roll  However, two teaching hospitals in the region earned national distinction in at least two adult specialties.  For receiving such recognition in the latest USNWR survey, these two hospitals stand out as the top-ranked teaching hospitals in the Rocky Mountain region:

Top Ranked Teaching Hospitals in the Rocky Mountain Region

University of Colorado Hospital
Location:  Aurora, CO

Nationally Ranked Adult Specialties:  4

• Cancer:  #38
• Diabetes & Endocrinology:  #27
• Obstetrics & Gynecology:  #36
• Pulmonology & Lung Surgery:  #13
• See ranking details

University of Utah Hospital

Location:  Salt Lake City, UT

Nationally Ranked Adult Specialties:  2

• Ophthalmology:  #10
• Rehabilitation:  #27
• See ranking details

To find other teaching hospitals in the Rocky Mountain region and elsewhere, visit our U.S. Teaching Hospitals resource page.

More than half of medical assistants in the U.S. work in physician offices, but large numbers are also found working in hospitals, outpatient care centers, offices of other types of healthcare practitioners, and assisted living facilities. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated that, as of May 2023, more than 763,000 medical assistants were employed in the United States. According to BLS data from May 2023, the annual mean wage for medical assistants was $43,350. From region to region there was wide variation in medical assistant mean annual wages, with medical assistants in some regions of the country earning 50% or more than their counterparts elsewhere. This variation is readily visible in BLS data from May 2023, which shows the following about medical assistant pay in the top 20 metropolitan areas in the U.S.:

Medical Assistant Pay in the Top 20 Metropolitan Areas

	Metropolitan Area		# Employed	Mean Annual Wage
1	New York-Newark-Jersey City		45,350	$47,780
2	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim		34,330	$46,480
3	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin		16,210	$44,200
4	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington		17,280	$40,560
5	Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land		15,820	$40,670
6	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria		13,870	$46,770
7	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington		12,720	$44,990
8	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach		15,190	$41,830
9	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta		14,490	$41,760
10	Boston-Cambridge-Newton		11,910	$49,440
11	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler		15,850	$44,210
12	San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley		14,590	$62,160
13	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario		11,290	$44,580
14	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn		12,420	$39,770
15	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue		9,730	$58,070
16	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington		7,900	$51,170
17	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad		9,620	$48,610
18	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater		8,870	$40,200
19	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood		5,790	$48,190
20	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson		6,830	$43,660
	National		763,040	$43,350

Report Period:  May 2023
Top 20 U.S. Metro areas from the 2020 Census
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Occupational Statistics
Data extracted on August 31, 2024

There were approximately 112,000 family medicine physicians working in the U.S. as of May 2023 according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Most family medicine physicians are employed at physician offices, but smaller numbers can be found working in outpatient care centers, hospitals, educational institutions, and with local government entities. Like many other health professionals with advanced education and technical skills, family medicine physicians earn higher salaries than workers in most other occupations in the United States. As of May 2023, the BLS reported that the national mean salary for family medicine physicians was $240,790 annually. Pay for family medicine physicians varies widely from region to region, with practitioners in some states making 50% or more than what their counterparts earn elsewhere. This wage variation is readily visible in BLS data from May 2023, which shows the following about family medicine physician pay in the top 20 metro areas of the U.S.:

Family Medicine Physician Pay in the Top 20 Metro Areas

	Metropolitan Area		# Employed	Mean Annual Wage
1	New York-Newark-Jersey City		6,530	$214,370
2	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim		5,790	$237,290
3	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin		1,870	$148,410
4	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington		n/a	n/a
5	Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land		2,170	$160,140
6	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria		1,720	$259,090
7	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington		3,370	$278,720
8	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach		n/a	$234,180
9	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta		1,250	$314,810
10	Boston-Cambridge-Newton		2,850	$271,370
11	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler		3,180	$295,830
12	San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley		1,640	$275,330
13	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario		1,230	$248,940
14	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn		1,760	$157,850
15	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue		720	$236,250
16	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington		1,800	$238,780
17	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad		1,440	$284,940
18	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater		1,330	$257,150
19	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood		1,450	$228,390
20	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson		850	$269,250
	National		112,010	$240,790

Report Period:  May 2023
Top 20 U.S. Metro areas from the 2020 Census
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Occupational Statistics
Data extracted on August 31, 2024