How many ophthalmologists are there in California?

3,197 active ophthalmologists are listed in California per the 2026-05-06 CMS NPPES snapshot. That works out to 8.11 per 100,000 residents using U.S. Census 2024 population estimates.

Where does California rank nationally for ophthalmologist supply?

California ranks 12 of 51 U.S. states + DC by per-capita ophthalmologist density. It sits above the parent study's underserved threshold.

U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services NPI Registry (NPPES) — public API Combined with U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, 2024 Vintage (V2024) Snapshot date: 2026-05-06. The full per-state dataset is published at fonteum.com/research/ophthalmologist-supply-by-state-2026.

PROVIDER ACCESS GAP · STATE

ophthalmologists per 100,000 in California

Name: California — ophthalmologist supply per 100,000
Creator: Fonteum Research
Published: 2026-05-06
License: https://fonteum.com/editorial-policy

8.11 active ophthalmologists per 100,000 residents — ranked 12 of 51 U.S. states + DC.

ophthalmologists per 100,000 residents

8.11

3,197 active ophthalmologists · 39,431,263 residents · California

National rank: 12 / 51
Percentile: 78th
Underserved threshold: 5 / 100k
Quartile: Q1

Comparable areas

Three states whose ophthalmologist per-100k density is closest to California's — useful for benchmarking.

Minnesotarank 138.04 / 100k
Wisconsinrank 147.92 / 100k

Citeable result

Plain-text citation block — paste verbatim into a brief, story, or report.

California has 3,197 active ophthalmologists (8.11 per 100,000 residents) — ranked 12 of 51 U.S. states + DC. Source: CMS NPPES NPI Registry + U.S. Census Bureau, snapshot 2026-05-06. Threshold for "underserved" in the parent study: 5 per 100,000. Citation: Fonteum Research, /research/ophthalmologist-supply-by-state-2026.

Source provenance

U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services NPI Registry (NPPES) — public API
U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, 2024 Vintage (V2024)
Snapshot date: 2026-05-06

Open the parent ophthalmologist-supply study →

Limitations

This figure measures density (per-capita supply), not access. Drive time, appointment availability, insurance acceptance, and wait times are not modeled here.
The CMS NPPES registry counts NPI-1 individual providers with the relevant taxonomy code. It does not capture PA-led or NP-led practices that operate under a different taxonomy.
NPPES does not publish a county-level field of practice in its public API. County- and ZIP-scoped queries surface state-level density, with the geographic context preserved on this page.
Population is the U.S. Census Bureau 2024 vintage estimate. Population shifts post-2024 are not yet reflected.
The "underserved" threshold is the parent study's transparent baseline cutoff; it is not a regulatory or clinical definition. See the parent study for the rationale.

ophthalmologists per 100,000 in California

Comparable areas

Citeable result

Source provenance

Limitations

Related queries