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Healthcare providers in California: NPI counts by specialty

This page summarizes active National Provider Identifier (NPI) records with a practice location in California, using data from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). California has 1,120,154 such records, including 305,032 (27.2%) flagged as sole proprietors. The largest listed specialties are Behavior Technician (157,373), Marriage & Family Therapist (53,588), Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program (46,869), Mental Health Counselor (37,685), and Pharmacist (32,539).

Statewide totals

Active NPI records1,120,154
Registered sole proprietors305,032 (27.2%)

Here, the sole-proprietor share is 305,032 records, or 27.2% of the active California records in this view. The sole-proprietor flag is self-reported and an imperfect proxy for private practice, so it should be read as a registry classification rather than a definitive measure of practice ownership.

Largest specialties in this state

SpecialtyActive NPIs
Behavior Technician157,373
Marriage & Family Therapist53,588
Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program46,869
Mental Health Counselor37,685
Pharmacist32,539
Clinical Social Worker30,129
Addiction (Substance Use Disorder) Counselor29,140
Case Manager/Care Coordinator27,349
Internal Medicine Physician24,236
Physical Therapist24,120
General Practice Dentistry24,028
Family Medicine Physician20,072
Behavior Analyst19,876
Dentist19,510
Counselor17,838
Chiropractor15,667
Registered Nurse15,479
Family Nurse Practitioner15,263
Acupuncturist13,481
Physician Assistant13,368
Community Health Worker12,718
Clinical Psychologist12,363
Optometrist11,371
Rehabilitation Practitioner11,115
Speech-Language Pathologist11,061
Pediatrics Physician11,051
Licensed Vocational Nurse10,079
Specialist10,030
Social Worker9,913
Psychiatry Physician9,044
Anesthesiology Physician8,984
Occupational Therapist8,724
Home Health Agency8,083
Psychologist7,960
Emergency Medicine Physician7,792
Durable Medical Equipment & Medical Supplies7,321
Community/Behavioral Health Agency7,249
Registered Dietitian7,082
Nurse Practitioner7,079
Obstetrics & Gynecology Physician6,193

Source: CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) Data Dissemination file, FOIA-disclosable public data under CMS-6060-N. Aggregated by Hero EMR on 2026-08-03; deactivated NPIs excluded; specialty assigned from the primary taxonomy code (NUCC 25.1). Counts below 11 are suppressed. Individual providers are never published. All provider data pages.

Common questions

What does the California total represent?

It represents active NPI records with a practice location in California in the CMS NPPES registry, rather than a definitive count of individual clinicians or organizations.

Which specialties have the largest counts in this view?

The largest listed specialties are Behavior Technician (157,373), Marriage & Family Therapist (53,588), Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program (46,869), Mental Health Counselor (37,685), and Pharmacist (32,539).

How should I interpret the sole-proprietor figure?

305,032 records, or 27.2%, are flagged as sole proprietors. This self-reported flag is an imperfect proxy for private practice.

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