State provider profile · CMS NPPES

Kentucky Doctors & Healthcare Providers

Every CMS NPPES-registered provider in Kentucky — actual federal records by specialty, city, and Medicare participation, with no composite score or editorial opinion on top.

85,231
Providers
528
Specialties
30+
Cities (10+ NPIs)
27th
of 56 by size

The state in one line

Kentucky has 85,231 CMS-registered healthcare providers — the 27th-largest provider base of 56 U.S. jurisdictions, led by Family Nurse Practitioner.

85,231
NPPES-registered providers
27th
of 56 jurisdictions
Top 48%
by provider count
5.9%
Family Nurse Practitioner (largest specialty)

Where Kentucky ranks among all U.S. states

Provider count vs every U.S. state, DC and territory — CMS NPPES

85,231 Top 48% higher than 52% of 56 jurisdictions

0–25,000: 11 jurisdictions (20%). Below this entry. 25,000–50,000: 9 jurisdictions (16%). Below this entry. 50,000–75,000: 5 jurisdictions (9%). Below this entry. 75,000–100,000: 8 jurisdictions (14%). This entry sits in this band. 100,000–125,000: 6 jurisdictions (11%). Above this entry. 125,000–150,000: 3 jurisdictions (5%). Above this entry. 150,000–175,000: 3 jurisdictions (5%). Above this entry. 175,000–200,000: 1 jurisdictions (2%). Above this entry. 200,000–225,000: 2 jurisdictions (4%). Above this entry. 225,000–250,000: 1 jurisdictions (2%). Above this entry. 250,000–275,000: 7 jurisdictions (13%). Above this entry. This state 0 250K+ every U.S. jurisdiction (providers), bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more jurisdictions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source CMS National Plan & Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) · 2026

85,231 providers across 528 specialties

How to read this directory

This count includes every individual clinician — physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, therapists, and psychologists — with a current active National Provider Identifier on file with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and a primary practice address in Kentucky. Organizations such as hospitals, group practices, and pharmacies carry their own separate NPPES records and are deliberately not included in this individual-provider total, and each clinician is counted once under their registered primary taxonomy. Every figure is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES) — more than 7 million providers, maintained since May 2007, with 2023 Medicare Part D data — and, according to CMS, can be searched, compared, and traced in our methodology.

Important: this is a directory of public CMS government data — not a quality ranking, a review aggregator, or medical advice. NPPES records are self-reported and refreshed monthly, so a listed address or phone number can lag reality; always call the office to confirm location, insurance acceptance, and new-patient availability before booking. Verify licensure and disciplinary history — which are not shown here — through the NPI Registry and your state medical board.

Kentucky at a glance

Diverse specialty mix

Providers

85,231

Active CMS NPI registrations

Across 30+ cities

Specialties

528

NUCC taxonomy codes represented

Of 690 total specialties

Cities (10+ NPIs)

30

Crosses CMS reporting threshold

≥10 providers required

Top specialty

Family Nurse Pra…

5,006 providers

5.9% of state total

Top specialties in Kentucky

Distribution by primary NUCC taxonomy — 528 specialties total

Diverse specialty mix
Top specialty: Family Nurse Practitioner
5,006
5.9% of Kentucky's 85,231 providers
# Specialty Providers
1 Family Nurse Practitioner 5,006
2 Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program 4,443
3 Pharmacist 4,120
4 Mental Health Counselor 3,927
5 Clinical Social Worker 3,481
6 Physical Therapist 3,122
7 Speech-Language Pathologist 2,792
8 Case Manager/Care Coordinator 2,657
9 Behavior Technician 2,345
10 Occupational Therapist 2,214
11 Nurse Practitioner 1,883
12 Counselor 1,869
13 Family Medicine Physician 1,867
14 Peer Specialist 1,821
15 Internal Medicine Physician 1,794
16 Professional Counselor 1,735
17 Social Worker 1,729
18 Community Health Worker 1,698
19 Physician Assistant 1,603
20 General Practice Dentistry 1,488

Which cities in Kentucky have the most providers?

Top cities in Kentucky by provider count

Active CMS NPPES-registered providers by primary practice city

providers

What this shows Louisville leads Kentucky's 30+ reporting cities; provider supply concentrates in the largest metros, so a statewide total understates rural access gaps.

Source CMS National Plan & Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) As of 2026

Full city breakdown with each city's share of the state total:

# City Providers
1 Louisville 21,494
2 Lexington 13,675
3 Prestonsburg 3,158
4 Bowling Green 2,786
5 Paducah 1,870
6 Owensboro 1,851
7 Elizabethtown 1,738
8 Ashland 1,604
9 Corbin 1,511
10 Somerset 1,426
11 Louisa 1,321
12 Fort Campbell 1,278
13 Florence 1,202
14 Edgewood 1,144
15 Hazard 1,082
16 Richmond 1,024
17 Pikeville 998
18 Hopkinsville 954
19 Madisonville 670
20 Shelbyville 665
21 Morehead 664
22 London 650
23 Covington 648
24 Frankfort 638
25 Georgetown 625
26 Glasgow 573
27 Danville 530
28 Henderson 518
29 Murray 505
30 Nicholasville 476

Nearby States

Other high-volume states in the CMS NPPES registry for side-by-side context.

Compare specialties nationally →

License & disciplinary context — Kentucky

Aggregate state medical board disciplinary action statistics for Kentucky licensees, sourced from the state medical board annual report and cross-checked against the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB).

View Kentucky disciplinary trends →

Using the Kentucky data

Kentucky has 85,231 active registered providers — here is how to act on that.

  • Narrow by specialty first: Kentucky's provider mix differs from the national distribution, and the per-specialty pages show who actually practices here. Browse specialties
  • Verify any shortlisted provider's federal record and license before booking — registration alone is not a quality signal. NPI lookup
  • Check Kentucky's disciplinary-action trends to understand the state board's enforcement context. Board actions

Counts reflect CMS NPPES registrations, which can lag retirements and relocations. PlainDoctor does not rate, rank, or recommend providers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many healthcare providers are in Kentucky?
Kentucky has 85,231 healthcare providers registered in the CMS NPPES database, spanning 528 medical specialties across 30+ cities.
What is the most common medical specialty in Kentucky?
The most common specialty in Kentucky is Family Nurse Practitioner with 5,006 providers, followed by Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program.
How do I find a doctor in Kentucky?
You can browse Kentucky providers by specialty or city on this page, or use our search to find providers by name, NPI number, or location.

Provider data from CMS NPPES (download.cms.gov/nppes); specialty mix by NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy. PlainDoctor does not rate or rank providers. Methodology · About

Compiled from official public sources by the PlainDoctor editorial team.