# Obstetricians and Gynecologists

US SOC code 29-1218. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-1218

Also called: OB-GYN, OBGYN, OB/GYN, Obstetrician, Gynecologist.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **21,260** US obstetricians and gynecologists, with median pay of **$292,910** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the highest was **21,570**, in May 2021, close to the May 2025 count. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://history-of-obgyn.com/american-board-of-obstetrics-and-gynecology-1931.html) of **3,500** from 1930, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for obstetricians and gynecologists: cfDNA non-invasive prenatal testing and genomic prenatal medicine, 2013 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 1.7% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1218&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **30.4%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## Obstetricians and Gynecologists employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1820
- Latest US employment: 21,260 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $292,910 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: +1.7% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [25]

### All 12 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1930 | 3,500 (estimate) | n/a | Est., American Board of Obstetrics and… [1] |
| 1951 | 8,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., ACOG founding 1951 [2] |
| 1955 | n/a | $18,000 (estimate) | Est., University of Missouri Libraries [5] |
| 1980 | 26,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Outlook for the future of the… [3] |
| 2000 | 39,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., ACOG workforce data and AJOG 2008… [3] |
| 2019 | 18,620 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 18,900 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 21,570 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 21,450 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 19,820 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 19,900 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 21,260 | $292,910 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (56)

### Employment series

1. [American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology: history and founding (ABOG organized 1930, first president Walter T. Dannreuther)](https://history-of-obgyn.com/american-board-of-obstetrics-and-gynecology-1931.html), History of Midwifery, Obstetrics, Gynecology
2. [ACOG founding 1951: history of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; 88% of US births occurring in hospitals by 1950](https://www.acog.org/about/celebrating-75-years-of-acog), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
3. [Outlook for the future of the obstetrician-gynecologist workforce (AJOG 2008, Anderson et al.): historical workforce data and projections for OB-GYN specialty](https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378%2808%2900277-9/fulltext), American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. [University of Missouri Libraries: Prices and Wages by Decade 1950-1959 (BLS professional earnings historical data)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1950-1959), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
6. [BLS OEWS May 2025, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

7. [J. Marion Sims and the Vesicovaginal Fistula (Embryo Project Encyclopedia): Sims developed fistula repair technique 1846-1849, performed without anesthesia](https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/james-marion-simss-treatment-vesico-vaginal-fistula), Embryo Project Encyclopedia / Arizona State University
8. [NLM Cesarean Section: A Brief History Part 3 — history of obstetric surgery before and after anesthesia](https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/cesarean/part3.html), National Library of Medicine
9. [Osmosis Blog: A History of Obstetrics and Gynecology from Ancient Midwifery to Modern Medicine (anesthesia in OB-GYN)](https://www.osmosis.org/blog/a-history-of-obstetrics-and-gynecology-from-ancient-midwifery-to-modern-medicine), Osmosis / Elsevier
10. [Hekint.org: Changes in childbirth in the United States 1750-1950 (hospital birth rates: 1900 under 10%, 1940 55%, 1950 88%)](https://hekint.org/2017/01/27/changes-in-childbirth-in-the-united-states-1750-1950/), Hektoen International
11. [Beautiful Births Midwifery: The History of Midwifery in the United States (Flexner Report 1910, hospital birth timeline)](https://beautifulbirthsmidwifery.com/2020/01/16/the-history-of-midwifery-in-the-united-states/), Beautiful Births Midwifery
12. [CDC: Achievements in Public Health 1900-1999 — maternal and infant health (penicillin, blood banking, maternal mortality decline)](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4838a2.htm), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
13. [ACOG 75 Years celebrating history: founding 1951, specialty growth through postwar baby boom era](https://www.acog.org/about/celebrating-75-years-of-acog), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
14. [History of Fetal Monitoring (EFM History ob-efm.com): EFM introduced 1960s, widespread by late 1970s; 50-year history of electronic fetal monitoring](https://ob-efm.com/efm-basics/history/), Electronic Fetal Monitoring History Resource
15. [PMC: Trends in cesarean section rates United States 1970-78 (C-section rate from 5.5% in 1970 to 15.2% in 1978; NIH task force findings)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1422801/), PubMed Central / CDC
16. [History of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology Part 2 (ob-ultrasound.net): real-time B-mode scanners 1970s, Doppler 1980s](https://www.ob-ultrasound.net/history2.html), ob-ultrasound.net
17. [Wikipedia: Robotic surgery (da Vinci FDA approval 2000 for general laparoscopic procedures; surgeon maintains directional control throughout; first robotic gynecologic surgery report 1999 Cleveland Clinic)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robotic_surgery), Wikipedia
18. [Britannica: Obstetrics and Gynecology (minimally invasive surgery, laparoscopic techniques, specialty evolution)](https://www.britannica.com/science/obstetrics), Encyclopaedia Britannica
19. [JAMA 2025 multi-site RCT: ambient AI scribes reduced after-hours EHR documentation by 62%; physician satisfaction improved (documentation burden origin: HITECH Act EHR mandates)](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2826592), JAMA Network Open
20. [ACOG Committee Opinion: AI in Obstetrics and Gynecology (2023, reaffirmed 2025) — EHR documentation burden identified as AI augmentation target](https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2023/artificial-intelligence), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
21. [Natera Panorama NIPT: cfDNA prenatal screening launched 2013; AI variant interpretation algorithms; ACOG recommended offering to all patients by 2018](https://www.natera.com/info/panorama-nipt-enhancement/), Natera
22. [GE Healthcare Voluson SonoLyst: AI fetal biometry automation; ~30% anatomy scan time reduction; FDA 510(k) cleared; 1,000+ US imaging centers (GE Healthcare 2025)](https://www.gehealthcare.com/en-us/products/ultrasound/voluson), GE Healthcare
23. [PeriGen PeriWatch: AI fetal heart rate monitoring at 500+ US labor and delivery units; ACOG guidance confirms AI alerts are decision support only](https://perigen.com/), PeriGen
24. [ACOG 2024 workforce report: OB-GYN shortage projected 12,000-22,000 by 2050; AI and telehealth as reach-extension tools](https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2024/02/acog-projects-growing-ob-gyn-shortage), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

### Forecasts and exposure studies

25. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 29-1218 Obstetricians and gynecologists (2025: 22.8 thousand; 2035: 23.2 thousand; +1.7%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1218&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
26. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 29-1218.00, human-rated β 0.304)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

27. [NPR: "Father of Gynecology" who experimented on enslaved women no longer on a pedestal in NYC (2018)](https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/17/603163394/-father-of-gynecology-who-experimented-on-slaves-no-longer-on-pedestal-in-nyc), NPR
28. [History-of-OBGYN.com: American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology 1931 (founding, Walter T. Dannreuther, first president)](https://history-of-obgyn.com/american-board-of-obstetrics-and-gynecology-1931.html), History of Midwifery, Obstetrics, Gynecology
29. [ACOG: Celebrating 75 Years of ACOG (founding 1951, organizational history)](https://www.acog.org/about/celebrating-75-years-of-acog), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
30. [PMC: Trends in the United States cesarean section rate and reasons for the 1980-85 rise (C-section rate 4.5% in 1965 to 22.7% in 1985 to 24.7% in 1988)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1647267/), PubMed Central
31. [AAMC: The fallout of Dobbs on the field of OB-GYN (residency match effects, workforce redistribution, rural L&D unit closures)](https://www.aamc.org/news/fallout-dobbs-field-ob-gyn), Association of American Medical Colleges

### Predecessors & successors

32. [Britannica: Obstetrics and Gynecology (history of man-midwifery and the emergence of the obstetrician as a distinct role)](https://www.britannica.com/science/obstetrics), Encyclopaedia Britannica
33. [PMC: General practitioners and obstetrics: a brief history (transition from GP-led to OB-GYN-led obstetric care across the 20th century)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2586862/), PubMed Central
34. [ACOG workforce report 2024: subspecialty track selection rising; one-third of new OB-GYN graduates pursue fellowship](https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2024/02/acog-projects-growing-ob-gyn-shortage), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
35. [BLS OOH: Medical and Health Services Managers projected +29% growth 2024-2034; OB-GYN pathway via women's health service line leadership](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Obstetricians and Gynecologists (29-1218.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills, knowledge domains, employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1218.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OOH 2024-2034 — Physicians and Surgeons: OB-GYN median annual wage $239,200 (May 2024 BLS); ~44,000 OB-GYNs employed; +3% growth projection](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physicians-and-surgeons.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [ACOG Committee Opinion — AI in Obstetrics and Gynecology (2023, reaffirmed 2025): AI as clinical decision support; OB-GYN retains full clinical responsibility, prescribing authority, and malpractice liability](https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2023/artificial-intelligence), accessed 2026-05-24
- [ACOG 2024 Workforce Report — U.S. OB-GYN shortage projected 4,000–22,000 by 2050; current median OB-GYN age 49; geographic maldistribution accelerating; AI and telehealth identified as reach-extension tools](https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2024/02/acog-projects-growing-ob-gyn-shortage), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [McKinsey — The Economic Potential of Generative AI in Healthcare (2023 updated 2025): clinical documentation and diagnostic imaging AI as leading near-term value pools](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/the-economic-potential-of-generative-ai), accessed 2026-05-24
- [JAMA 2025 multi-site RCT — Ambient AI scribes reduced after-hours EHR documentation by 62%; physician satisfaction improved; note quality equivalent or better](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2826592), accessed 2026-05-24
- [AMA AI in Health Care position paper (2023 updated 2025): physicians bear ultimate clinical responsibility for AI-assisted decisions; AI is decision support only](https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/digital-health/augmented-intelligence-medicine), accessed 2026-05-24
- [NEJM AI (2025-2026) — AI fetal monitoring algorithms improve non-reassuring FHR detection; AI ultrasound automation reduces inter-operator variability; ambient scribes reduce OB-GYN note completion time significantly](https://ai.nejm.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [GE Healthcare Voluson SonoCNS / SonoLyst — AI fetal biometry automation; auto-measures BPD, HC, AC, FL; ~30% anatomy scan time reduction; FDA 510(k) cleared; deployed at 1,000+ U.S. imaging centers (GE Healthcare 2025)](https://www.gehealthcare.com/en-us/products/ultrasound/voluson), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Samsung Medison HERA W10 BiometryAssist — AI OB ultrasound biometry automation; auto-measures fetal head and abdominal circumference, femur length with AI standard-plane detection (Samsung Medison 2025)](https://www.samsungmedison.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Sonio — AI fetal ultrasound report generation and anomaly QA; FDA 510(k) cleared 2024; flags potential anomalies missed during real-time scanning; targets MFM and high-volume OB ultrasound programs](https://www.sonio.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [HeraMED HeraBEAT — FDA-cleared remote fetal monitoring device with AI FHR analysis; non-stress test monitoring at home for high-risk pregnancies; reduces in-office NST visits (HeraMED 2025)](https://heramed.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Hologic Genius Cervical AI — FDA-cleared AI for ThinPrep cytology slide analysis; prioritizes positive slides for cytotechnologist and physician review; companion to Genius HPV assay (Hologic 2025)](https://www.hologic.com/hologic-products/cytology/genius-cervical-ai), accessed 2026-05-24
- [ASCCP 2019 Risk-Based Management Consensus Guidelines — OB-GYN responsible for applying risk-stratified cervical cancer management protocols to individual patients integrating cytology, HPV, and clinical history](https://www.asccp.org/management-guidelines/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.