Chiropractic 2025:

Chiropractic 2025: Divergent Futures
Percentage Distribution of Chiropractors by Age Group, Circa 2012
Solo vs. Integrated Practices
AGE 25-34 28%
AGE 35-44 29%
AGE 45-54 29%
AGE 55-64 17%
AGE 65-74 4%
As shown in the previous sections, chiropractic is by no means a homogenous profession. Chiropractors can practice
in solo settings or in settings with other health professionals. For the purpose of this Appendix, an “integrated” setting
includes at least one MD. Integrated settings include some hospitals, community health centers (CHCs), Department
of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities, and even on-site corporate clinics and onsite
patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) on corporate campuses. (The final section of this appendix discusses
chiropractors in these various settings in more detail.) Practitioners in integrated settings tend to experience high levels
of cooperation, mutual respect across the health professions, and a collaborative atmosphere (though this collaborative
relationship rarely begins immediately, and chiropractors in integrated settings often need to explain chiropractic
care or deal with a level of confrontation). Chiropractors in solo settings may or may not benefit from referrals from
other health professionals. In many cases, solo chiropractors who do benefit from referrals have established good
relationships with other health professionals, via office and business visits, conferences, meetings, etc.
Income and Income Sources
Being in an integrated or solo setting can also impact income. According to the Annual Salary & Expense Surveys conducted
by Chiropractic Economics, DCs in groups/partnerships and integrated care plans earn more than DCs in solo practices. DCs
with other specialists in their clinics tend to earn much more than DCs without specialists in their clinics. Integrated clinics
also have more patient visit averages, and more new patients per week than non-integrated clinics. Cash-based practice is
common for chiropractors, who are generally only reimbursed officially for manipulation and treating back pain.
In terms of income, Chiropractic Economics reports that the average salary for DCs over the past few years has generally
ranged from $82,500 to almost $120,000. 122 2012 saw the lowest average salary for DCs at $82,500 123 (the only average
close to this comes from 2010, when the average salary was $87,538).
The South has tended to produce some of the highest-earning DCs, with DCs on the East Coast also being high
earners. 124, 125 Most DCs prefer to practice in the suburbs, and DCs practicing in the suburbs tend to have the highest
median net practice incomes compared to rural and urban DCs. 126
In general, the older the DC, the more intense the patient work load, and the more money he or she earns, though income
earned tends to drop after age 60. In 2011, however, there was no relation between age and income. 127 Consistently,
however, male DCs earn much more than female DCs. Male DCs tend to have more years of experience, and there
are far more male DCs than female DCs (in 2012, 18.9% of respondents to the Chiropractic Economics Survey were
female, compared to 81.1% of respondents being male). Figure 4 below shows a breakdown of revenue sources for many
chiropractors.
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