Dentists Claim Top Spot as Michigan’s ‘Healthiest’ Healthcare Occupation in New MHC Report
- Ana Hornburg
- Jul 21
- 3 min read
2025 Michigan Healthcare Workforce Index reveals critical gaps across nearly all healthcare sectors; dental assistants ranked as ‘unhealthiest’
CONTACT: Ana Hornburg
Michigan Health Council
(517) 908-8229
OKEMOS, Mich.—(July 21, 2025)—Nearly all healthcare occupations in Michigan are projected to experience workforce shortages over the next decade, with dental assistants facing the most severe challenges while dentists emerge as the state's “healthiest” healthcare occupation, according to the newly released 2025 Michigan Healthcare Workforce Index.
The comprehensive report from the Michigan Health Council (MHC) analyzed 36 healthcare occupations, revealing that only four occupations are projected to have a surplus between 2024 and 2034: dentists, occupational therapists, radiation therapists, and surgical technologists. However, even among these, regional access remains a problem.
“MHC believes that the insights and analysis gleaned from the index will spark informed discussions about the best ways to build Michigan's healthcare workforce capacity,” said Craig Donahue, president and CEO of MHC. “In the three years that we’ve tracked these trends, Michigan has not made significant progress on addressing its shortage of healthcare workers. The persistence of these challenges across nearly all healthcare occupations underscores the urgent need for solutions.”
The index ranks the “health” of healthcare occupations based on four key variables: projected employment growth, wage growth, turnover rates, and workforce shortage ratios. Dentists claimed the top spot in this year’s index after climbing 11 places from last year's ranking, driven by higher wages, growth, and the lowest turnover rate in healthcare. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants round out the top three healthiest occupations.
Dental assistants and dental hygienists were found to be the “least” healthy occupations, with Michigan ranking lowest in the Great Lakes region for dental assistant wages. Home health and personal care aides face the largest absolute shortage at over 171,000 workers needed.
"The Index confirms what we already know: Michigan is facing a critical shortage of dental hygienists and dental assistants," said Holli Seabury, EdD, executive director of the Delta Dental Foundation. "Our hope is that this report will serve as a catalyst for industry leaders to develop innovative solutions that will improve the 'health' of these professions, boosting access to dental care and economic wellbeing."
The report also found that only nine of Michigan’s 83 counties don’t have a shortage of mental healthcare providers. Psychologists face the highest shortage and lowest wage rank among behavioral health occupations. Over 21 percent of psychologist roles at community mental health organizations remain vacant.
Reflecting the uncertainty around access to reproductive health care in a post-Dobbs environment, OBGYN residency applicants in Michigan dropped 12.3 percent between 2022–2024. In addition to the drop in OBGYN residents, Michigan saw a 5.4 percent decrease for all physician specialties who applied for residency for the 2022-2023 cycle.
“Our systematic approach to ranking healthcare occupations provides valuable insights that can guide policy and investment decisions," said Michelle Wein, senior director of research for MHC. "By evaluating occupations across multiple dimensions—growth, wages, turnover, and shortages—we can identify not just which occupations are struggling, but why they're struggling, which is essential for developing targeted solutions."
The index is part of MHC’s ongoing work to catalyze data on healthcare workforce gaps into actionable talent solutions accessible to organizations statewide. Earlier this year, MHC released the 2025 Michigan Healthcare Workforce Plan to address long-standing and evolving challenges.
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About the Michigan Health Council
Michigan Health Council (MHC) is a solutions-oriented nonprofit organization on a mission to ensure the future of the healthcare workforce. Learn more at mhc.org.
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