(Notes: There were 37,886 and 34,481 Licensed acupuncturists in the USA in early of 2018 and 2015, respectively. Please read Dr.Fan’s article at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095496417300122)
There were 20,750 acupuncturists in 2003 in USA, which was a serious data; 6 years passed, how many acupuncturists in USA in 2009?
No exact data. No one have a serious investigation. But as we know there about 3000 to 3500 students in acupuncture and oriental medicine school each year, so, in these 6 years, the graduated students would be 18,000 to 21,000. Let us say just 20,000. Plus those who studied Chinese medicine in other countries 5,000. Total the licensed acupuncturists (LAc) may be 45,000 in 2009.
Plus the acupuncturists other than LAc, such as MDs, Chiropractors, Physical therapiests who also practice acupuncture (or so-called Dry Needle Techniques), or DOs, medical acupuncturists, more than 5,000.
So, total there are about 50,000 practitioners in USA in 2009 practicing acupuncture (included in Dry Needle Techniques) for patients.
If, each week each acupuncturist treats 30 patients on the average(5-6 patient visits per day), 52 weeks/one year, 1,560 patients visits; so, 50,000 acupuncturists would have 78 million patients visits(if on the average, one patient has 3-4 visits, actually, there are about 20 million patients per year) .
If each visit costs $70 on average, each acupuncturist creats $109,200; 50,000 acupuncturists would creat a 5.46 billion (5,460 million) dollars business in 2009. If this estimate is TOO high, we give a conservative estimate, — use 70% , each acupuncturist on the average creats about $70,000 business, the whole specialty creats 3.5 billion (3,500 million) dollars business in 2009.
We omited another big business here, that is Vet Acupuncture, currently animal/pet acupuncture is a very hot business. Many our patients told us their pets had acupuncture and had a wonderful result, so they also try acupuncture. We do not know exactly how many Vet acupuncturist in USA, however, we could say –many! let us estimate,just say 5,000. Each animal treatment costs around $95 (absolutely higher than human patient!!!), every Vet acupuncturist treats 20 pets per week, so, each year would be $1,040.
Each Vet acupuncturist creats about $100,000 business, so 5,000Vet acupuncturists would creat $500 million business.
In 2009, total acupuncture business would be $3,500 million plus $500 million, equal to $4 billion!.
Virginia Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine 