Nearly 17% of U.S. adults reported using chiropractic care in the past year according to a 2012 survey. This article examines the utilization, market size, and clinical evidence behind this common form of care.
Key Takeaways
- 17.1% of U.S. adults reported using chiropractic care in the past year (2012), based on NHIS data presented in a peer-reviewed analysis
- 11.0% of adults used chiropractic care in a 2022 cross-sectional survey in the U.S., reported as a measured utilization rate by a peer-reviewed study
- 3.9% of U.S. adults used chiropractic care for low back pain in 2020, based on NHIS estimates reported in a government-hosted statistical brief
- Chiropractic care represented 0.8% of total outpatient healthcare expenditure in the U.S. in 2020, estimated using government healthcare expenditure data summarized by a peer-reviewed analysis
- The chiropractic services market in the U.K. was estimated at £1.2 billion in 2022, from a market research report that provides country market sizing
- China’s chiropractic services market was estimated at $0.9 billion in 2023 in a country market sizing report
- $1.4 billion estimated annual U.S. spending on chiropractic care for back problems in 2017 (total spending estimate), reported in an NCBI/PMC-hosted study
- The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reported that 13.2% of adults with musculoskeletal pain used CAM therapies including chiropractic (2017), from national survey analysis
- In a cost-effectiveness evaluation, chiropractic care for low back pain delivered incremental cost-effectiveness within reported thresholds, with numeric ICER values stated in the study
- The majority of chiropractic visits are office-based: 95% of visits in a claims-based dataset occurred in freestanding chiropractic/physician office settings (setting share reported in the methods/results)
- According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, chiropractors (SOC 29-1011) had median pay of about $75,000 in May 2023 (BLS occupational wage statistic)
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of chiropractors to grow by 7% from 2022 to 2032 (BLS employment projection statistic)
- For acute low back pain, a systematic review reported that spinal manipulation offers modest reductions in pain intensity versus control conditions, with standardized mean differences stated in the paper
- A 2017 systematic review in JAMA reported that spinal manipulation for low back pain had clinically small benefits relative to comparators, with outcomes quantified in included trials
- A 2019 meta-analysis reported that spinal manipulation for neck pain reduced pain with a standardized mean difference of approximately -0.37 versus controls in pooled results (as reported in the analysis)
Chiropractic care usage remains widespread, cost effective, and mainly office based, with supportive evidence for musculoskeletal pain.
Related reading
01 · Category
Utilization5 stats
01
17.1% of U.S. adults reported using chiropractic care in the past year (2012), based on NHIS data presented in a peer-reviewed analysis
02
11.0% of adults used chiropractic care in a 2022 cross-sectional survey in the U.S., reported as a measured utilization rate by a peer-reviewed study
03
3.9% of U.S. adults used chiropractic care for low back pain in 2020, based on NHIS estimates reported in a government-hosted statistical brief
04
28.0% of chiropractic patients reported receiving care for neck pain, from a survey-based profile published by the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT)
05
1 in 10 U.S. adults (10.0%) used chiropractic care at least once in a 2007 survey, reported in a peer-reviewed study using national survey data
Interpretation
Utilization Interpretation
From an utilization perspective, chiropractic care usage varies widely over time and conditions, ranging from 3.9% of U.S. adults using it for low back pain in 2020 to 28.0% of chiropractic patients reporting care for neck pain, showing that both overall adoption and the specific pain focus strongly drive utilization.
02 · Category
Market Size3 stats
01
Chiropractic care represented 0.8% of total outpatient healthcare expenditure in the U.S. in 2020, estimated using government healthcare expenditure data summarized by a peer-reviewed analysis
02
The chiropractic services market in the U.K. was estimated at £1.2 billion in 2022, from a market research report that provides country market sizing
03
China’s chiropractic services market was estimated at $0.9 billion in 2023 in a country market sizing report
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
From 2020 to 2023, chiropractic care remained a small but measurable market, accounting for just 0.8% of U.S. outpatient spending and supported by sizable country-level estimates of £1.2 billion in the U.K. in 2022 and $0.9 billion in China in 2023, underscoring steady demand even outside the largest healthcare budgets.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis10 stats
01
$1.4 billion estimated annual U.S. spending on chiropractic care for back problems in 2017 (total spending estimate), reported in an NCBI/PMC-hosted study
02
The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reported that 13.2% of adults with musculoskeletal pain used CAM therapies including chiropractic (2017), from national survey analysis
03
In a cost-effectiveness evaluation, chiropractic care for low back pain delivered incremental cost-effectiveness within reported thresholds, with numeric ICER values stated in the study
04
A 2019 systematic review of economic evaluations found that spinal manipulation/care was cost-saving or cost-effective in several included studies, with cost-effectiveness results summarized quantitatively by the reviewers
05
A large claims-based study reported that episodes involving chiropractic care had lower average healthcare utilization (including imaging rates) versus episodes without chiropractic, with utilization metrics reported
06
The median price per chiropractic visit in the U.S. was about $45–$60 in a 2018 market pricing dataset analysis (reported as a median estimate in the report)
07
Medicare reimburses chiropractors under the Physician Fee Schedule; in 2024, the maximum allowable charge per chiropractic manipulation session depends on locality and the fee schedule amount, with statutory limits published by CMS
08
In a study of out-of-pocket spending, the mean annual out-of-pocket expense for chiropractic users was $120(USD) with a reported standard deviation in the paper
09
A payer analysis reported that chiropractic use among members was associated with 6% lower total episode costs for back pain compared with non-chiropractic pathways (episode cost difference reported as a percent)
10
In a retrospective cohort study, imaging utilization decreased by 10.4% in the 60 days after chiropractic initiation compared with matched controls (imaging rates reported)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analysis indicators suggest chiropractic care can be a relatively affordable option with meaningful economic impact, including about $1.4 billion in estimated annual US spending for back problems in 2017 and a median visit price around $45 to $60 in 2018, while systematic reviews and studies also report chiropractic-related care being cost-saving or cost-effective in multiple analyses.
More related reading
04 · Category
Workforce & Settings6 stats
01
The majority of chiropractic visits are office-based: 95% of visits in a claims-based dataset occurred in freestanding chiropractic/physician office settings (setting share reported in the methods/results)
02
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, chiropractors (SOC 29-1011) had median pay of about $75,000in May 2023 (BLS occupational wage statistic)
03
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of chiropractors to grow by 7% from 2022 to 2032 (BLS employment projection statistic)
04
In 2022, 94% of chiropractic practices used electronic health records (EHR) (measured adoption rate) in a survey published by a health IT research firm
05
A survey of chiropractic students reported that 72% planned to practice in a private clinical setting, with the planning preference measured as a percentage
06
A malpractice claims analysis reported that chiropractors accounted for 2.5% of musculoskeletal-related malpractice claims filed in a U.S. study period (claims share stated in the paper)
Interpretation
Workforce & Settings Interpretation
Within Workforce & Settings, most chiropractic care is delivered in freestanding offices, with 95% of visits falling into that setting, while 94% of practices already use electronic health records and employment is projected to grow 7% from 2022 to 2032.
05 · Category
Clinical Evidence9 stats
01
For acute low back pain, a systematic review reported that spinal manipulation offers modest reductions in pain intensity versus control conditions, with standardized mean differences stated in the paper
02
A 2017 systematic review in JAMA reported that spinal manipulation for low back pain had clinically small benefits relative to comparators, with outcomes quantified in included trials
03
A 2019 meta-analysis reported that spinal manipulation for neck pain reduced pain with a standardized mean difference of approximately -0.37 versus controls in pooled results (as reported in the analysis)
04
A randomized trial found that chiropractic care reduced average low back pain intensity by 2.2 points on a 0–10 scale over 6 weeks compared with control (figure reported in the study)
05
A clinical practice guideline for low back pain updated in 2022 by the American College of Physicians recommends nonpharmacologic therapies; spinal manipulation is included among recommended options for acute and chronic low back pain with evidence ratings provided in the guideline
06
A systematic review on cervicogenic headache reported improvement in headache frequency and/or intensity with spinal manipulation in included studies, with effect sizes and pooled estimates reported
07
A 2020 systematic review found adverse events for spinal manipulation were uncommon; serious adverse events were rare in included studies with incidence reported as very low (qualitatively and/or quantitatively depending on included evidence)
08
A 2016 study using data from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey found that respondents who used chiropractic had lower odds of disability compared with nonusers after adjustment for confounders (odds ratio reported)
09
For migraine, a 2020 randomized clinical trial reported that participants receiving chiropractic spinal manipulation had a mean reduction in monthly migraine days compared with control, with numeric changes reported in the trial
Interpretation
Clinical Evidence Interpretation
Across clinical evidence reviews and trials, chiropractic or spinal manipulation shows modest, small improvements for back and neck pain, with average low back pain dropping by about 2.2 points on a 0 to 10 scale over 6 weeks, supporting the category that the benefits exist but are typically not large.
report visual · Projection
Chiropractic Use in the U.S. Over Time
Share of U.S. adults reporting chiropractic use appears in multiple national survey-based estimates across different years.
10 Percent
Start
+0.64%
CAGR · 15y
11 Percent
Projected
20072022
source-verifiedannals.org · jamanetwork.com · cdc.gov · sciencedirect.com2022
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Megan Gallagher. (2026, February 13). Chiropractic Care Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/chiropractic-care-statistics
MLA
Megan Gallagher. "Chiropractic Care Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/chiropractic-care-statistics.
Chicago
Megan Gallagher. 2026. "Chiropractic Care Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/chiropractic-care-statistics.
Sources & references
33 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+17 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)