AAMC report finds 7th consecutive year of growth in medical residents

The number of active medical residents grew in 2024-2025, marking the seventh consecutive year of growth, according to a report by the Association of American Medical Colleges. There was a total of 163,189 residents, increasing by nearly 4,000 from 2023-2024. Among the findings, 29.4% of residents indicated having the same specialty preference at graduation as the start of medical school, with orthopedic surgery (54.1%), neurological surgery (47.5%) and pediatrics (41.9%) having the highest continuity. Active residents who were international medical school graduates increased to 24.2% in 2024-2025, up slightly from 23.4% in 2023-2024. Women consisted of the majority of residents and fellows for the first time, at 50.2%.