U.S. News & World Report has named 161 medical schools in the U.S. with the most graduates practicing in rural areas.
The report classifies rural areas using the criteria from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural-Urban Continuum Codes classification.
In rural areas, the patient-to-physician ratio is only 39.8 physicians per 100,000, compared to 53.3 per 100,000 in urban areas.
Twenty medical schools with the most graduates in rural areas:
Note: Two universities tied for the No. 7 ranking
1. William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (Hattiesburg, Miss.)
2. University of Pikeville (Ky.)
3. University of Mississippi (Jackson)
4. University of South Dakota (Sioux Falls)
5. Oklahoma State University (Tulsa)
6. A.T. Still University of Health Sciences (Kirksville, Mo.)
7. Des Moines (Iowa) University
7. University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha)
9. University of Kansas Medical Center (Kansas City)
10. Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (Yakima, Wash.)
11. Southern Illinois University (Springfield)
11. University of Utah (Salt Lake City)
13. University of North Dakota (Grand Forks)
14. West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (Lewisburg)
15. Lincoln Memorial University (Harrogate, Tenn.)
16. Rocky Vista University (Parker, Colo.)
17. University of New England (Biddeford, Me.)
18. Marshall University (Huntington, W.Va.)
19, University of Minnesota (Minneapolis)
20. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (Little Rock)