Doctor Visit Costs Price History
1970–2025 · AHRQ / BLS
The average cost of a physician office visit in the United States, tracked from 1970 to 2025. A trip to the doctor used to be straightforward and cheap — $10 in 1970, which was manageable even without insurance. Today the average visit costs $295, and that is before any lab work, imaging, or procedures get added to the bill. The rise reflects not just inflation but a fundamental change in how medicine is practiced and billed, with more documentation, more defensive testing, and a billing system so complex that many doctors spend more time on paperwork than on patients.
Price in 1970
$10.00
Price in 2025
$295.00
Total Change
+2850.0%
Years Tracked
55
Doctor Visit Costs Over Time
Compare to inflation: The chart above shows nominal (not inflation-adjusted) prices. Use the toggle to switch to inflation-adjusted values when available, or try the inflation calculator to convert any amount between years.
Key Insights
- A doctor visit cost $10 in 1970 and $295 in 2025 — a nearly 30-fold increase that has far outpaced wage growth over the same period. In 1970, a minimum-wage worker could pay for a doctor visit with about six hours of work. In 2025, it takes closer to 40 hours at the federal minimum wage.
- The fastest growth occurred in the 1980s, when visit costs more than doubled from $22 in 1980 to $54 in 1990. That decade brought the rise of malpractice-driven defensive medicine, more sophisticated diagnostic tools, and the beginning of the coding and billing complexity that now defines physician practices.
- Post-pandemic costs have accelerated sharply, climbing from $230 in 2020 to $295 in 2025 — a 28% increase in five years. Staffing shortages at medical practices, higher overhead for infection control, and consolidation of physician practices by hospital systems have all contributed.
- The growing cost has changed how Americans use primary care. Many people now avoid routine visits entirely, relying on urgent care clinics or telehealth instead. Ironically, skipping preventive care often leads to more expensive emergency treatment down the road.
Year-by-Year Data
| Year | Price (USD per visit) | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | $10.00 | — |
| 1975 | $14.00 | +40.0% |
| 1980 | $22.00 | +57.1% |
| 1981 | $25.00 | +13.6% |
| 1982 | $28.00 | +12.0% |
| 1983 | $30.00 | +7.1% |
| 1984 | $33.00 | +10.0% |
| 1985 | $36.00 | +9.1% |
| 1986 | $39.00 | +8.3% |
| 1987 | $42.00 | +7.7% |
| 1988 | $46.00 | +9.5% |
| 1989 | $50.00 | +8.7% |
| 1990 | $54.00 | +8.0% |
| 1991 | $58.00 | +7.4% |
| 1992 | $62.00 | +6.9% |
| 1993 | $66.00 | +6.5% |
| 1994 | $69.00 | +4.5% |
| 1995 | $72.00 | +4.3% |
| 1996 | $75.00 | +4.2% |
| 1997 | $78.00 | +4.0% |
| 1998 | $82.00 | +5.1% |
| 1999 | $86.00 | +4.9% |
| 2000 | $90.00 | +4.7% |
| 2001 | $95.00 | +5.6% |
| 2002 | $100.00 | +5.3% |
| 2003 | $105.00 | +5.0% |
| 2004 | $112.00 | +6.7% |
| 2005 | $118.00 | +5.4% |
| 2006 | $125.00 | +5.9% |
| 2007 | $132.00 | +5.6% |
| 2008 | $140.00 | +6.1% |
| 2009 | $145.00 | +3.6% |
| 2010 | $150.00 | +3.4% |
| 2011 | $157.00 | +4.7% |
| 2012 | $164.00 | +4.5% |
| 2013 | $170.00 | +3.7% |
| 2014 | $178.00 | +4.7% |
| 2015 | $186.00 | +4.5% |
| 2016 | $195.00 | +4.8% |
| 2017 | $204.00 | +4.6% |
| 2018 | $214.00 | +4.9% |
| 2019 | $224.00 | +4.7% |
| 2020 | $230.00 | +2.7% |
| 2021 | $242.00 | +5.2% |
| 2022 | $258.00 | +6.6% |
| 2023 | $272.00 | +5.4% |
| 2024 | $285.00 | +4.8% |
| 2025 | $295.00 | +3.5% |
Sources & Methodology
Average cost of a physician office visit based on data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) and BLS Consumer Price Index for physician services. Costs represent the total charge for a standard office visit (CPT code 99213 or equivalent), including the facility fee but excluding separately billed lab work, imaging, or procedures.
Primary source: AHRQ / BLS
For a full explanation of how we collect and adjust data, see our methodology page.