In 281 counties, a midwife is the only one who can deliver.

Counties with an obstetrician

1,69460.4m women of childbearing age

Counties with a midwife and no obstetrician

2811.26m women

Counties with nobody who can deliver

1,1642.70m women

A midwife cannot perform a caesarean.

Individual NPIs holding each taxonomy, NPPES bulk file, May 2026, mapped to county by dominant-ZIP rule; 3,139 counties. Obstetrician = 207V00000X, 207VX0000X or 207VM0101X. Midwife = 367A00000X, 176B00000X or 175M00000X. Roles are counted separately and never summed. NPPES counts identifiers, not practising people, and an identifier is not withdrawn on retirement or death — so coverage here is a ceiling and absence is a floor. Labora Rounds.