Patient search volume is rising in the Boston metro area, and now is the time for health care providers to take advantage.
BOSTON’S REVOLUTIONARY GROWTH
From June 2023 to May 2024, search volume performance in the Boston metro area outpaced the rest of Massachusetts and New Hampshire by 70%.
Within the Boston metro area, Suffolk and Middlesex counties have seen the strongest search volume growth (+315% and +37%, respectively).
Did you know?
Suffolk and Middlesex counties have 92% of the top zip codes with unmet demand* in the Boston metro area. The number one zip code with unmet demand is in Suffolk county (02203).
*Zocdoc uses a proprietary method to calculate unmet demand, comparing the ratio of searches (demand) to near-term bookable providers (supply) in a given geographic area.
BOSTON’S BIG LEAGUE SPECIALTIES
Patients in the Boston metro area are overwhelmingly searching for mental health providers. The top 5 specialties with the greatest increase in searches YoY compared to the rest of the state included:
- Mental Health: +123%
- Ophthalmology: +81%
- Optometry: +64%
- ENT: +53%
- Ob-gyn: +49%
Any time we see trends like this at Zocdoc, we dig in deeper. Get to know your patient base, both current and potential. We’ve got all the insights into the types of Zocdoc patients booking in the Boston metro area — including how and why they’re so valuable to providers.
YOUNG …
Younger patients are driving the most demand in the Boston metro area, with 50% percent in their 20s and 30% in their 30s. This is significantly higher than the national average of 37% for patients in their 20s.
| Provider type | Patients in their 20s | Patients in their 30s | Patients in their 40s |
| Overall | 50% | 30% | 8% |
| Ob-gyn | 59% | 28% | 5% |
| Mental Health | 51% | 29% | 8% |
| Dermatology | 51% | 32% | 7% |
| Primary Care | 51% | 32% | 7% |
| Urgent Care | 61% | 24% | 6% |
INSURED …
Ninety-one percent — an overwhelming majority of Boston metro area bookings on Zocdoc — are made with commercial insurance. Between June 2023 and May 2024 we saw patients with insurance book 93% of both dermatology and dental appointments, 92% of both ob-gyn and optometry appointments, and 91% of mental health appointments.
AND NEW.
Eighty-seven percent of bookings in the Boston metro area are new patient bookings. These patients are extremely valuable since the data also shows new patients want to become loyal, long-term patients. Bringing in new patients who return again and again drives the greatest revenue.
The top 5 specialties with new patient bookings in the Boston metro area included:
- Ob-gyn: 96%
- Orthopedics: 95%
- Dermatology: 93%
- Urgent Care: 93%
- Dental: 92%
The Boston metro area presents a prime opportunity for healthcare professionals. Reach out to our enterprise sales representatives today to learn more about how you can take advantage of Boston’s high patient demand. You can also request a custom search and booking analysis that shows unmet demand specific to your region and specialty.