The urgent care industry ended 2024 with a total of 14,356 centers, representing an increase of 392 centers or 2.8% net rooftop growth over the 13,964 centers recorded in December 2023, according to data from National Urgent Care Realty (NUCR) and the Urgent Care Association (UCA), analyzed by Urgent Care Consultants.
The year-end census represents distinct locations after the removal of closures and the addition of de novos and established centers identified since the prior year census.
In the 10-year period from 2014 to 2024, urgent care rooftops grew by 224%, representing an average annual growth rate of 8.4%. However, not only did 2021-2022 see a rapid  increase in centers
 opened during the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2022, UCA also standardized its census on the NUCR database.
From December 2022 to December 2024, net center growth slowed to an average of 3.3% per annum from a prepandemic (2013-2021) average of 7.0%.
The census includes all centers offering a conventional and limited scope of urgent care services, as defined by UCA. Counts include pediatric urgent care but omit specialty models like orthopedics as well as adjacencies like freestanding emergency rooms, pure-play occupational health clinics, and clinics located in food, drug, and mass retailers.
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