2014 Aerospace Medical Certification

Statistical Handbook

Valerie J. Skaggs

Ann I. Norris

Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

Federal Aviation Administration

Oklahoma City, OK 73125

December 2015

Final Report

DOT/FAA/AM-15/22

Office of Aerospace Medicine

Washington, DC 20591
NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship 

of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest 

of information exchange. The United States Government 

assumes no liability for the contents thereof.

___________

This publication and all Office of Aerospace Medicine 

technical reports are available in full-text from the 

Federal Aviation Administration website.
i

Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.

DOT/FAA/AM-15/22

4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date

2014 Aerospace Medical Certification Statistical Handbook December 2015

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No.

Skaggs VJ, Norris AI

9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

P.O. Box 25082

Oklahoma City, OK 73125

11. Contract or Grant No.

12. Sponsoring Agency name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered

Office of Aerospace Medicine

Federal Aviation Administration

800 Independence Ave., S.W.

Washington, DC 20591 14. Sponsoring Agency Code

15. Supplemental Notes

16. Abstract

Introduction. The annual Aerospace Medical Certification Statistical Handbook reports descriptive 

characteristics of all active U.S. civil aviation airmen and the aviation medical examiners (AMEs) that 

perform the required medical examinations. The 2014 annual handbook documents the most recent and 

most widely relevant data on active civil aviation airmen and AMEs.

Methods. Medical certification records from 2009-2014 were selected from the Document Imaging 

Workflow System (DIWS), which is the FAA medical certification database. All medical data were 

abstracted from the most recent medical examinations, with the exception of medical conditions that were 

historical and current. Only those with a non-expired medical certificate remained in the dataset.

AME records were selected from the Aviation Medical Examiner Information System (AMEIS). The 

current status of each AME was determined for each year of the study period from 2012-2014, retaining 

only those with an active status. Airman variables include age, issued and effective medical classes, height, 

weight, BMI, gender, select medical conditions, special issuances, and FAA region of residence. AME 

variables include AME type, age, gender, medical specialty, pilot license status, senior examiner status, and 

region.

Results. Airmen: As of December 31, 2014, there were 565,809 medically certified airmen age 16 and 

older, and 34.7%, 20.8%, and 44.5% were issued a Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 medical certificate, 

respectively. Across all medical classes, the average age was 43.0 years, and 93.6% of the airmen were 

male. The mean BMI for both females and males was 24.1 and 27.2, respectively. Six percent of issued 

certificates required a special issuance. The most commonly reported medical condition was hypertension 

with medication, at 10.6%.

Aviation medical examiners: Of the 3,191 active AMEs, 92.8% were civilian, 1.9% federal, and 5.3% 

military. Of these, 48% reported their medical specialty as family practice. Their average age was 60.3 

years; the majority (53.5%) did not hold a pilot license, and 87% were male.

Summary. This report contains widely requested data on the active U.S. civil airman population. This 

report is updated annually and is used by the aerospace community, including FAA leadership, aerospace 

researchers, advocacy groups, legislative staff, and the general public.

17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement

Pilot Medical Certification, Pilot Demographics, 

Pilot Medical Conditions, Pilot Statistics, 

Aviation Medical Examiners

Document is available to the public 

through the Internet:

www.faa.gov/go/oamtechreports

19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price

Unclassified Unclassified 50

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized

iii

Contents

2014 Aerospace Medical Certification Statistical Handbook

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Airmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Aviation Medical Examiners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Section I. Aviation Medical Examiners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Table 1. FAA Aviation Medical Examiners by Year and Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Table 2. Designated FAA Aviation Medical Examiners by Year and Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Figure 1. Distribution of Newly Appointed FAA Aviation Medical Examiners by Region and Year . . . 

Figure 2. Distribution of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners by Region and Year . . . . . . . . . 

Figure 3. Distribution of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners by Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Figure 4. Medical Practice Specialty of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Figure 5. Gender Distribution of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Table 3. Pilot License Type of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Figure 6. Pilot License Type of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Table 4. Senior Examiner Status of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Figure 7. Senior Examiner Status of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners by Region . . . . . . . 1

Table 5. Age by Gender of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Figure 8. Age Group of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Section II. Airman Medical Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Table 6. Number of Medical Applications Processed by Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Table 7. Issued and Effective Medical Class by Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Table 8. Issued Medical Class by State of Residence and Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Figure 9. Issued Medical Class by Region and Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Table 9. Age as of 12/31/2014 of all Active Airmen by Effective Medical Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Table 10. Age Groups of all Active Airmen by Effective Medical Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
iv

Figure 10. Age Groups as of 12/31/2014 of all Active Airmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Figure 11. Age Groups as of 12/31/2014 by Effective Medical Class for all Active Airmen . . . . . . 2

Table 11. Age at Exam Summary Statistics for Active Airmen by Issued Medical Class . . . . . . . . 2

Table 12. Age Groups for all Active Airmen by Issued Medical Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Figure 12. Age Group of all Active Airmen at Time of Exam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Figure 13. Age Groups by Issued Medical Class for all Active Airmen at Time of Exam . . . . . . . . 2

Table 13. Age at Time of Exam by Issued Medical Class and Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Figure 14. Age Group at Time of Exam by Gender and Issued Medical Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Table 14. Height (Inches) of all Active Airmen by Gender and Issued Medical Class . . . . . . . . . . 2

Table 15. Height (Inches) by Issued Medical Class and Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Figure 15. Height (Inches) by Gender and Issued Medical Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Figure 16. Height (Inches) by Issued Medical Class – Females Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Figure 17. Height (Inches) by Issued Medical Class – Males Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Table 16. Weight (Pounds) of all Active Airmen by Gender and Issued Medical Class . . . . . . . . . 3

Table 17. Weight (Pounds) by Issued Medical Class and Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Figure 18. Weight (Pounds) by Gender and Issued Medical Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Figure 19. Weight (Pounds) by Issued Medical Class – Females Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Figure 20. Weight (Pounds) by Issued Medical Class – Males only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Table 18. BMI of all Active Airmen by Gender and Issued Medical Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Table 19. BMI Category by Issued Medical Class and Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Figure 21. BMI by Gender and Issued Medical Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Figure 22. BMI by Issued Medical Class – Females only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Figure 23. BMI by Issued Medical Class – Males only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Table 20. Special Issuance by Issued Medical Class, Gender, Age, and BMI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Figure 24. Special Issuance by Issued Medical Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Figure 25. Special Issuance by Age Group at Time of Exam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Figure 26. Special Issuance by BMI Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Table 21. Top 15 Reported Medical Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Table 22. Medical Conditions by Issued Medical Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Table 22 (Continued). Medical Conditions by Issued Medical Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1

2014 Aerospace Medical Certification Statistical 

INTRODUCTION

The annual Aerospace Medical Certification Statistical Handbook reports descriptive characteristics of all active U.S. civi

aviation airmen and the aviation medical examiners (AMEs) that perform the required medical examinations. The 2014 annual

handbook documents the most recent and most widely relevant data on active civil aviation airmen and AMEs

METHODS

Medical certification records from 2009-2014 were selected from the Document Imaging Workflow System (DIWS), which 

is the FAA medical certification database. All medical data were abstracted from the most recent medical examinations, with the

exception of medical conditions that were historical and current. Only those with a non-expired medical certificate remained in

the dataset

AME records were selected from the Aviation Medical Examiner Information System (AMEIS). The current status of each

AME was determined for each year of the study period from 2012-2014, retaining only those with an active status

Airman variables include age, issued and effective medical classes, height, weight, BMI, gender, select medical conditions, special issuances, and FAA region of residence. AME variables include AME type, age, gender, medical specialty, pilot license status,

senior examiner status, and region

RESULTS

Airmen

As of December 31, 2014, there were 565,809 medically certified airmen age 16 and older, and 34.7%, 20.8%, and 44.

were issued a 1st Class, 2nd Class, and 3rd Class medical certificate, respectively. Across all medical classes, the average age was

43.0 years, and 93.6% of the airmen were male. The mean BMI for both females and males was 24.1 and 27.2, respectively

percent of issued certificates required a special issuance. The most commonly reported medical condition was hypertension with

medication, at 10.6

Aviation Medical Examiners

Of the 3,191 active AMEs, 92.8% were civilian, 1.9% federal, and 5.3% military. Of these, 48% reported their medical specialty as family practice. Their average age was 60.3 years; the majority (53.5%) did not hold a pilot license, and 87% we

SUMMARY

This report contains widely requested data on the active U.S. civil airman population. This report is updated annually and 

used by the aerospace community, including FAA leadership, aerospace researchers, advocacy groups, legislative staff, and the 

general public

3

SECTION I. 

AVIATION MEDICAL EXAMINERS

This section characterizes the aviation medical examiners during 2014 with some comparative data from 2012 and 2013. All

analyses represent data through December 31, 2014, unless otherwise noted. Data may slightly fluctuate annually from systematic

changes and corrections to the records

An aviation medical examiner (AME) is a physician authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to perform airman physical examinations for issuance of FAA medical certificates. These physicians are designated according to the geographical

distribution of airmen. There are also military facilities (installations) designated to perform FAA airman examinations of military

personnel for issuance of second- and third-class certificates

AME seminars are held in each region and at Oklahoma City’s Civil Aerospace Medical Institute to acquaint these physicians 

with the regulations and procedures governing the issuance of FAA medical certificates

Table 1. FAA Aviation Medical Examiners by Year and Type

AME 

Type

2012

Number

(Percent of Total)

2013

Number

(Percent of Total)

2014

Number

(Percent of Total)

Civilian 3,218

(93.8)

3,101

(93.4)

2,960

(92.8)

Federal 68

(2.0)

67

(2.0)

60

(1.9)

Military 144

(4.2)

154

(4.6)

171

(5.4)

Total 3,430 3,322 3,191

Table 1. FAA Aviation Medical Examiners by Year and Type
4

Table 2. Designated FAA Aviation Medical Examiners by Year and Region

Region

Newly Appointed

Number

(Percent of Total by Year)

All Active

Number

(Percent of Total by Year)

2012 2013 2014 2012 2013 2014

Alaskan 1

(0.6)

1

(0.8)

3

(2.2)

64

(1.9)

55

(1.7)

55

(1.7)

Central 8

(5.0)

6

(4.6)

11

(8.2)

178

(5.2)

172

(5.2)

177

(5.6)

Eastern 11

(6.9)

9

(6.8)

11

(8.2)

370

(10.8)

353

(10.6)

331

(10.4)

Federal/Official 1

(0.6)

1

(0.8)

0

(0.0)

83

(2.4)

80

(2.4)

75

(2.4)

Great Lakes 15

(9.4)

16

(12.0)

15

(11.1)

472

(13.8)

457

(13.8)

445

(14.0)

International 17

(10.7)

19

(14.4)

13

(9.6)

324

(9.5)

323

(9.7)

311

(9.8)

Military 43

(27.0)

28

(21.1)

31

(23.0)

141

(4.1)

151

(4.6)

167

(5.2)

New England 7

(4.4)

2

(1.5)

2

(1.5)

116

(3.4)

103

(3.1)

98

(3.1)

Northwest 

Mountain

12

(7.6)

8

(6.1)

14

(10.4)

339

(9.9)

320

(9.6)

308

(9.7)

Southern 17

(10.7)

20

(15.2)

17

(12.6)

666

(19.4)

655

(19.7)

592

(18.6)

Southwest 18

(11.3)

13

(9.9)

11

(8.2)

399

(11.6)

384

(11.6)

371

(11.6)

Western-Pacific 9

(5.7)

9

(6.8)

7

(5.2)

278

(8.1)

269

(8.1)

261

(8.2)

Total 159 132 135 3,430 3,322 3,191

Table 2. Designated FAA Aviation Medical Examiners by Year and Region
5

Figure 1. Distribution of Newly Appointed FAA Aviation Medical Examiners by Region and Year
6

Figure 2. Distribution of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners by Region and Year
7

Figure 3. Distribution of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners by Region
8

9

Figure 4. Medical Practice Specialty of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners 

Specialty PercentFamily Practice 48.2Internal Medicine 17.9Aerospace Medicine 10.4Other 8.2Occupational Medicine 6.1General Surgery 2.5Ophthalmology 2.3Emergency Medicine 1.7Otorhinolaryngology 1.3Orthopedic Surgery 1.3Total 3,191

Figure 4. Medical Practice Specialty of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners
9

Figure 5. Gender Distribution of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners
10

Table 3. Pilot License Type of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners 

Pilot License Type Number

(Percent)

Commercial – Instrument Flight Rules 132

(4.1)

Commercial 87

(2.7)

Private – Instrument Flight Rules 112

(3.5)

Private 998

(31.3)

Student 111

(3.5)

Other 44

(1.4)

None 1,707

(53.5)

Total 3,191

Table 3. Pilot License Type of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners
11

Figure 6. Pilot License Type of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners

Table 4. Senior Examiner Status of Active FAA Aviation 

Medical Examiners

Senior Examiner

Number

(Percent)

Yes 2,027

(63.5)

No 1,164

(36.5)

Total 3,191

Table 4. Senior Examiner Status of Active FAA Aviation 

Medical Examiners
12

Figure 7. Senior Examiner Status of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners by Region
13

Table 5. Table 5. Age by Gender of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners Age by Gender of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners

Number Mean Median Standard

Deviation Minimum Maximum

Overall 3,191 60.3 60.8 11.4 30.0 92.1

Gender

Female 315 52.6 53.1 9.9 30.2 80.3

Male 2,776 61.0 61.5 11.2 30.0 92.1

Not Reported 100 64.5 64.5 9.7 31.4 88.5

Figure 8. Age Group of Active FAA Aviation Medical Examiners

15

SECTION II. 

AIRMAN MEDICAL CERTIFICATION 

The Aerospace Medical Certification Division is the central screening facility and repository within the Federal Aviation Administration for the collection, investigation, adjudication, and analysis of medical data

Activities of the Aerospace Medical Certification Division are presented in this section. Data are presented by calendar year

and represent the most recent medical examination data for all active civil aviation airmen in the United States and its territories, 

as of December 31, 2014. Data may slightly fluctuate annually from systematic changes and corrections to the records

Class issued represents the medical class certificate that was issued at the time of the examination. As of July 24, 2008, if the

airman is under 40, first- and second-class certificates are valid for 1 year, and third-class certificates are valid for 5 years. If the

airman is 40 and older, first-class certificates are valid for 6 months, second-class for 1 year, and third-class for 2 years. The length

of certificate validity varies for those requiring a special issuance

Effective medical class is determined by class issued, the age of the airman, time since exam, and whether the airman had a 

time-limited certificate. A certificate can be issued as a higher class (i.e., first-class) and become valid as a lower class certifica

(e.g., third-class) as the validity period expires for each higher cla

All medical data were abstracted from the most recent medical examinations, with the exception of medical conditions. Medical

conditions are determined by whether the airman has ever reported the condition on any past or current medical examination

Body mass index (BMI) classifications are as follows: Underweight (less than 18.5), Normal (18.5 to 24.9), Overweight (25 

29.9), and Obese (greater than or equal to 30

Table 6. Number of Medical Applications Processed by Year

Year

Number of 

Applications

Percent Change From 

Previous Year

2004 444,250 N/A

2005 438,415 -1.3

2006 440,271 0.4

2007 452,592 2.8

 *2008 425,274 -6.0

2009 397,174 -6.6

2010 394,722 -0.6

2011 400,125 1.4

2012 396,349 -0.9

2013 394,447 -0.5

2014 391,663 -0.7

*Policy change July 24, 2008 lengthened the time of certificate validity 

for those under 40 years of age.

Table 6. Number of Medical Applications Processed by Year
16

Table 7. Issued and Effective Medical Class by Region Table 7. Issued and Effective Medical Class by Region 

Region *

First Second Third Total Active Airmen

Effective Class Effective Class

Effective 

Class Effective Class

1st 

Class 

Certified 1 2 3

2nd 

Class 

Certified 2 3

3rd 

Class 

Certified 3

Total 

Airmen 

Certified

Percent 

of Total 

Airmen 1 2 3

Alaskan 1,992 1,540 191 261 2,013 1,355 658 3,760 3,760 7,765 1 1,540 1,546 4,679Central 4,928 3,379 506 1,043 5,211 3,301 1,910 12,422 12,422 22,561 4 3,379 3,807 15,375Eastern 18,973 13,398 1,494 4,081 12,220 7,026 5,194 29,369 29,369 60,562 11 13,398 8,520 38,644Great Lakes 26,063 18,023 1,822 6,218 13,455 8,039 5,416 35,158 35,158 74,676 13 18,023 9,861 46,792New England 5,997 4,359 460 1,178 3,539 2,133 1,406 9,978 9,978 19,514 3 4,359 2,593 12,562Northwest-Mountain 19,453 13,896 1,713 3,844 13,844 8,071 5,773 25,396 25,396 58,693 10 13,896 9,784 35,013Southern 44,437 31,669 4,051 8,717 24,297 14,764 9,533 48,057 48,057 116,791 21 31,669 18,815 66,307Southwest 22,156 15,507 1,978 4,671 15,704 9,891 5,813 30,428 30,428 68,288 12 15,507 11,869 40,912Western-Pacific 24,551 16,681 2,212 5,658 17,958 10,559 7,399 38,641 38,641 81,150 14 16,681 12,771 51,698US Total 168,550 118,452 14,427 35,671 108,241 65,139 43,102 233,209 233,209 510,000 90 118,452 79,566 311,982Military 20 13 2 5 1,689 673 1,016 3,802 3,802 5,511 1 13 675 4,823International 27,593 10,398 2,097 15,098 7,789 3,054 4,735 14,683 14,683 50,065 9 10,398 5,151 34,516Total 196,163 128,863 16,526 50,774 117,719 68,866 48,853 251,694 251,694 565,576 100 128,863 85,392 351,321Percent of Total Certified Airmen 34.7 20.8 44.5 100.0 22.8 15.1 62.1*233 airmen with unknown region
17

Table 8. Issued Medical Class by State of Residence and Gender 

State of Residence *

Issued Medial Class

First Second Third Total Airmen

Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male

Alabama 46 1,174 76 2,246 207 3,436 329 6,856

Alaska 165 1,827 154 1,859 384 3,376 703 7,062

Arizona 388 6,102 233 3,444 461 6,175 1,082 15,721

Arkansas 40 878 44 1,330 135 2,276 219 4,484

California 983 13,049 790 11,027 2,335 26,274 4,108 50,350

Colorado 498 6,127 173 2,624 532 5,685 1,203 14,436

Connecticut 75 1,529 43 728 156 2,307 274 4,564

Delaware 26 422 13 253 43 518 82 1,193

District of Columbia 12 120 10 82 41 281 63 483

Florida 1,201 19,862 612 9,848 1,660 18,104 3,473 47,814

Georgia 337 7,322 173 2,971 416 6,101 926 16,394

Hawaii 151 1,286 67 712 81 599 299 2,597

Idaho 47 799 75 1,325 160 2,112 282 4,236

Illinois 392 5,345 173 2,404 398 6,054 963 13,803

Indiana 177 2,910 87 1,429 246 3,898 510 8,237

Iowa 30 640 45 1,009 157 2,716 232 4,365

Kansas 65 1,236 80 1,550 243 3,274 388 6,060

Kentucky 113 2,112 45 876 150 2,068 308 5,056

Louisiana 49 1,221 49 1,543 137 2,268 235 5,032

Maine 32 439 29 522 78 1,072 139 2,033

Maryland 95 1,760 110 1,510 368 3,460 573 6,730

Massachusetts 123 1,825 64 1,138 314 3,692 501 6,655

Michigan 271 4,034 109 1,986 392 5,618 772 11,638

Minnesota 271 4,210 138 1,896 288 4,632 697 10,738

Mississippi 43 925 36 982 124 1,734 203 3,641

Missouri 115 2,189 76 1,721 263 3,846 454 7,756

Montana 44 626 68 985 145 1,643 257 3,254

Nebraska 30 623 14 716 109 1,814 153 3,153

Nevada 145 2,244 99 1,444 207 2,271 451 5,959

New Hampshire 69 1,316 51 629 81 1,259 201 3,204

New Jersey 166 2,596 96 1,387 234 3,533 496 7,516

New Mexico 32 533 66 933 138 1,618 236 3,084

New York 279 4,237 177 2,502 536 6,821 992 13,560

North Carolina 238 4,158 119 2,331 402 5,726 759 12,215

North Dakota 49 1,388 31 765 66 1,166 146 3,319

Ohio 219 4,332 144 2,242 422 6,309 785 12,883

Oklahoma 81 1,462 102 1,777 310 3,720 493 6,959

Oregon 133 1,517 162 2,262 340 3,572 635 7,351

Pennsylvania 233 4,391 196 2,617 396 6,027 825 13,035

Rhode Island 23 279 10 133 31 428 64 840

South Carolina 82 1,835 55 1,162 171 2,832 308 5,829

South Dakota 26 318 22 550 74 984 122 1,852

Tennessee 189 3,974 133 2,236 279 4,058 601 10,268

Texas 806 17,054 584 9,276 1,426 18,400 2,816 44,730

Utah 152 2,943 142 2,058 130 2,185 424 7,186

Vermont 22 265 13 179 41 519 76 963

Virginia 255 3,990 161 2,612 505 5,526 921 12,128

Washington 454 5,845 250 3,301 634 7,214 1,338 16,360

West Virginia 19 289 18 378 64 871 101 1,538

Wisconsin 100 2,021 91 1,388 332 4,279 523 7,688

Wyoming 19 249 29 390 76 968 124 1,607

US Territories 63 1,003 38 581 59 890 160 2,474

Military 1 19 68 1,621 352 3,450 421 5,090

International 1,556 26,037 379 7,410 1,021 13,662 2,956 47,109

Total 11,230 184,887 6,822 110,880 18,350 233,321 36,402 529,088

*319 airmen missing state

Table 8. Issued Medical Class by State of Residence and Gender 
18

Figure 9. Issued Medical Class by Region and Gender
19

Table 9. Age as of 12/31/2014 of all Active Airmen by Effective Medical Class

Effective Medical Class Number of 

Airmen Mean Median Standard Deviation

First 128,863 44.0 45.3 12.6

Second 85,393 49.6 50.4 13.7

Third 351,553 43.2 40.5 16.9

All Classes 565,809 44.4 44.0 15.7

Table 9. Age as of 12/31/2014 of all Active Airmen by Effective Medical Class

Table 10. Table 10. Age Groups of all Active Airmen by Effective Medical Class Age Groups of all Active Airmen by Effective Medical Class

Age Group

(as of 12/31/2014)

Effective Medical Class

Number

(Percent)

First Second Third

16-19 3,316

(2.57)

1,443

(1.69)

10,447

(2.97)

20-24 6,996

(5.43)

3,287

(3.85)

45,537

(12.95)

25-29 10,809

(8.39)

4,479

(5.25)

49,431

(14.06)

30-34 14,495

(11.25)

4,900

(5.74)

37,361

(10.63)

35-39 14,449

(11.21)

4,853

(5.68)

30,088

(8.56)

40-44 13,526

(10.50)

10,113

(11.84)

27,779

(7.90)

45-49 16,630

(12.91)

12,563

(14.71)

21,481

(6.11)

50-54 19,383

(15.04)

12,720

(14.90)

27,012

(7.68)

55-59 17,225

(13.37)

10,702

(12.53)

29,705

(8.45)

60-64 9,601

(7.45)

8,273

(9.69)

26,639

(7.58)

65+ 2,433

(1.89)

12,060

(14.12)

46,073

(13.11)

Total 128,863 85,393 351,553
20

Figure 10. Age Groups as of 12/31/2014 of all Active Airmen
21

Figure 11. Age Groups as of 12/31/2014 by Effective Medical Class for all Active Airmen
22

Table 11. Age at Exam Summary Statistics for Active Airmen by Issued Medical Class 

Issued Medical Class Number of Airmen Mean Median Standard Deviation

First 196,233 40.5 40.7 13.9

Second 117,756 43.6 43.7 16.1

Third 251,820 44.7 45.5 17.7

All Classes 565,809 43.0 43.1 16.3

Table 12. Age Groups for all Active Airmen by Issued Medical Class

Age Group

(at time of exam)

Issued Medical Class

Number

(Percent)

First Second Third

16-19 13,624

(6.94)

6,736

(5.72)

17,768

(7.06)

20-24 20,863

(10.63)

12,015

(10.20)

30,823

(12.24)

25-29 21,427

(10.92)

12,237

(10.39)

23,189

(9.21)

30-34 21,878

(11.15)

10,910

(9.26)

19,365

(7.69)

35-39 18,463

(9.41)

10,850

(9.21)

20,729

(8.23)

40-44 18,382

(9.37)

8,801

(7.47)

12,323

(4.89)

45-49 21,954

(11.19)

11,155

(9.47)

18,502

(7.35)

50-54 23,713

(12.08)

12,047

(10.23)

23,956

(9.51)

55-59 20,058

(10.22)

11,088

(9.42)

26,048

(10.34)

60-64 12,044

(6.14)

8,869

(7.53)

22,364

(8.88)

65+ 3,827

(1.95)

13,048

(11.08)

36,753

(14.59)

Total 196,233 117,756 251,820

Table 11. Age at Exam Summary Statistics for Active Airmen by Issued Medical Class 

Table 12. Age Groups for all Active Airmen by Issued Medical Class
23

Figure 12. Age Group of all Active Airmen at Time of Exam
24

Figure 13. Age Groups by Issued Medical Class for all Active Airmen at Time of Exam
25

Table 13. Table 13. Age at Time of Exam by Issued Medical Class and Gender Age at Time of Exam by Issued Medical Class and Gender

Age 

Group

Issued Medical Class

First Second Third Total Airmen

Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male

16-19 1,548 12,076 899 5,837 2,626 15,142 5,073 33,055

20-24 1,791 19,072 1,044 10,971 3,427 27,396 6,262 57,439

25-29 1,618 19,809 1,021 11,216 2,223 20,966 4,862 51,991

30-34 1,507 20,371 821 10,089 1,691 17,674 4,019 48,134

35-39 1,173 17,290 730 10,120 1,493 19,236 3,396 46,646

40-44 939 17,443 439 8,362 789 11,534 2,167 37,339

45-49 985 20,969 485 10,670 1,088 17,414 2,558 49,053

50-54 889 22,824 495 11,552 1,331 22,625 2,715 57,001

55-59 566 19,492 394 10,694 1,386 24,662 2,346 54,848

60-64 202 11,842 256 8,613 1,027 21,337 1,485 41,792

65+ 22 3,805 243 12,805 1,289 35,464 1,554 52,074

Total 11,240 184,993 6,827 110,929 18,370 233,450 36,437 529,372
26

Figure 14. Age Group at Time of Exam by Gender and Issued Medical Class
27

Table 14. Table 14. Height (Inches) of all Active Airmen by Gender and Issued Medical Class Height (Inches) of all Active Airmen by Gender and Issued Medical Class

Issued Medical Class*

Gender

Number of 

Airmen Mean Median

Standard 

Deviation

First

Females 11,240 65.5 65.0 2.7

Males 184,986 70.6 71.0 2.7

Second

Females 6,827 65.3 65.0 2.8

Males 110,927 70.5 70.0 2.7

Third

Females 18,368 65.3 65.0 2.9

Males 233,436 70.5 70.0 2.8

All Classes

Females 36,435 65.4 65.0 2.8

Males 529,349 70.5 71.0 2.7

*25 airmen missing height

Table 15. Height (Inches) by Issued Medical Class and Gender

Height*

Issued Medical Class

First Second Third Total Airmen

Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male

<59 61 139 49 120 157 273 267 532

59 49 49 42 65 107 117 198 231

60 193 97 119 134 378 256 690 487

61 358 99 229 106 695 241 1,282 446

62 743 169 544 123 1,453 381 2,740 673

63 1,095 387 713 304 1,947 737 3,755 1,428

64 1,626 1,257 1,024 757 2,539 1,859 5,189 3,873

65 1,626 2,773 932 1,728 2,547 3,852 5,105 8,353

66 1,683 6,592 1,024 4,071 2,551 8,624 5,258 19,287

67 1,422 11,359 790 6,773 2,119 14,577 4,331 32,709

68 1,018 17,793 535 10,699 1,563 22,297 3,116 50,789

69 632 22,601 365 13,765 979 28,085 1,976 64,451

70 387 28,055 213 16,978 625 35,725 1,225 80,758

71 180 24,929 114 15,237 319 32,131 613 72,297

72 100 27,352 71 16,504 193 33,675 364 77,531

73 28 16,407 31 9,343 77 19,984 136 45,734

74 15 12,479 16 7,137 63 15,087 94 34,703

75 8 6,530 7 3,588 27 7,883 42 18,001

76 9 3,842 4 2,183 18 4,736 31 10,761

77 2 1,269 1 767 3 1,660 6 3,696

78+ 5 808 4 545 8 1,256 17 2,609

Total 11,240 184,986 6,827 110,927 18,368 233,436 36,435 529,349

*25 airmen missing height

Table 15. Height (Inches) by Issued Medical Class and Gender
28

Figure 15. Height (Inches) by Gender and Issued Medical Class
29

Figure 16. Height (Inches) by Issued Medical Class – Females Only
30

Figure 17. Height (Inches) by Issued Medical Class – Males Only
31

Table 16. Weight (Pounds) of all Active Airmen by Gender and Issued Medical Class

Issued Medical Class* Number of 

Airmen Mean Median Standard Deviation

First

Females 11,236 144.7 140.0 28.5

Males 184,978 190.3 187.0 33.2

Second

Females 6,827 148.9 142.0 32.0

Males 110,919 194.6 191.0 34.4

Third

Females 18,368 146.4 140.0 29.5

Males 233,427 193.5 190.0 34.7

All Classes

Females 36,431 146.4 140.0 29.7

Males 529,324 192.6 189.0 34.1

*54 missing weight

Table 17. Weight (Pounds) by Issued Medical Class and Gender

Weight*

Issued Medical Class

First Second Third Total Airmen

Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male

<100 120 51 47 28 164 76 331 155

100-109 400 168 241 71 683 161 1,324 400

110-119 1,156 626 655 278 1,789 673 3,600 1,577

120-129 1,881 1,907 1,010 938 2,791 2,094 5,682 4,939

130-139 2,014 4,505 1,131 2,302 3,263 4,962 6,408 11,769

140-149 1,752 8,378 1,005 4,190 2,788 9,533 5,545 22,101

150-159 1,200 14,025 748 7,018 2,115 16,110 4,063 37,153

160-169 902 19,071 574 10,223 1,481 22,755 2,957 52,049

170-179 554 23,573 373 13,008 1,022 27,868 1,949 64,449

180-189 433 25,066 323 14,485 750 30,788 1,506 70,339

190-199 269 22,542 198 13,507 473 27,898 940 63,947

200-209 167 18,326 150 11,832 302 23,888 619 54,046

210-219 123 14,408 114 9,354 212 18,635 449 42,397

220-229 84 10,465 85 7,440 184 14,593 353 32,498

230-239 67 7,353 45 5,217 123 10,617 235 23,187

240-249 35 5,033 37 3,590 74 7,302 146 15,925

250-259 29 3,369 29 2,496 53 5,126 111 10,991

260-269 17 2,129 22 1,677 33 3,389 72 7,195

270-279 5 1,374 12 1,074 28 2,332 45 4,780

280+ 28 2,609 28 2,191 40 4,627 96 9,427

Total 11,236 184,978 6,827 110,919 18,368 233,427 36,431 529,324

*54 airmen missing weight

Table 16. Weight (Pounds) of all Active Airmen by Gender and Issued Medical Class

Table 17. Weight (Pounds) by Issued Medical Class and Gender
32

Figure 18. Weight (Pounds) by Gender and Issued Medical Class
33

Figure 19. Weight (Pounds) by Issued Medical Class – Females Only
34

Figure 20. Weight (Pounds) by Issued Medical Class – Males only
35

Table 18. BMI of all Active Airmen by Gender and Issued Medical Class

Issued Medical Class*

Number of 

Airmen Mean Median

Standard 

Deviation

First

Females 11,236 23.7 22.8 4.3

Males 184,972 26.8 26.4 4.2

Second

Females 6,827 24.5 23.4 4.9

Males 110,917 27.5 27.0 4.5

Third

Females 18,366 24.1 23.2 4.5

Males 233,414 27.4 26.8 4.5

All Classes

Females 36,429 24.1 23.1 4.5

Males 529,303 27.2 26.7 4.4

*77 airmen missing BMI 

Table 19. BMI Category by Issued Medical Class and Gender

BMI*

Issued Medical Class

First Second Third Total Airmen

Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male

Underweight 525 1,710 254 796 720 1,831 1,499 4,337

Normal 7,403 62,031 4,106 31,728 11,659 70,966 23,168 164,725

Overweight 2,380 85,537 1,617 51,004 4,173 105,158 8,170 241,699

Obese 928 35,694 850 27,389 1,814 55,459 3,592 118,542

Total 11,236 184,972 6,827 110,917 18,366 233,414 36,429 529,303

*77 airmen missing BMI and/or gender

Table 18. BMI of all Active Airmen by Gender and Issued Medical Class

Table 19. BMI Category by Issued Medical Class and Gender
36

Figure 21. BMI by Gender and Issued Medical Class
37

Figure 22. BMI by Issued Medical Class – Females only
38

Figure 23. BMI by Issued Medical Class – Males only
39

Table 20. Special Issuance by Issued Medical Class, Gender, Age, and BMI

Special Issuance

Yes

(Percent)

No

(Percent)

Class Issued

First 9,183

(4.68)

187,050

(95.32)

Second 6,159

(5.23)

111,597

(94.77)

Third 18,775

(7.46)

233,045

(92.54)

Gender

Female 982

(2.70)

35,455

(97.30)

Male 33,135

(6.26)

496,237

(93.74)

Age at Exam

16-19 433

(1.14)

37,695

(98.86)

20-24 557

(0.87)

63,144

(99.13)

25-29 770

(1.35)

56,083

(98.65)

30-34 1,006

(1.93)

51,147

(98.07)

35-39 1,176

(2.35)

48,866

(97.65)

40-44 1,598

(4.04)

37,908

(95.96)

45-49 2,751

(5.33)

48,860

(94.67)

50-54 4,292

(7.19)

55,424

(92.81)

55-59 5,726

(10.01)

51,468

(89.99)

60-64 5,597

(12.93)

37,680

(87.07)

65+ 10,211

(19.04)

43,417

(80.96)

BMI*

Underweight 122

(2.09)

5,714

(97.91)

Normal 6,826

(3.63)

181,067

(96.37)

Overweight 15,583

(6.24)

234,286

(93.76)

Obese 11,584

(9.48)

110,550

(90.52)

Total 34,117

(6.03)

531,692

(93.97)

*77 airmen missing BMI

Table 20. Special Issuance by Issued Medical Class, Gender, Age, and BMI
40

Figure 24. Special Issuance by Issued Medical Class
41

Figure 25. Special Issuance by Age Group at Time of Exam
42

Figure 26. Special Issuance by BMI Category
43

Table 21. Top 15 Reported Medical Conditions

Pathology Description Number Percent

Hypertension with medication 59,858 10.58

Other miscellaneous allergic conditions* 36,526 6.46

Hernias – inguinal, femoral, umbilical, hiatal 27,977 4.94

Urolithiasis – stones or calculus of kidney, ureter, bladder 22,369 3.95

Other esophagus, stomach, and duodenal conditions –

severe gastritis, esophageal reflux, achalasia, GERD, 

gastroplasty, dysphagia, dyspepsia, thrombus abdomen 

aorta#

21,229 3.75

Male genital system – prostatic, varicocele, hydrocele, 

transurethral resection of prostate (TURP), 

spermatocele, benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH)

20,155 3.56

Other lower extremities conditions – operations, 

fractures, dislocation, knee replacement, knee 

reconstruction, ACL reconstruction§

15,470 2.73

Other skin conditions – includes acne, abnormal 

pigmentation, vitiligo, psoriasis, keratosis, neurofibroma, 

(basal cell carcinoma), adenoma, ganglio neuroma, 

fibroma, fibroadenoma, neuroma, Morton’s neuroma, 

hemangioma‡

15,219 2.69

Ruptured intervertebral disk, nucleus pulposus, spinal 

fusion, laminectomy and spinal stenosis, compression 

disc, other back surgeries

14,055 2.48

Hay fever 13,377 2.36

Asthma 11,640 2.06

Other general heart pathology (abnormal ECG, open 

heart surgery, etc.). Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, 

ablation, AV block, right bundle branch block, left bundle 

branch block†

10,997 1.94

Hypothyroidism, underactive thyroid, euthyroid, 

Hashimoto 10,336 1.83

Other intestinal conditions -- diverticulitis, polyposis, 

appendicitis, appendectomy, colon cancer, rectal cancer, 

appendix cancer, colon resection

9,533 1.68

Other shoulder conditions--operations, trauma, recurrent 

dislocations, frozen shoulder, rotator cuff surgery, etc. 9,418 1.66

* Excludes hay fever and asthma # Excludes ulcers, gastrectomy, lapband staple bypass, gastric bypass, hernias, esophageal varices

‡ Excludes dermatitis, pilonidal cyst, significant scarring, melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma

§ Excludes deformity of toes, foot, or leg, diseases (synovitis, arthritis, bursitis, osteomyelitis, neoplasms, polymyalgia

rheumatica, etc.), rheumatoid arthritis, unstable knee (locked knee, herniated meniscus, no patella)

† Excludes cardiomyopathy, pacemaker, cardiac stents, cardiac angioplasty

Table 21. Top 15 Reported Medical Conditions
44

Table 22. Medical Conditions by Issued Medical Class

Issued Medical Class Total First Second Third

Vision

Color vision 

deficiency¥

1,551

(0.79)

1,589

(1.35)

5,576

(2.21)

8,716

(1.54)

Monocular vision 286

(0.15)

351

(0.30)

1,200

(0.48)

1,837

(0.32)

Transplants

Lung transplant 1

(0.00)

0

(0.00)

4

(0.00)

5

(0.00)

Heart transplant 0

(0.00)

1

(0.00)

1

(0.00)

2

(0.00)

Liver transplant 6

(0.00)

9

(0.01)

29

(0.01)

44

(0.01)

Kidney transplant 6

(0.00)

9

(0.01)

29

(0.01)

44

(0.01)

Cardiac

Myocardial infarction 639

(0.33)

352

(0.30)

1,928

(0.77)

2,919

(0.52)

Coronary angioplasty 

with a stent

908

(0.46)

486

(0.41)

2,926

(1.16)

4,320

(0.76)

Coronary angioplasty 

procedure

155

(0.08)

114

(0.10)

507

(0.20)

776

(0.14)

Coronary artery 

bypass surgery

358

(0.18)

223

(0.19)

1,549

(0.62)

2,130

(0.38)

Implanted pacemaker 85

(0.04)

71

(0.06)

363

(0.14)

519

(0.09)

Aortic valve 

conditions*

610

(0.31)

379

(0.32)

1,299

(0.52)

2,288

(0.40)

Mitral valve 

conditions#

840

(0.43)

483

(0.41)

1,668

(0.66)

2,991

(0.53)

Hypertension with 

medication

14,968

(7.63)

11,932

(10.13)

32,958

(13.09)

59,858

(10.58)

Table 22. Medical Conditions by Issued Medical Class
45

Table 22 Table 22 (Continued). Medical Conditions by Issued Medical Class (Continued). Medical Conditions by Issued Medical Class

Medical Class Issued Total

First Second Third

Alcohol and 

Drugs

Alcohol 

abuse/dependence

2,184

(1.11)

991

(0.84)

1,626

(0.65)

4,801

(0.85)

Drug 

abuse/dependence

859

(0.44)

513

(0.44)

748

(0.30)

2,120

(0.37)

Alcohol/Drug case 

monitored

1,208

(0.62)

85

(0.07)

18

(0.01)

1,311

(0.23)

Alcohol-related 

offense‡

10,589

(5.40)

6,851

(5.82)

12,221

(4.85)

29,661

(5.24)

Drug-related 

offense/misuse§

659

(0.34)

575

(0.49)

937

(0.37)

2,171

(0.38)

Other 

conditions 

of interest

Sleep apnea 2,155

(1.10)

1,562

(1.33)

3,554

(1.41)

7,271

(1.29)

Applied for SSRI use 139

(0.07)

99

(0.08)

373

(0.15)

611

(0.11)

SSRI special 

issuance

70

(0.04)

21

(0.02)

96

(0.04)

187

(0.03)

Diabetes† 1,285

(0.65)

1,403

(1.19)

4,463

(1.77)

7,151

(1.26)

¥

Color vision deficiency at initial screening test

*Includes aortic valvular disease, aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, aortic insufficiency, bicuspid aortic valve, 

also replacement, ruptured aorta or lacerated, aortic bruit

#

Includes mitral valve disease, mitral stenosis, mitral regurgitation, mitral insufficiency. Does not include valve 

replacement.

‡

Includes DUI, DWI, public intoxication, wet/reckless, .04-.09 blood alcohol

§

Includes drug offenses and positive drug test other than Drug Industry Program (Failed Drug Testing)

†

Controlled by hypoglycemic drugs or insulin