OB/GYN is a moderately to highly competitive specialty, and it has become significantly more competitive over the past decade. Between 2013 and 2023, the number of applicants to categorical OB/GYN positions increased by 62%, while available first-year spots grew by only 19%. That widening gap means more candidates are competing for relatively fewer seats each year.
How the Match Numbers Break Down
In the most recent Match data, OB/GYN offered 394 certified positions, drew 437 enrolled applicants, and filled 372 of those spots. Of the filled positions, 325 went to U.S. MD seniors. Those numbers reflect just one segment of the match process, but the broader trend tells the story: applicants rose from about 1,498 in 2013 to 2,433 in 2023, a pace that has far outstripped position growth (from 1,259 to 1,503 over the same period).
This means roughly 900 applicants each cycle don’t match into OB/GYN. Some of those candidates had OB/GYN as a backup rather than a top choice, but the overall ratio still signals real competition for seats, especially at well-known programs in the Northeast, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic regions.
What Competitive Applicants Look Like
Board scores remain one of the key filters programs use. Matched DO applicants averaged a Step 2 CK score of 245, and MD applicants typically score in a similar range or higher. That puts OB/GYN in the middle tier of competitiveness for board scores, below surgical subspecialties like orthopedics or dermatology but above primary care fields like family medicine.
Research also matters more than many students expect. First-year OB/GYN residents reported an average of 3.9 research experiences and 6.8 abstracts, presentations, or publications. You don’t need a PhD-level portfolio, but a handful of meaningful research projects and at least a few presentations or publications will keep you in the competitive range. Programs want to see intellectual curiosity and the ability to engage with evidence, not just clinical hours.
Who’s Applying
OB/GYN has the highest proportion of women of any residency specialty: 86.4% of residents and fellows are female. Among practicing OB/GYNs, women make up about 60.5% of active physicians. None of this changes your chances as a male applicant in a statistical sense, but it does shape the culture of training programs and the patient population you’ll serve. If you’re a male applicant, programs will want to see that you’ve thought seriously about why this field fits you.
Fellowship Competition After Residency
If you’re thinking beyond residency, the major OB/GYN fellowships vary in competitiveness. Maternal-fetal medicine has the highest match rate at about 94.5%, meaning most applicants who apply get in. Gynecologic oncology sits at roughly 88%, and reproductive endocrinology and infertility is the tightest at around 79.5%. REI’s lower match rate reflects both limited positions and high demand driven partly by the growing fertility treatment field.
Compensation and Lifestyle Realities
OB/GYNs earned an average of $372,000 in 2024, reflecting a roughly 6% raise over the prior year. That’s a solid income, but it falls in the lower half among surgical and procedural specialties. More telling: six in ten OB/GYNs say they don’t feel fairly compensated relative to their job’s demands. The specialty involves unpredictable hours, overnight call for labor and delivery, and high-stakes clinical situations that contribute to that sentiment.
Burnout rates reflect those pressures. OB/GYN ranks among the top specialties for burnout at 53%, tied with oncology and trailing only emergency medicine at 63%. The combination of surgical skill requirements, emotional intensity of pregnancy outcomes, and round-the-clock scheduling creates a workload that wears on physicians over time. This doesn’t mean the specialty isn’t rewarding, but it’s worth factoring into your decision alongside competitiveness. Matching into OB/GYN is one challenge; sustaining a career in it is another.
How to Gauge Your Own Competitiveness
If you’re a U.S. MD student with Step 2 scores in the mid-240s or above, several research experiences, strong clinical evaluations in your OB/GYN clerkship, and solid letters of recommendation, you’re in a reasonable position. The field isn’t as cutthroat as dermatology or plastic surgery, where even excellent applicants sometimes go unmatched, but it’s competitive enough that a weak application in any one area can cost you.
Applying broadly helps. Programs in large metro areas like Boston, New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., tend to draw the most interest, so casting a wider geographic net improves your odds. Most advisors recommend applying to 25 to 40 programs depending on the strength of your application, with more programs for DO students or international medical graduates who face additional screening at many institutions.
Away rotations at programs you’re genuinely interested in can also make a difference. OB/GYN is a field where fit matters: programs want residents who will thrive in their specific training culture, and a strong audition rotation lets both sides evaluate that. Just be strategic about where you rotate, since a poor impression at a program is worse than never having rotated there at all.