If you’re involved in healthcare leadership anywhere in Dallas-Fort Worth right now, you already know: the talent market is intense. Like, really intense.
The region has 8.1 million residents and is expected to grow another eight percent by 2028. That kind of growth creates demand—for facilities, for services, and especially for the executives who can make it all work. Healthcare organizations across the metroplex are competing hard for leadership talent that can drive expansion without letting operations fall apart in the process.
“Healthcare executive recruiting in Dallas-Fort Worth has never been more competitive or more consequential,” says Jim Hickey, President and Managing Partner at Perpetual Talent Solutions, a Dallas-Fort Worth executive search firm. “The systems that will thrive are those that prioritize leadership succession planning and move decisively when top talent becomes available.”
That word “decisively” matters. We’ll come back to it.
The Numbers Tell the Story
North Texas healthcare systems have been posting some impressive numbers lately. According to state annual surveys, hospitals in the region saw combined net income jump about thirty-three percent—from $4.046 billion in 2022 to $5.362 billion in 2023. Major systems like Baylor Scott and White, Texas Health Resources, and HCA Medical City are posting pre-tax margins that significantly beat national averages.
And the growth isn’t slowing down. Fort Worth just hit a milestone, surpassing one million residents to become the twelfth-largest city in the country. That’s prompted aggressive expansion from healthcare providers—Medical City Healthcare, Methodist Health System, Children’s Health—all announcing major facility investments in Collin County, Kaufman County, and the northern suburbs.
“What makes this market unique is the combination of population growth, strong financial performance, and the diversity of healthcare delivery models,” Hickey explains. “We’re seeing demand for executives who can lead traditional acute care facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, micro-hospitals, and increasingly sophisticated outpatient networks—all within the same metropolitan area.”
That’s a lot of different skill sets. And it’s all happening at once.
Here’s the Problem Nobody Wants to Talk About
Despite all the good news on the financial side, there’s a leadership retention issue that should worry healthcare boards across the region. And honestly, it mirrors what’s happening nationally.
Recent data from Challenger, Gray and Christmas shows hospital CEO departures increased fifteen percent from July 2024 to July 2025. That’s seventy-eight CEO exits through just the first seven months of 2025. The average tenure for hospital CEOs? About five years. Which means you’re constantly in some stage of succession planning whether you like it or not.
But here’s what really caught my attention: a 2025 leadership survey found that forty-six percent of healthcare executives plan to leave their organizations within the next twelve months.
Forty-six percent. Let that sink in.
“The turnover numbers should serve as a wake-up call for healthcare boards across the region,” Hickey notes. “Organizations that wait until a vacancy occurs to begin their search process are already behind. The most sophisticated systems are building executive pipelines years in advance and maintaining relationships with search partners who understand their culture and strategic priorities.”
This is what I meant earlier about being decisive. If you’re waiting for the resignation letter to hit your desk before you start thinking about succession, you’re playing catch-up in a market that doesn’t reward catch-up.
What Everyone’s Looking For
Healthcare systems throughout Dallas-Fort Worth are recruiting across the full C-suite and senior leadership spectrum. The roles generating the most demand right now: CEOs who can drive multi-billion dollar system strategies. CFOs with experience managing complex payer relationships and capital deployment. CMOs who can bridge clinical excellence with operational reality. CNOs equipped to tackle workforce challenges and retention. And increasingly, Chief Digital Officers who can lead technology transformation and cybersecurity initiatives.
There’s an interesting trend worth mentioning here. According to industry research, one-third of new CEO appointments in the first half of 2025 were made on an interim basis. Compare that to just nine percent during the same periods in 2024 and 2023.
What does that tell us? The labor market for executive talent is tight enough that organizations are opting for flexibility. They’re bringing in interim leaders while they search for the right permanent fit—or maybe while they figure out what they actually need. It’s a pragmatic response to uncertain conditions, but it also signals just how competitive the market has become.
What Healthcare Boards Should Actually Focus On
If you’re on a board or search committee evaluating candidates, Hickey recommends looking for competencies that match what the Dallas-Fort Worth market specifically demands:
First, demonstrated experience leading through rapid geographic and service line expansion. This market is growing fast—you need someone who’s done growth before.
Second, strong financial acumen with a track record of improving margins while maintaining quality outcomes. Not either/or. Both.
Third, cultural alignment with your organization’s mission and community commitments. This matters more than people sometimes admit during the search process.
Fourth, experience navigating regulatory complexity and payer negotiations. Healthcare isn’t getting simpler.
And fifth, proven ability to recruit, develop, and retain clinical and administrative talent. Because the leadership you hire will shape the teams you build for years.
“The best healthcare executives understand that financial performance and patient outcomes are inseparable,” Hickey observes. “In a market as competitive as Dallas-Fort Worth, organizations need leaders who can articulate a compelling vision, execute against aggressive growth targets, and still maintain the trust of physicians, nurses, and the communities they serve.”
That’s a high bar. But this market demands it.
Where This Is Heading
Dallas-Fort Worth is on track to remain one of the nation’s premier healthcare markets. Baylor Scott and White Health was recently recognized as the second-best large system in the country by Premier Inc.—which tells you something about the caliber of leadership already operating here.
But the workforce pressures aren’t going away. Overall hospital turnover rates hit 18.3 percent in 2024, with ongoing shortages across clinical and administrative roles. These dynamics make executive leadership more critical than ever. Organizations need leaders who can create cultures of engagement, implement retention strategies, and position their systems as places people actually want to work.
“The organizations that will define healthcare excellence in Dallas-Fort Worth over the next decade are making leadership decisions today,” Hickey concludes. “Whether recruiting a CEO to lead a flagship academic medical center or a regional president to oversee suburban expansion, the quality of executive talent will determine which systems thrive and which struggle to keep pace with this remarkable market’s growth.”
For healthcare executives considering opportunities in Dallas-Fort Worth, and for boards looking to strengthen their leadership teams—the message is pretty clear. This market is growing. The demand for exceptional leadership is only going to intensify. And the organizations that move now, rather than waiting for the perfect moment, are the ones that will come out ahead.
The time to act isn’t eventually. It’s now.
