DC · Healthcare shortage profile
District of Columbia County, DC
Peak severity leads this reading: District of Columbia County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 689,545.
- Active HPSAs
- 31
- Population
- 689,545
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 53.5
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, District of Columbia County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 31 active HPSA designations, more than 98% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 31
- Active HPSA designations
- 9
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 2%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for District of Columbia County, DC on its own pages , computed from the retained designation mirror as of 2026-08-15. Each line carries its own denominator so it can be quoted as it stands.
-
Peak HPSA score 25.0 clears HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Scores at or above 17 on the 0–25/26 scales open NHSC placement priority for the matching provider type; eligibility still follows the designated area, not the county boundary alone.
-
Closing District of Columbia County's active designations would take about 105 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 95 primary care, 8.4 mental health, 1.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
38.7% of District of Columbia County's 31 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 12 primary care, 10 mental health, 9 dental (denominator 31).
Dense ZCTA lattice over District of Columbia County
District of Columbia County intersects 57 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.
Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county
45 additional ZCTAs intersect this county in the crosswalk (ordered by land share).
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, District of Columbia County carries 31 active designations, above 98% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. District of Columbia County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 1 real counties in DC. Ties share a rank.
Computed from current designated HPSA rows for every five-digit county FIPS. See the placement methodology.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 11001. Population: 689,545.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity scores
Current designated records only. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 31 active (designated) HPSAs in District of Columbia County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Family And Medical Counseling Service Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| Elaine Ellis Center OF Health, Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| Bread For The City Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| Community OF Hope Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| Mary's Center For Maternal And Child Care Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| Unity Health Care, Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| Whitman-Walker Clinic Inc | dental | 23.0 |
| LA Clinica Del Pueblo, Inc | dental | 23.0 |
| Family And Medical Counseling Service Inc | primary_care | 22.0 |
| Elaine Ellis Center OF Health, Inc | primary_care | 22.0 |
| Community OF Hope Inc. | primary_care | 22.0 |
| Mary's Center For Maternal And Child Care Inc. | primary_care | 22.0 |
| Unity Health Care, Inc. | primary_care | 22.0 |
| Bread For The City Inc | primary_care | 22.0 |
| Community OF Hope Inc. | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Mary's Center For Maternal And Child Care Inc. | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Unity Health Care, Inc. | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Whitman-Walker Clinic Inc | primary_care | 21.0 |
| LA Clinica Del Pueblo, Inc | primary_care | 21.0 |
| ME - Anacostia | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Family And Medical Counseling Service Inc | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Elaine Ellis Center OF Health, Inc | mental_health | 21.0 |
| ME - East Capitol Southeast | primary_care | 20.0 |
| LA Clinica Del Pueblo, Inc | mental_health | 20.0 |
| ME-Brentwood/Navy Yard/Central DC | primary_care | 18.0 |
| ME - Columbia Heights/Ft. Totten/Takoma | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Homeless - Downtown D.C. | dental | 17.0 |
| ME-Anacostia | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Catholic Charities Anchor Mental Health | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Bread For The City Inc | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Whitman-Walker Clinic Inc | mental_health | 14.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for District of Columbia County
Peak severity leads this reading: District of Columbia County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries District of Columbia County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 22.0 of 25; Mental health reads 22.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 53.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places District of Columbia County above 98% of real US counties (31 active designations: 12 primary care, 10 mental health, 9 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 25.0. The table on this page lists the highest-severity records first so a reader can see which named facilities, geographies, or population groups drive that burden without treating the county total as a personal appointment forecast.
District of Columbia County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 1 real counties in DC. Heavy-burden counties are where NHSC placement, Community Health Center grant geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the county boundary alone.
District of Columbia County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
12 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
10 designations
- Dental
Dental
9 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in District of Columbia County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for District of Columbia County's active designations: about 105 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for District of Columbia County, DC · 2026 HRSA designation data updated quarterly; HPSA scores 0-25 (primary/mental) and 0-26 (dental); higher = greater shortage severity. Coverage tiers from U.S. Census ACS PUMS + KFF state tracker.
Acting on a heavy-burden county
District of Columbia County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- District of Columbia County's 31 active designations make providers here eligible for National Health Service Corps loan repayment, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's primary care burden compares with the rest of DC before you draw conclusions from a single score. DC overview
- Check whether an area clears HRSA's 3,500:1 population-to-provider threshold with the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score. HPSA score lookup
HPSA scores describe shortage severity within HRSA's designation criteria, not the availability of any individual provider. For a specific appointment, contact a provider or your insurer; use HRSA's current tools to verify a designation.
Counties With a Similar Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to District of Columbia County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Cook County, IL and Riverside County, CA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near District of Columbia County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “FAMILY AND MEDICAL COUNSELING SERVICE INC”).
Cook County, IL
25.0 dental score · 5,275,541 pop.
Riverside County, CA
25.0 dental score · 2,418,185 pop.
Broward County, FL
25.0 dental score · 1,944,375 pop.
Bronx County, NY
25.0 dental score · 1,472,654 pop.
Salt Lake County, UT
25.0 dental score · 1,185,238 pop.
Fresno County, CA
25.0 dental score · 1,008,654 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does District of Columbia County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - District of Columbia County carries an MUA designation (index 53.5; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Which record sets District of Columbia County's peak score of 25.0?
- "FAMILY AND MEDICAL COUNSELING SERVICE INC" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 93,373 people in the service area; designated 06/01/2012). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 31 active rows: 12 primary care, 10 mental health, 9 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under District of Columbia County's severity reading?
- After "FAMILY AND MEDICAL COUNSELING SERVICE INC", the next active names on this release are "FAMILY AND MEDICAL COUNSELING SERVICE INC", "ELAINE ELLIS CENTER OF HEALTH, INC", "Bread For The City Inc" and "COMMUNITY OF HOPE INC.". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~105 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow District of Columbia County's high-severity geography?
- District of Columbia County's 31 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, eligibility follows the designated area and provider type, not merely the county line around "FAMILY AND MEDICAL COUNSELING SERVICE INC".
- How does District of Columbia County's peak severity sit inside DC?
- District of Columbia County holds 31 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. District of Columbia County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 1 real counties in DC. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Cook County, IL and Riverside County, CA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 11001. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) , BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_DH.csv (dental) — download the normalized export on our open data page. PlainHealthAccess is not affiliated with HRSA or any government agency.
HRSA Data Warehouse HPSA + MUA/P records for FIPS 11001 (District of Columbia County, DC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 31; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.