Medically Underserved Area Two high-priority disciplines

WA · Healthcare shortage profile

Clallam County, WA

Home to 77,155 residents, with 32 active HRSA shortage designations.

Active HPSAs
32
Population
77,155
Peak shortage score
20.0
MUA Index
56.7
WA state overview → About this data

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Clallam County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 32 active HPSA designations, more than 98% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

32
Active HPSA designations
11
Dental shortages
20
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 2%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Clallam County, WA 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.

  1. 34.4% of Clallam County's 32 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 11 primary care, 10 mental health, 11 dental (denominator 32).

  2. Closing Clallam County's active designations would take about 9.5 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.3 primary care, 2.8 mental health, 3.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. Peak HPSA score 20.0 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.

Clallam County vs. every real US county

Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none

32 Top 2% higher than 98% of 3,289 real US counties

0–20: 3,115 real US counties (95%). Below this entry. 20–40: 128 real US counties (4%). This entry sits in this band. 40–60: 32 real US counties (1%). Above this entry. 60–80: 7 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 80–100: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 100–120: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 120–140: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 140–160: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 160–180: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 180–200: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 200–220: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 220–240: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 240–260: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 260–280: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. This county 0 280 every real US county, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026

State peer position. Clallam County falls in the upper quarter of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 39. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.

Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 53009. Population: 77,155.

11
Dental HPSAs
10
Mental Health HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 56.7

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 16.0
Mental Health 18.0
Dental 20.0

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 32 active (designated) HPSAs in Clallam County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Jamestown S'Klallam Family Health Center dental 20.0
Lower Elwha Klallam Medical Clinic dental 19.0
Clallam County mental_health 18.0
West Clallam-Jefferson Service Area dental 18.0
Bogachiel Clinic dental 17.0
Clallam Bay Medical Clinic dental 17.0
Forks Family Medicine dental 17.0
West Clallam-Jefferson Counties primary_care 16.0
Bogachiel Clinic primary_care 16.0
Forks Family Medicine primary_care 16.0
Quileute Health Clinic dental 16.0
North Olympic Healthcare Network dental 16.0
CF-Clallam Bay Corrections Center primary_care 15.0
Quileute Health Clinic primary_care 14.0
Lower Elwha Klallam Medical Clinic mental_health 14.0
Sophie Trettevick Indian Health Center primary_care 13.0
Forks Family Medicine mental_health 13.0
Clallam Bay Medical Clinic mental_health 13.0
Bogachiel Clinic mental_health 13.0
Jamestown S'Klallam Family Health Center mental_health 13.0
Quileute Health Clinic mental_health 13.0
Sophie Trettevick Indian Health Center dental 13.0
CF-Clallam Bay Corrections Center mental_health 12.0
Sophie Trettevick Indian Health Center mental_health 12.0
North Olympic Healthcare Network mental_health 12.0
Jamestown S'Klallam Family Health Center primary_care 11.0
Lower Elwha Klallam Medical Clinic primary_care 11.0
Port Angeles/Townsend Service Area dental 10.0
Clallam Bay Medical Clinic primary_care 9.0
Port Angeles/Townsend Service Area primary_care 9.0
North Olympic Healthcare Network primary_care 6.0
CF-Clallam Bay Corrections Center dental 3.0

Heavy-burden reading for Clallam County

Dental care carries Clallam County's deepest shortage reading, 20.0 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 16.0 of 25; Mental health reads 18.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 56.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Clallam County above 98% of real US counties (32 active designations: 11 primary care, 10 mental health, 11 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 20.0. 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.

Clallam County falls in the upper quarter of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 39. 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.

Clallam County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Clallam County, WA · 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

Clallam County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Clallam County's 32 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 WA before you draw conclusions from a single score. WA 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 Clallam County's 20.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Muskogee County, OK and Acadia County, LA.

Muskogee County, OK

20.0 score 66,339 pop.

Acadia County, LA

20.0 score 57,576 pop.

Juana Diaz County, PR

20.0 score 46,538 pop.

Ocean County, NJ

20.0 score 637,229 pop.

Mohave County, AZ

20.0 score 213,267 pop.

Douglas County, OR

20.0 score 111,201 pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Clallam County a Medically Underserved Area?

Yes, Clallam County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is 56.7. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.

How many healthcare shortage areas does Clallam County have?

Clallam County, WA has 32 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 11 in primary care, 10 in mental health, and 11 in dental care, according to HRSA data.

What does Clallam County's HPSA score of 20.0 mean?

20.0 in dental care clears 17, HRSA's high-priority line, which is what makes providers here eligible for NHSC placement and enhanced reimbursement.

What healthcare providers are needed in Clallam County?

Based on HRSA shortage designations, Clallam County needs additional providers in primary care (family physicians, internists, pediatricians), mental health (psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers), and dental care (dentists, dental hygienists). The National Health Service Corps offers loan repayment and scholarship programs for providers who serve in designated shortage areas.

Which federal programs do Clallam County's designations unlock?

Clallam County's 32 active designations open NHSC placement, Community Health Center grants, the Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, but eligibility follows the designated area and provider type, not the county line.

How does Clallam County compare to other counties in WA?

Clallam County has 32 total HPSA designations with a peak shortage score of 20.0. You can compare shortage levels across all counties in WA on the state overview page, or view national county rankings to see where Clallam County stands relative to the rest of the country. Score-nearest counties on this release include Muskogee County, OK and Acadia County, LA.

Learn More About Healthcare Shortages

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 53009. 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.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the HRSA Data Warehouse. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Every figure on PlainHealthAccess is rendered directly from HRSA source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page counts active HPSA rows for FIPS 53009 (Clallam County, WA) from the current HRSA release and places that total among all real US counties. Designations describe federal shortage criteria, not appointment availability or care quality for any person. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, review the public data changelog, or report a data issue for this page. Data current as of 2026-08-15.