WA · Healthcare shortage profile
Columbia County, WA
Peak severity leads this reading: Columbia County's highest active HPSA score is 14.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 3,952.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 3,952
- Peak shortage score
- 14.0
- MUA Index
- 57.9
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Columbia County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 3
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Primary-care shortages
- 14
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Columbia County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Columbia County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Columbia 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.
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Closing Columbia County's active designations would take about 8.9 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 8.5 primary care, 0.2 mental health, 0.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Columbia County's 3 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 3).
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Peak HPSA score 14.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Columbia County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.
State peer position. Columbia County falls in the lower half of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 32 of 39. 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: 53013. Population: 3,952.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA 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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Columbia County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia-Walla Walla Counties | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Columbia County | dental | 12.0 |
| Columbia County | mental_health | 10.0 |
Light-burden reading for Columbia County
Peak severity leads this reading: Columbia County's highest active HPSA score is 14.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Columbia County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 14.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Mental health reads 10.0 of 25; Dental care reads 12.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Columbia County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.
Columbia County falls in the lower half of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 32 of 39. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Light-volume FTE gap for Columbia County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Columbia County's active designations: about 8.9 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Columbia County's primary score of 14.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 14.0 (severity lead on this page is “Columbia-Walla Walla Counties”).
Parker County, TX
14.0 primary score · 148,222 pop.
Bay County, MI
14.0 primary score · 103,856 pop.
Indiana County, PA
14.0 primary score · 83,246 pop.
Hamblen County, TN
14.0 primary score · 64,499 pop.
Campbell County, VA
14.0 primary score · 55,696 pop.
Loudoun County, VA
14.0 primary score · 420,959 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Columbia County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Columbia County carries an MUA designation (index 57.9; 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 Columbia County's peak score of 14.0?
- "Columbia-Walla Walla Counties" leads the active set (score 14.0; primary care; 31,675 people in the service area; ~8.5 FTE still needed on the record; designated 10/28/2025). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Columbia County's severity reading?
- After "Columbia-Walla Walla Counties", the next active names on this release are "Columbia-Walla Walla Counties", "Columbia County" and "Columbia County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~8.9 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 53013. 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 53013 (Columbia County, WA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 14.0; signature peak score 14.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.