Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

WA · Healthcare shortage profile

Grays Harbor County, WA

Designation volume is the standout signal for Grays Harbor County: 36 active HPSA records, above 98% of real US counties. Population 75,636.

Active HPSAs
36
Population
75,636
Peak shortage score
20.0
MUA Index
50.1

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Grays Harbor County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 36 active HPSA designations, more than 98% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

36
Active HPSA designations
12
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 Grays Harbor 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. 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.

  2. Closing Grays Harbor County's active designations would take about 12 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 4.5 primary care, 3.9 mental health, 3.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Grays Harbor County's 36 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 12 primary care, 12 mental health, 12 dental (denominator 36).

Dense ZCTA lattice over Grays Harbor County

Grays Harbor County intersects 22 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

10 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, Grays Harbor County carries 36 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. Grays Harbor County sits among the top three county rank positions in WA, at rank 3 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: 53027. Population: 75,636.

12
Dental HPSAs
12
Primary Care HPSAs
12
Mental Health HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 50.1

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 17.0
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 36 active (designated) HPSAs in Grays Harbor County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Roger Saux Health Center dental 20.0
Squaxin Island Treatment Ctr mental_health 18.0
Chehalis Family Services mental_health 18.0
Chehalis Community Clinic mental_health 18.0
Chehalis Family Services primary_care 17.0
Chehalis Community Clinic primary_care 17.0
Squaxin Island Treatment Ctr primary_care 17.0
Ghch Hoquiam Clinic primary_care 16.0
Grays Harbor County mental_health 16.0
Summit Pacific Healthcare Clinic mental_health 16.0
Mccleary Healthcare Clinic mental_health 16.0
Elma Family Medicine mental_health 16.0
Ghch Montesano Clinic mental_health 16.0
Ghch Aberdeen East Clinic mental_health 16.0
Ghch Hoquiam Clinic mental_health 16.0
CF-Stafford Creek Correctional Center dental 15.0
Ghch Aberdeen East Clinic primary_care 14.0
LI-Grays Harbor County primary_care 14.0
Ghch Montesano Clinic primary_care 14.0
Squaxin Island Treatment Ctr dental 14.0
Mccleary Healthcare Clinic primary_care 13.0
Elma Family Medicine primary_care 13.0
Roger Saux Health Center mental_health 13.0
Chehalis Family Services dental 13.0
Ghch Aberdeen East Clinic dental 13.0
Chehalis Community Clinic dental 13.0
Roger Saux Health Center primary_care 12.0
Stafford Creek Correctional Center mental_health 12.0
Summit Pacific Healthcare Clinic primary_care 11.0
Ghch Hoquiam Clinic dental 11.0
Summit Pacific Healthcare Clinic dental 11.0
Mccleary Healthcare Clinic dental 11.0
Elma Family Medicine dental 11.0
Ghch Montesano Clinic dental 11.0
Grays Harbor County dental 10.0
CF-Stafford Creek Correctional Center primary_care 3.0

Heavy-burden reading for Grays Harbor County

Designation volume is the standout signal for Grays Harbor County: 36 active HPSA records, above 98% of real US counties. Dental care carries Grays Harbor 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 17.0 of 25; Mental health reads 18.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 50.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Grays Harbor County above 98% of real US counties (36 active designations: 12 primary care, 12 mental health, 12 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.

Grays Harbor County sits among the top three county rank positions in WA, at rank 3 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.

Grays Harbor 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

Heavy-volume FTE gap in Grays Harbor County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Grays Harbor County's active designations: about 12 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 Grays Harbor 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

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

  • Grays Harbor County's 36 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 Grays Harbor County's 20.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Isabella County, MI and Carroll County, NH.

Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

High-volume peers of Grays Harbor County (36 active)

One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 36 across the national corpus.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Grays Harbor County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Grays Harbor County carries an MUA designation (index 50.1; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
What makes up Grays Harbor County's 36 active HPSA designations?
36 Designated rows (12 primary care, 12 mental health, 12 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "Roger Saux Health Center" (score 20.0; dental; 1,924 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). Also active: "Squaxin Island Treatment Ctr", "Chehalis Family Services", "Chehalis Community Clinic". Above 98% of real US counties by volume.
What does volume-plus-score look like for Grays Harbor County?
Peak active score 20.0 in dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 36 rows.
What clinician need sits behind Grays Harbor County's designation volume?
Closing published gaps would take about 12 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "Roger Saux Health Center" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
Which federal programs follow Grays Harbor County's designation volume?
36 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
How does Grays Harbor County's volume compare inside WA?
36 active HPSA rows · peak 20.0. Grays Harbor County sits among the top three county rank positions in WA, at rank 3 of 39. Score-nearest counties on this release include Isabella County, MI and Carroll County, NH.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 53027. 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 53027 (Grays Harbor County, WA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 36; peak score 20.0; signature 36 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.