WA · Healthcare shortage profile
Pierce County, WA
Home to 921,130 residents, with 23 active HRSA shortage designations.
- Active HPSAs
- 23
- Population
- 921,130
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 61.2
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Pierce County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 23 active HPSA designations, more than 96% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 23
- Active HPSA designations
- 6
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 4%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Pierce 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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39.1% of Pierce County's 23 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 8 primary care, 9 mental health, 6 dental (denominator 23).
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Closing Pierce County's active designations would take about 102 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 72 primary care, 10 mental health, 20 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Pierce County carries 23 active designations, above 96% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Pierce County falls in the upper half of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 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: 53053. Population: 921,130.
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 23 active (designated) HPSAs in Pierce County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Community Health Care | dental | 25.0 |
| Community Health Care | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Special Committment Center | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Community Health Care | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Puyallup Tribal Integrative Medicine | dental | 20.0 |
| Puyallup Tribal Integrative Medicine | mental_health | 19.0 |
| LI-Tacoma Service Area | dental | 18.0 |
| Puyallup Tribal Integrative Medicine | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Takopid Indian Health Center | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI-Tacoma Service Area | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI-Tacoma Service Area | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Eatonville-Roy SA | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Bonney Lake-Buckley SA | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Washington Corrections Center for Women (wccw) | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Takopid Indian Health Center | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Longbranch | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Buckley/Eatonville SA | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Takopid Indian Health Center | dental | 13.0 |
| Ice - Tacoma Northwest Detention Center | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Longbranch | dental | 11.0 |
| Longbranch | mental_health | 9.0 |
| Ice - Tacoma Northwest Detention Center | dental | 6.0 |
| Ice - Tacoma Northwest Detention Center | mental_health | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Pierce County
Dental care carries Pierce 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 20.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Pierce County above 96% of real US counties (23 active designations: 8 primary care, 9 mental health, 6 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.
Pierce County falls in the upper half of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 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.
Pierce County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
9 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
8 designations
- Dental
Dental
6 designations
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Pierce 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
Pierce County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Pierce County's 23 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 mental health 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 Pierce County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Fresno County, CA and Denton County, TX.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pierce County a Medically Underserved Area?
Yes, Pierce County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is 61.2. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.
How many healthcare shortage areas does Pierce County have?
Pierce County, WA has 23 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 8 in primary care, 9 in mental health, and 6 in dental care, according to HRSA data.
What does Pierce County's HPSA score of 25.0 mean?
25.0 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 Pierce County?
Based on HRSA shortage designations, Pierce 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 Pierce County's designations unlock?
Pierce County's 23 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 Pierce County compare to other counties in WA?
Pierce County has 23 total HPSA designations with a peak shortage score of 25.0. You can compare shortage levels across all counties in WA on the state overview page, or view national county rankings to see where Pierce County stands relative to the rest of the country. Score-nearest counties on this release include Fresno County, CA and Denton County, TX.
Learn More About Healthcare Shortages
Explore more WA shortage data
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 53053. 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 53053 (Pierce 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.