WA · Healthcare shortage profile
Pierce County, WA
Peak severity leads this reading: Pierce County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 921,130.
- 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.
-
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.
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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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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).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Pierce County
Pierce County intersects 60 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
48 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, 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
Peak severity leads this reading: Pierce County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. 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
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Pierce County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Pierce County's active designations: about 102 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 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 Cook County, IL and Riverside County, CA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Pierce 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 “COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE”).
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 Pierce County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Pierce County carries an MUA designation (index 61.2; 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 Pierce County's peak score of 25.0?
- "COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 103,875 people in the service area; designated 12/02/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 23 active rows: 8 primary care, 9 mental health, 6 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Pierce County's severity reading?
- After "COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE", the next active names on this release are "COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE", "COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE", "Special Committment Center" and "COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~102 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Pierce County's high-severity geography?
- Pierce County's 23 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 "COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE".
- How does Pierce County's peak severity sit inside WA?
- Pierce County holds 23 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Pierce County falls in the upper half of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 of 39. 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: 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.
HRSA Data Warehouse HPSA + MUA/P records for FIPS 53053 (Pierce County, WA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 23; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.