WA · Healthcare shortage profile
Snohomish County, WA
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Snohomish County's active designations would take about 41 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 827,957.
- Active HPSAs
- 30
- Population
- 827,957
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 58.9
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Snohomish County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 30 active HPSA designations, more than 97% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 30
- Active HPSA designations
- 10
- Mental-health shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 3%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Snohomish 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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Peak HPSA score 21.0 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 Snohomish County's active designations would take about 41 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 23 primary care, 13 mental health, 5.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Snohomish County's 30 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 12 primary care, 10 mental health, 8 dental (denominator 30).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Snohomish County
Snohomish County intersects 30 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
18 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.
Snohomish County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
30 Top 3% higher than 97% of 3,289 real US counties
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. Snohomish County falls in the upper quarter of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 39. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 53061. Population: 827,957.
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 30 active (designated) HPSAs in Snohomish County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Community Health Center OF Snohomish County | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Stilaguamish Health Center | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Stilaguamish Health Center | dental | 20.0 |
| Community Health Center OF Snohomish County | dental | 19.0 |
| Community Health Center OF Snohomish County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Tulalip Health Center | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Stilaguamish Health Center | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Northwest Snohomish Service Area | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Tulalip | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Tulalip Health Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI - Marysville Service Area | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Darrrington Service Area | primary_care | 15.0 |
| LI - Lynnwood Service Area | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Tulalip Health Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Tulalip Tribe Service Area | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Stillaguamish Tribe Quelute Healing Center | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Darrington | dental | 15.0 |
| Stillaguamish Tribe Quelute Healing Center | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Darrrington | mental_health | 14.0 |
| LI - Everett Service Area | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Monroe-Sultan SA | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Tulalip Health Clinic | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Monroe/Sultan Service Area | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Tulalip Health Center | dental | 13.0 |
| Monroe Correctional Complex (mcc) | dental | 12.0 |
| Tulalip Health Clinic | dental | 11.0 |
| Monroe Correctional Complex (mcc) | primary_care | 9.0 |
| CF-Monroe Correctional Complex | mental_health | 9.0 |
| Stillaguamish Tribe Quelute Healing Center | dental | 8.0 |
| Monroe/Sultan Service Area | dental | 7.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Snohomish County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Snohomish County's active designations would take about 41 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Snohomish County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 21.0 of 25, 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; Dental care reads 20.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Snohomish County above 97% of real US counties (30 active designations: 12 primary care, 10 mental health, 8 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 21.0. 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.
Snohomish County falls in the upper quarter of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 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.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Snohomish County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 41 FTE across Snohomish County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Snohomish 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
Snohomish County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Snohomish County's 30 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 Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Snohomish County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Merced County, CA and King County, WA.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Snohomish County's 30
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 30 - the inventory behind the ~41 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Snohomish County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Snohomish County carries an MUA designation (index 58.9; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Snohomish County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~41 FTE, with primary care the largest slice (23). "COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY" is the highest-scored active row (score 21.0; mental health; 100,218 people in the service area; designated 12/03/2003). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Snohomish County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY", "Stilaguamish Health Center", "Stilaguamish Health Center" and "COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY". Discipline counts: 12 primary care, 10 mental health, 8 dental across 30 designated rows.
- Do Snohomish County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
- Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
- How does Snohomish County's FTE burden compare inside WA?
- 30 active designations and ~41 FTE published need. Snohomish County falls in the upper quarter of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 39. Score-nearest counties on this release include Merced County, CA and King County, WA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 53061. 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 53061 (Snohomish County, WA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 30; peak score 21.0; signature 41 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.