WA · Healthcare shortage profile
Yakima County, WA
Home to 256,728 residents, with 57 active HRSA shortage designations.
- Active HPSAs
- 57
- Population
- 256,728
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 60.7
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Yakima County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 57 active HPSA designations, more than 99% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 57
- Active HPSA designations
- 19
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 1%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Yakima County, WA on its own pages , computed from the retained designation mirror as of 2026-08-03. Each line carries its own denominator so it can be quoted as it stands.
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33.3% of Yakima County's 57 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 19 primary care, 19 mental health, 19 dental (denominator 57).
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Closing Yakima County's active designations would take about 43 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 18 primary care, 6.4 mental health, 19 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, Yakima County carries 57 active designations, above 99% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Yakima County sits among the top three county rank positions in WA, at rank 2 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: 53077. Population: 256,728.
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
Showing the 40 most-severe of 57 active (designated) HPSAs in Yakima County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Yakima Neighborhood Health Services | dental | 25.0 |
| Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic | dental | 25.0 |
| Community Health OF Central Washington | dental | 25.0 |
| Community Health OF Central Washington | mental_health | 23.0 |
| Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic | mental_health | 22.0 |
| White Swan Tribal Health Clinic | dental | 22.0 |
| Yakima Neighborhood Health Services | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Yakama Indian Health Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| White Swan Tribal Health Clinic | mental_health | 19.0 |
| White Swan Dental Clinic | dental | 19.0 |
| White Swan Tribal Health Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Community Health OF Central Washington | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Wapato Health Station | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Astria Health Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Yakama Indian Health Clinic | mental_health | 18.0 |
| White Swan Dental Clinic | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Yakama Indian Health Clinic | primary_care | 17.0 |
| White Swan Dental Clinic | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI - Yakima County | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Vintage Valley Family Medicine | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Wapato Health Station | dental | 17.0 |
| Astria Health Center | dental | 17.0 |
| LI - Yakima County | dental | 17.0 |
| Wapato Health Station | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Yakima Neighborhood Health Services | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Prosser Memorial Health Grandview Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| John Hughes Student Health Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Astria Health Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Astria Health Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Astria Health Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Astria Health Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Swofford & Halma Clinic Inc PS | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Mid-Valley Community Clinic PLLC | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Astria Health Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Vintage Valley Family Medicine | dental | 15.0 |
| Prosser Memorial Health Grandview Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| Astria Health Center | dental | 15.0 |
| Mid-Valley Community Clinic PLLC | dental | 15.0 |
| John Hughes Student Health Center | dental | 15.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Yakima County
Dental care carries Yakima 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 18.0 of 25; Mental health reads 23.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Yakima County above 99% of real US counties (57 active designations: 19 primary care, 19 mental health, 19 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.
Yakima County sits among the top three county rank positions in WA, at rank 2 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.
Yakima County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
19 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
19 designations
- Dental
Dental
19 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 Yakima 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
Yakima County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Yakima County's 57 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 Yakima County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Miami-Dade County, FL and Tarrant County, TX.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Yakima County a Medically Underserved Area?
Yes, Yakima County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is 60.7. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.
How many healthcare shortage areas does Yakima County have?
Yakima County, WA has 57 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 19 in primary care, 19 in mental health, and 19 in dental care, according to HRSA data.
What does Yakima 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 Yakima County?
Based on HRSA shortage designations, Yakima 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 Yakima County's designations unlock?
Yakima County's 57 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 Yakima County compare to other counties in WA?
Yakima County has 57 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 Yakima County stands relative to the rest of the country. Score-nearest counties on this release include Miami-Dade County, FL and Tarrant County, TX.
Learn More About Healthcare Shortages
Explore more WA shortage data
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 53077. 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 53077 (Yakima 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 2026-08-03.