National shortage rankings
Healthcare Shortage Rankings
According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Data Warehouse, 20,191 active Health Professional Shortage Area designations were in force nationwide as of July 2026. This page ranks every U.S. state and county across primary care, mental health, and dental care.
States with the most HPSA designations
Total active Health Professional Shortage Area designations, top 10 states and territories.
- California
California
1,574 designations
- Alaska
Alaska
975 designations
- Texas
Texas
912 designations
- Missouri
Missouri
883 designations
- Michigan
Michigan
777 designations
- Illinois
Illinois
687 designations
- Kentucky
Kentucky
687 designations
- Arizona 622
Arizona
622 designations
- North Carolina 613
North Carolina
613 designations
- Florida 612
Florida
612 designations
State Rankings
Most Total HPSAs
Full list →| # | State | Total HPSAs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 1,574 |
| 2 | Alaska | 975 |
| 3 | Texas | 912 |
| 4 | Missouri | 883 |
| 5 | Michigan | 777 |
| 6 | Illinois | 687 |
| 7 | Kentucky | 687 |
| 8 | Arizona | 622 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 613 |
| 10 | Florida | 612 |
Worst Primary Care
Full list →| # | State | Primary Care |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 534 |
| 2 | Texas | 356 |
| 3 | Alaska | 326 |
| 4 | Missouri | 324 |
| 5 | Illinois | 274 |
| 6 | Michigan | 272 |
| 7 | Kentucky | 243 |
| 8 | Florida | 220 |
| 9 | Arizona | 219 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 205 |
Worst Mental Health
Full list →| # | State | Mental Health |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 518 |
| 2 | Alaska | 329 |
| 3 | Texas | 328 |
| 4 | Missouri | 253 |
| 5 | Michigan | 248 |
| 6 | Kentucky | 208 |
| 7 | North Carolina | 208 |
| 8 | Arizona | 203 |
| 9 | Washington | 202 |
| 10 | Florida | 198 |
Worst Dental
Full list →| # | State | Dental |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 522 |
| 2 | Alaska | 320 |
| 3 | Missouri | 306 |
| 4 | Michigan | 257 |
| 5 | Kentucky | 236 |
| 6 | Illinois | 233 |
| 7 | Texas | 228 |
| 8 | North Carolina | 200 |
| 9 | Arizona | 200 |
| 10 | Florida | 194 |
County Rankings
Counties - Worst Primary Care
View top 100 →Counties - Worst Mental Health
View top 100 →| # | County | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Mix SD | 25.0 |
| 2 | Clermont OH | 25.0 |
| 3 | Leon FL | 25.0 |
| 4 | Milwaukee WI | 24.0 |
| 5 | Kenosha WI | 24.0 |
| 6 | McDowell WV | 24.0 |
| 7 | Not Determined MH | 24.0 |
| 8 | Millard UT | 24.0 |
| 9 | Willacy TX | 24.0 |
| 10 | Lexington SC | 24.0 |
Counties - Worst Dental
View top 100 →| # | County | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Sebastian PR | 26.0 |
| 2 | Moca PR | 26.0 |
| 3 | Utuado PR | 26.0 |
| 4 | Loiza PR | 26.0 |
| 5 | Adjuntas PR | 26.0 |
| 6 | Mayaguez PR | 26.0 |
| 7 | Jayuya PR | 26.0 |
| 8 | Guayanilla PR | 26.0 |
| 9 | Guanica PR | 26.0 |
| 10 | Lajas PR | 26.0 |
What to do with these rankings
California carries 4.4x the average state's designation count, a rank alone does not tell you why.
- Drill into California's own designations to see which shortage type (primary care, mental health, or dental) is driving its rank. California overview
- A state or county's designation COUNT reflects both severity and population size, check the per-capita shortage rate before assuming the top-ranked area has the worst individual access. How rankings are built
- See whether a specific county clears HRSA's population-to-provider threshold behind its own HPSA score. HPSA score estimator
Rankings reflect ACTIVE designations only; withdrawn or expired HPSAs are excluded. HRSA reviews designations quarterly, so relative order can shift between refreshes.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse HRSA Data Warehouse PlainHealthAccess is not affiliated with HRSA or any government agency