Primary Care Doctor Shortage by State

What the HRSA Primary Care Data Shows

The HRSA Data Warehouse currently lists 7,674 primary care Health Professional Shortage Area designations across the 56 states and territories ranked above. The three states with the heaviest primary care shortage load are California (559 HPSAs), Texas (394 HPSAs), and Missouri (340 HPSAs). The top five states account for roughly 25.0% of the active primary care designation records in this state aggregation.

States ranked by active primary-care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation records from HRSA. A state total is a designation count, not a measure of appointment availability or care quality. HRSA documents that HPSAs can describe geographic areas, specific population groups, or facilities. A designation count is therefore useful for comparing this source extract, but it is not a complete estimate of a state’s provider supply or every resident’s care experience. The median state in this ranking has 123 active primary care designation records.

HRSA says that more than 34 federal programs use HPSA, MUA, or MUP designations for eligibility or funding preference. That does not mean every program applies to every record, nor does it establish a person’s eligibility. The figures here are a reproducible state aggregation of the portal’s source-vintaged HRSA records. They describe a federal structural classification, not clinical quality, insurance coverage, appointment availability, or medical advice. For a current record or care decision, use HRSA’s official tools and an appropriate local source.