HRSA Counties Indexed
15
with HPSA / MUA coverage
Medically underserved areas & HPSA profile
Medically Underserved Areas in Arizona
49 Medically Underserved Areas and 649 active HRSA Health Professional Shortage Area designations across Arizona.
- MUAs
- 49
- Total HPSAs
- 649
- Primary care
- 227
- Mental health
- 212
- Dental
- 210
Upper-middle density verdict
Within HRSA's current state and territory corpus, Arizona occupies the upper-middle density quarter. The Data Warehouse counts 649 active shortage designations across 15 counties; Maricopa County has the largest county count at 130; about 100.0% of residents live in a geographic shortage county.
- 649
- Active HPSA designations
- 227
- Primary-care shortages
- 49
- Medically underserved areas
- 100.0%
- Residents in a shortage county
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Arizona 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.
-
Maricopa County holds 20% of Arizona's 649 active designations (130 of 649).
15 of 15 counties in this profile carry at least one active record; the remainder are zero-active on this release.
-
35% of Arizona's active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from state aggregates: 227 primary care, 212 mental health, 210 dental (denominator 649).
-
Closing Arizona's active designations would take about 820 additional clinician FTEs, led by primary care.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id across the state: 468 primary care, 111 mental health, 242 dental. Federal gap estimate, not a practising-clinician headcount.
Corpus placement
Where Arizona sits among all 56 states and territories
Arizona carries 649 active HPSA designations for a population of 7,151,502, which is 9.1 per 100,000 residents, ranking it 24 of 56 and above 57% of states and territories, against a median of 7.3.
127 of those are county-wide geographic designations; the remainder are facility-, population- or clinic-based, which is why the county map and the designation count answer different questions.
Designation density tracks rural geography as much as unmet need: AK records 134.7 designations per 100,000 residents and NJ 1.5, because a sparsely-settled state accumulates more separate designations to cover the same population. Designations also overlap, so this counts designations, not people. Counted as distinct HRSA designation IDs, the same unit as the totals above. Computed from the designation records and county populations behind this page; states without county population data are given no placement rather than an estimated one.
Snapshot comparison
Change since the previous HRSA snapshot
Between Jun 2, 2026 and Jul 25, 2026, the number of active stable HPSA IDs recorded for Arizona changed from 622 to 649 (+27).
- IDs added
- 27
- IDs absent now
- 1
- Newly designated
- 0
- No longer designated
- 0
Among IDs present in both snapshots, scores rose for 1 and fell for 1; recorded providers needed rose for 1 and fell for 1. These are changes in published designation records, not evidence of cause, care quality, or patient outcomes. See the national comparison and limitations.
Medically Underserved Areas
49
Residents in Geographic Shortage Areas
7,151,502
% Residents in Geographic Shortage
100.0%
Discipline Mix
227 / 212 / 210 PC/MH/D
Primary care · Mental health · Dental
% Residents in Geographic Shortage-Designated Counties 100.0%
Arizona Shortage Designations by Care Type
How Arizona's 649 active HRSA designations split across the three provider categories. According to KFF's May 2026 tracker, Arizona has adopted ACA Medicaid expansion. That policy context does not measure provider supply, appointment availability, or care quality.
Arizona HPSA designations by type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations, by provider category.
- Primary care
Primary care
227 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
212 designations
- Dental
Dental
210 designations
Arizona HPSA Counties by Care Type
County lists for the three HRSA shortage disciplines searchers ask for by name (dental, primary care, mental health). Counts are live designated-HPSA records in this release, not provider headcounts.
Dental HPSA counties in Arizona
15 counties with at least one active dental designation ; led by Maricopa (43). Full list (designation count in parentheses): Maricopa (43) , Pima (26) , Navajo (20) , Pinal (20) , Coconino (17) , Cochise (15) , Apache (14) , Gila (12) , Mohave (11) , La Paz (10) , Graham (9) , Yavapai (8) , Yuma (7) , Santa Cruz (3) , Greenlee (1) .
Primary-care HPSA counties in Arizona
15 counties with at least one active primary-care designation ; led by Maricopa (50). Full list: Maricopa (50) , Pima (27) , Pinal (26) , Navajo (20) , Coconino (19) , Cochise (15) , Apache (14) , Gila (12) , Mohave (12) , La Paz (10) , Yavapai (10) , Graham (9) , Yuma (7) , Santa Cruz (3) , Greenlee (1) .
Mental-health HPSA counties in Arizona
15 counties with at least one active mental-health designation ; led by Maricopa (37). Full list: Maricopa (37) , Pima (28) , Pinal (24) , Navajo (21) , Coconino (17) , Cochise (15) , Apache (14) , Gila (12) , Mohave (11) , La Paz (10) , Graham (9) , Yavapai (9) , Yuma (7) , Santa Cruz (3) , Greenlee (1) .
All counties in Arizona, by total shortage volume
All 15Arizona counties, ranked by active HPSA designations across primary care, mental health, and dental.
| # | County | Designations | Primary Care | Mental Health | Dental | MUA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maricopa | 130 | 50 | 37 | 43 | MUA |
| 2 | Pima | 81 | 27 | 28 | 26 | MUA |
| 3 | Pinal | 70 | 26 | 24 | 20 | MUA |
| 4 | Navajo | 61 | 20 | 21 | 20 | MUA |
| 5 | Coconino | 53 | 19 | 17 | 17 | MUA |
| 6 | Cochise | 45 | 15 | 15 | 15 | MUA |
| 7 | Apache | 42 | 14 | 14 | 14 | MUA |
| 8 | Gila | 36 | 12 | 12 | 12 | MUA |
| 9 | Mohave | 34 | 12 | 11 | 11 | MUA |
| 10 | La Paz | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | MUA |
| 11 | Graham | 27 | 9 | 9 | 9 | MUA |
| 12 | Yavapai | 27 | 10 | 9 | 8 | MUA |
| 13 | Yuma | 21 | 7 | 7 | 7 | MUA |
| 14 | Santa Cruz | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | MUA |
| 15 | Greenlee | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
Medically Underserved Areas in Arizona
Showing 30 of 49 MUA designations (lowest MUA Index first, i.e. most underserved).
| Name | MUA Index |
|---|---|
| Med Ind - Flagstaff Service Area | 0.0 |
| Salome | 31.1 |
| Apache County | 35.9 |
| Mohave Service Area | 36.8 |
| Navajo County | 38.1 |
| Peach Spring Service Area | 45.1 |
| Rio Salado Service Area | 47.3 |
| Yuma West Primary Care Area | 47.6 |
| LI-Lake Havasu City | 48.1 |
| Guadalupe Service Area | 49.0 |
| Low Inc - Central-West Pinal Service | 50.5 |
| Gila County | 50.9 |
| Pima Service Area | 52.3 |
| North Tempe Service Area | 52.4 |
| Apache Junction Service Area | 52.6 |
| Paradise Valley | 52.8 |
| Sun City | 53.0 |
| Yuma North Primary Care Area | 53.2 |
| Maricopa Service Area | 53.7 |
| Gila River Service Area | 53.9 |
| Douglas Service Area | 53.9 |
| Tuba City Service Area | 54.1 |
| Ajo | 54.4 |
| Glendale Service Area | 54.9 |
| LI-South Central Phoenix | 56.6 |
| Low Income Population of Yavapai | 56.8 |
| Gila Bend Service Area | 57.1 |
| Low Income - Ft. Mohave | 58.2 |
| Movahve North Service Area | 58.6 |
| Pima Service Area | 58.7 |
Upper-middle density reading for Arizona
Arizona carries 649 active HPSA designations with 49 Medically Underserved Areas, enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the densest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (227/212/210) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Geographic shortage counties cover about 100.0% of residents. That coverage signal routes federal recruitment dollars; it is not a service-denial verdict for any one household.
Learn More About Healthcare Shortages
Explore more Arizona shortage data
Dig deeper into the federal shortage designations behind Arizona's numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Medically Underserved Areas are in Arizona? ▼
Arizona has 49 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs). About 7,151,502 residents (100.0% of the state) live in a county with a geographic HRSA shortage designation. MUA-designated areas qualify for enhanced federal funding and Community Health Center grants.
Which counties in Arizona have dental HPSA designations? ▼
15 Arizona counties carry at least one active dental Health Professional Shortage Area in the current HRSA release: Maricopa (43), Pima (26), Navajo (20), Pinal (20), Coconino (17), Cochise (15), Apache (14), Gila (12), Mohave (11), La Paz (10), Graham (9), Yavapai (8), Yuma (7), Santa Cruz (3), Greenlee (1). Counts are designated dental HPSA records per county, not a dentist headcount.
Are there doctor shortages in Arizona? ▼
Yes. Arizona has 649 Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), including 227 in primary care, 212 in mental health, and 210 in dental care. About 100.0% of Arizona residents live in a county that HRSA has designated as a geographic (whole-community) shortage area; additional residents are covered by population-group and facility designations counted separately.
What are HPSAs? ▼
Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) are federal designations by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) identifying communities with insufficient healthcare providers. HPSAs are categorized into three types: primary care, mental health, and dental. In Arizona, there are 649 designated HPSAs and 49 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs).
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse Not affiliated with HRSA
Choose the next comparison
Use Arizona's designation totals as a starting point, then move to the comparison that answers the next decision without treating a shortage designation as a personal care outcome.
- Compare Arizona's primary-care shortage record with every other state before drawing conclusions from a raw total; population and geography affect designation counts. Compare states
- Maricopa County has the most active HPSA designations in this state profile. Open its county record to inspect the local primary-care, mental-health, and dental breakdown. Open county profile
- Use the national statistics reference for the source vintage, aggregate context, and methodology behind these state-level figures. Read national context
HRSA designations describe structural provider-shortage criteria and federal-program eligibility. They do not measure appointment availability, insurance coverage, care quality, or an individual patient’s access to care.
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 aggregates every county-level HPSA and MUA designation on record for Arizona (AZ) and ranks the state's per-capita designation density among all states and territories. 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.