HRSA Counties Indexed
88
with HPSA / MUA coverage
Medically underserved areas & HPSA profile
Medically Underserved Areas in Ohio
137 Medically Underserved Areas and 495 active HRSA Health Professional Shortage Area designations across Ohio.
- MUAs
- 137
- Total HPSAs
- 495
- Primary care
- 207
- Mental health
- 132
- Dental
- 156
Lowest-density verdict
Relative to other states and territories, Ohio is in the lowest-density quarter for active designations per resident. Current HRSA Data Warehouse records show 495 designations across 88 counties; Franklin County has the largest county count at 33; about 31.4% of residents live in a geographic shortage county.
- 495
- Active HPSA designations
- 207
- Primary-care shortages
- 137
- Medically underserved areas
- 31.4%
- Residents in a shortage county
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Ohio 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.
-
Franklin County holds 6.7% of Ohio's 495 active designations (33 of 495).
87 of 88 counties in this profile carry at least one active record; the remainder are zero-active on this release.
-
41.8% of Ohio's active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from state aggregates: 207 primary care, 132 mental health, 156 dental (denominator 495).
-
Closing Ohio's active designations would take about 1024 additional clinician FTEs, led by primary care.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id across the state: 532 primary care, 217 mental health, 274 dental. Federal gap estimate, not a practising-clinician headcount.
Corpus placement
Where Ohio sits among all 56 states and territories
Ohio carries 495 active HPSA designations for a population of 11,799,448, which is 4.2 per 100,000 residents, ranking it 44 of 56 and above 21% of states and territories, against a median of 7.3.
40 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.
Medically Underserved Areas
137
Residents in Geographic Shortage Areas
3,702,797
% Residents in Geographic Shortage
31.4%
Discipline Mix
207 / 132 / 156 PC/MH/D
Primary care · Mental health · Dental
% Residents in Geographic Shortage-Designated Counties 31.4%
Ohio 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 Ohio
67 counties with at least one active dental designation ; led by Cuyahoga (14). Full list (designation count in parentheses): Cuyahoga (14) , Franklin (10) , Hamilton (8) , Lucas (5) , Tuscarawas (5) , Lorain (4) , Mahoning (4) , Montgomery (4) , Richland (4) , Ross (4) , Scioto (4) , Stark (4) , Allen (3) , Belmont (3) , Brown (3) , Butler (3) , Columbiana (3) , Erie (3) , Lawrence (3) , Marion (3) ; plus 47 more in the table below.
Primary-care HPSA counties in Ohio
80 counties with at least one active primary-care designation ; led by Franklin (14). Full list: Franklin (14) , Cuyahoga (12) , Hamilton (11) , Lucas (9) , Summit (9) , Lake (5) , Lorain (5) , Tuscarawas (5) , Warren (5) , Erie (4) , Fairfield (4) , Mahoning (4) , Montgomery (4) , Portage (4) , Richland (4) , Ross (4) , Scioto (4) , Stark (4) , Allen (3) , Belmont (3) ; plus 60 more in the table below.
Mental-health HPSA counties in Ohio
85 counties with at least one active mental-health designation ; led by Franklin (9). Full list: Franklin (9) , Cuyahoga (6) , Hamilton (6) , Lucas (5) , Stark (5) , Tuscarawas (5) , Allen (4) , Richland (4) , Ross (4) , Scioto (4) , Summit (4) , Warren (4) , Belmont (3) , Brown (3) , Columbiana (3) , Fairfield (3) , Lawrence (3) , Madison (3) , Mahoning (3) , Marion (3) ; plus 65 more in the table below.
All counties in Ohio, by total shortage volume
The 40 counties with the most active HPSA designations, of 88 in Ohio. Columns split primary care, mental health, and dental.
| # | County | Designations | Primary Care | Mental Health | Dental | MUA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Franklin | 33 | 14 | 9 | 10 | MUA |
| 2 | Cuyahoga | 32 | 12 | 6 | 14 | MUA |
| 3 | Hamilton | 25 | 11 | 6 | 8 | MUA |
| 4 | Lucas | 19 | 9 | 5 | 5 | MUA |
| 5 | Summit | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | MUA |
| 6 | Tuscarawas | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | MUA |
| 7 | Stark | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | MUA |
| 8 | Richland | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | MUA |
| 9 | Ross | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | MUA |
| 10 | Scioto | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | MUA |
| 11 | Warren | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | MUA |
| 12 | Lorain | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | MUA |
| 13 | Mahoning | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | MUA |
| 14 | Montgomery | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | MUA |
| 15 | Allen | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | MUA |
| 16 | Belmont | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | MUA |
| 17 | Brown | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | MUA |
| 18 | Columbiana | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | MUA |
| 19 | Erie | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | MUA |
| 20 | Fairfield | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | MUA |
| 21 | Lake | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 22 | Lawrence | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | MUA |
| 23 | Marion | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | MUA |
| 24 | Madison | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | MUA |
| 25 | Pickaway | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | MUA |
| 26 | Butler | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | MUA |
| 27 | Adams | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 28 | Clark | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 29 | Darke | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 30 | Highland | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 31 | Morgan | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 32 | Noble | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 33 | Pike | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 34 | Portage | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | MUA |
| 35 | Wood | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | MUA |
| 36 | Knox | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | MUA |
| 37 | Logan | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | MUA |
| 38 | Sandusky | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | MUA |
| 39 | Trumbull | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | MUA |
| 40 | Van Wert | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | MUA |
Medically Underserved Areas in Ohio
Ohio carries 137 medically underserved designations covering 70 of the 88 Ohio counties on record here: 119 designated as an underserved area and 18 as an underserved population within an otherwise adequately served area. A lower Index of Medical Underservice (IMU) means greater measured need.
- 1 Medicaid Eligible Population 0.0
- 2 Low Inc - Lancaster/Baltimore Service Area 0.0
- 3 Cuyahoga Service Area 28.5
- 4 Cuyahoga Service Area 33.1
- 5 Cuyahoga Service Area 37.4
- 6 Youngstown Service Area 41.5
- 7 Summit Service Area 42.3
- 8 Cuyahoga Service Area 42.4
- 9 Cuyahoga Service Area 42.4
- 10 Jefferson Service Area 43.7
The 10 lowest-IMU designations on record for Ohio, from the HRSA shortage-designation file. IMU scores the service area, not any individual practice or hospital.
Lowest-density reading for Ohio
Relative to other states and territories, Ohio is in the lowest-density quarter (495 active designations). A low state total is not evidence that local access is adequate everywhere: facility and population-group designations can still open NHSC or FQHC geography inside individual counties.
Inspect the 88 indexed counties on this page before treating today's low state rank as a settled access verdict. About 31.4% of residents live in a geographic shortage county.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Medically Underserved Areas are in Ohio? ▼
Ohio has 137 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs). About 3,702,797 residents (31.4% 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 Ohio have dental HPSA designations? ▼
67 Ohio counties carry at least one active dental Health Professional Shortage Area in the current HRSA release: Cuyahoga (14), Franklin (10), Hamilton (8), Lucas (5), Tuscarawas (5), Lorain (4), Mahoning (4), Montgomery (4), Richland (4), Ross (4), Scioto (4), Stark (4), Allen (3), Belmont (3), Brown (3), Butler (3), Columbiana (3), Erie (3), Lawrence (3), Marion (3); plus 47 more on the table below. Counts are designated dental HPSA records per county, not a dentist headcount.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse Not affiliated with HRSA
Choose the next comparison
Use Ohio'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 Ohio's primary-care shortage record with every other state before drawing conclusions from a raw total; population and geography affect designation counts. Compare states
- Franklin 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 Ohio (OH) 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.