HRSA Counties Indexed
67
with HPSA / MUA coverage
Medically underserved areas & HPSA profile
Medically Underserved Areas in Pennsylvania
156 Medically Underserved Areas and 402 active HRSA Health Professional Shortage Area designations across Pennsylvania.
- MUAs
- 156
- Total HPSAs
- 402
- Primary care
- 130
- Mental health
- 123
- Dental
- 149
Lowest-density verdict
Relative to other states and territories, Pennsylvania is in the lowest-density quarter for active designations per resident. Current HRSA Data Warehouse records show 402 designations across 67 counties; Philadelphia County has the largest county count at 46; about 9.7% of residents live in a geographic shortage county.
- 402
- Active HPSA designations
- 130
- Primary-care shortages
- 156
- Medically underserved areas
- 9.7%
- Residents in a shortage county
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Pennsylvania 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.
-
Philadelphia County holds 11.4% of Pennsylvania's 402 active designations (46 of 402).
59 of 67 counties in this profile carry at least one active record; the remainder are zero-active on this release.
-
37.1% of Pennsylvania's active designations are dental.
Discipline mix from state aggregates: 130 primary care, 123 mental health, 149 dental (denominator 402).
-
Closing Pennsylvania's active designations would take about 397 additional clinician FTEs, led by dental.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id across the state: 92 primary care, 58 mental health, 247 dental. Federal gap estimate, not a practising-clinician headcount.
Corpus placement
Where Pennsylvania sits among all 56 states and territories
Pennsylvania carries 402 active HPSA designations for a population of 13,002,700, which is 3.1 per 100,000 residents, ranking it 51 of 56 and above 9% of states and territories, against a median of 7.3.
16 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
156
Residents in Geographic Shortage Areas
1,264,700
% Residents in Geographic Shortage
9.7%
Discipline Mix
130 / 123 / 149 PC/MH/D
Primary care · Mental health · Dental
% Residents in Geographic Shortage-Designated Counties 9.7%
Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania
55 counties with at least one active dental designation ; led by Philadelphia (18). Full list (designation count in parentheses): Philadelphia (18) , Allegheny (8) , Crawford (7) , Erie (6) , Susquehanna (6) , McKean (5) , Potter (5) , Cambria (4) , Forest (4) , Huntingdon (4) , Luzerne (4) , Schuylkill (4) , Bedford (3) , Centre (3) , Clearfield (3) , Lackawanna (3) , Lehigh (3) , Lycoming (3) , Northumberland (3) , Somerset (3) ; plus 35 more in the table below.
Primary-care HPSA counties in Pennsylvania
51 counties with at least one active primary-care designation ; led by Philadelphia (14). Full list: Philadelphia (14) , Allegheny (7) , Crawford (7) , Erie (6) , McKean (6) , Potter (6) , Susquehanna (6) , Tioga (5) , Bedford (4) , Cambria (4) , Centre (4) , Clearfield (4) , Forest (4) , Huntingdon (4) , Luzerne (4) , Delaware (3) , Schuylkill (3) , Somerset (3) , Venango (3) , Berks (2) ; plus 31 more in the table below.
Mental-health HPSA counties in Pennsylvania
49 counties with at least one active mental-health designation ; led by Philadelphia (14). Full list: Philadelphia (14) , Crawford (6) , Allegheny (5) , McKean (5) , Potter (5) , Susquehanna (5) , Cambria (4) , Erie (4) , Forest (4) , Huntingdon (4) , Luzerne (4) , Bedford (3) , Cameron (3) , Lycoming (3) , Schuylkill (3) , Somerset (3) , Centre (2) , Chester (2) , Clearfield (2) , Cumberland (2) ; plus 29 more in the table below.
All counties in Pennsylvania, by total shortage volume
The 40 counties with the most active HPSA designations, of 67 in Pennsylvania. Columns split primary care, mental health, and dental.
| # | County | Designations | Primary Care | Mental Health | Dental | MUA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | MUA |
| 2 | Allegheny | 20 | 7 | 5 | 8 | MUA |
| 3 | Crawford | 20 | 7 | 6 | 7 | MUA |
| 4 | Susquehanna | 17 | 6 | 5 | 6 | MUA |
| 5 | Erie | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | MUA |
| 6 | McKean | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | MUA |
| 7 | Potter | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | MUA |
| 8 | Cambria | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | MUA |
| 9 | Forest | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | MUA |
| 10 | Huntingdon | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | MUA |
| 11 | Luzerne | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | MUA |
| 12 | Bedford | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | MUA |
| 13 | Schuylkill | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | MUA |
| 14 | Tioga | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | MUA |
| 15 | Centre | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | MUA |
| 16 | Clearfield | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | MUA |
| 17 | Somerset | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | MUA |
| 18 | Lycoming | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | MUA |
| 19 | Cameron | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | MUA |
| 20 | Delaware | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 21 | Lackawanna | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | MUA |
| 22 | Lehigh | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | MUA |
| 23 | Northumberland | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | MUA |
| 24 | Union | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - |
| 25 | Chester | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 26 | Cumberland | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 27 | Greene | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 28 | Indiana | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 29 | Mercer | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 30 | Venango | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | MUA |
| 31 | Wayne | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 32 | Franklin | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | MUA |
| 33 | Jefferson | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | MUA |
| 34 | Berks | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | MUA |
| 35 | Lancaster | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | MUA |
| 36 | York | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | MUA |
| 37 | Blair | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | MUA |
| 38 | Bradford | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | MUA |
| 39 | Clarion | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
| 40 | Clinton | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | MUA |
Medically Underserved Areas in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania carries 156 medically underserved designations covering 61 of the 67 Pennsylvania counties on record here: 143 designated as an underserved area and 13 as an underserved population within an otherwise adequately served area. A lower Index of Medical Underservice (IMU) means greater measured need.
- 1 Med Ind - Warminster 0.0
- 2 Houtzdale Service Area 0.0
- 3 Burnside Service Area 0.0
- 4 Aleppo Service Area 0.0
- 5 Central Altoona Service Area 0.0
- 6 Clearfield Service Area 38.8
- 7 Morris Service Area 42.6
- 8 West Park/Market Service Area 43.3
- 9 Mantua/University City Service Area 43.3
- 10 Luzerne Service Area 44.0
The 10 lowest-IMU designations on record for Pennsylvania, from the HRSA shortage-designation file. IMU scores the service area, not any individual practice or hospital.
Lowest-density reading for Pennsylvania
Relative to other states and territories, Pennsylvania is in the lowest-density quarter (402 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 67 indexed counties on this page before treating today's low state rank as a settled access verdict. About 9.7% of residents live in a geographic shortage county.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Medically Underserved Areas are in Pennsylvania? ▼
Pennsylvania has 156 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs). About 1,264,700 residents (9.7% 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 Pennsylvania have dental HPSA designations? ▼
55 Pennsylvania counties carry at least one active dental Health Professional Shortage Area in the current HRSA release: Philadelphia (18), Allegheny (8), Crawford (7), Erie (6), Susquehanna (6), McKean (5), Potter (5), Cambria (4), Forest (4), Huntingdon (4), Luzerne (4), Schuylkill (4), Bedford (3), Centre (3), Clearfield (3), Lackawanna (3), Lehigh (3), Lycoming (3), Northumberland (3), Somerset (3); plus 35 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 Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania's primary-care shortage record with every other state before drawing conclusions from a raw total; population and geography affect designation counts. Compare states
- Philadelphia 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 Pennsylvania (PA) 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.