HRSA Counties Indexed
23
with HPSA / MUA coverage
State healthcare shortage profile
Maryland Healthcare Shortage Areas
133 active HRSA Health Professional Shortage Area designations and 54 Medically Underserved Areas across Maryland.
- Total HPSAs
- 133
- Primary care
- 56
- Mental health
- 47
- Dental
- 30
Lowest-density verdict
Relative to other states and territories, Maryland is in the lowest-density quarter for active designations per resident. Current HRSA Data Warehouse records show 133 designations across 23 counties; Baltimore City County has the largest county count at 38; about 44.5% of residents live in a geographic shortage county.
- 133
- Active HPSA designations
- 56
- Primary-care shortages
- 54
- Medically underserved areas
- 44.5%
- Residents in a shortage county
Corpus placement
Where Maryland sits among all 56 states and territories
Maryland carries 133 active HPSA designations for a population of 5,844,907, which is 2.3 per 100,000 residents, ranking it 55 of 56 and above 2% of states and territories, against a median of 7.3.
23 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
54
Residents in Geographic Shortage Areas
2,603,856
% Residents in Geographic Shortage
44.5%
Discipline Mix
56 / 47 / 30 PC/MH/D
Primary care · Mental health · Dental
% Residents in Geographic Shortage-Designated Counties 44.5%
Counties in Maryland, by shortage volume
All 23Maryland counties, ranked by active HPSA designations across primary care, mental health, and dental.
| # | County | Designations | Primary Care | Mental Health | Dental | MUA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore City | 38 | 19 | 11 | 8 | MUA |
| 2 | Montgomery | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | MUA |
| 3 | Washington | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | MUA |
| 4 | Prince George's | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | MUA |
| 5 | Allegany | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | MUA |
| 6 | Baltimore | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | MUA |
| 7 | Garrett | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 8 | Wicomico | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 9 | Caroline | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | MUA |
| 10 | Cecil | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | MUA |
| 11 | Frederick | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | MUA |
| 12 | Anne Arundel | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | MUA |
| 13 | Dorchester | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | MUA |
| 14 | Harford | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | MUA |
| 15 | Somerset | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | MUA |
| 16 | Worcester | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | MUA |
| 17 | Calvert | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | MUA |
| 18 | Carroll | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | MUA |
| 19 | Charles | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | MUA |
| 20 | Kent | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | MUA |
| 21 | Queen Anne's | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | MUA |
| 22 | St. Mary's | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | MUA |
| 23 | Talbot | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | MUA |
Lowest-density reading for Maryland
Relative to other states and territories, Maryland is in the lowest-density quarter (133 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 23 indexed counties on this page before treating today's low state rank as a settled access verdict. About 44.5% of residents live in a geographic shortage county.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there doctor shortages in Maryland? ▼
Yes. Maryland has 133 Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), including 56 in primary care, 47 in mental health, and 30 in dental care. About 44.5% of Maryland 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 Maryland, there are 133 designated HPSAs and 54 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs).
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse HRSA Data Warehouse Not affiliated with HRSA
Choose the next comparison
Use Maryland'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 Maryland's primary-care shortage record with every other state before drawing conclusions from a raw total; population and geography affect designation counts. Compare states
- Baltimore City 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 the state. 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.