HRSA Counties Indexed
16
with HPSA / MUA coverage
State healthcare shortage profile
Maine Healthcare Shortage Areas
223 active HRSA Health Professional Shortage Area designations and 52 Medically Underserved Areas across Maine.
- Total HPSAs
- 223
- Primary care
- 80
- Mental health
- 67
- Dental
- 76
Highest-density verdict
Current HRSA Data Warehouse records put Maine in the highest-density quarter of states and territories. It carries 223 active shortage designations across 16 counties; Aroostook County has the largest county count at 44. About 74.6% of residents live in a geographic shortage county.
- 223
- Active HPSA designations
- 80
- Primary-care shortages
- 52
- Medically underserved areas
- 74.6%
- Residents in a shortage county
Corpus placement
Where Maine sits among all 56 states and territories
Maine carries 223 active HPSA designations for a population of 1,362,359, which is 16.4 per 100,000 residents, ranking it 9 of 56 and above 84% of states and territories, against a median of 7.3.
17 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 Maine changed from 195 to 223 (+28).
- IDs added
- 34
- IDs absent now
- 0
- Newly designated
- 0
- No longer designated
- 6
Among IDs present in both snapshots, scores rose for 0 and fell for 0; recorded providers needed rose for 0 and fell for 0. 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
52
Residents in Geographic Shortage Areas
1,016,035
% Residents in Geographic Shortage
74.6%
Discipline Mix
80 / 67 / 76 PC/MH/D
Primary care · Mental health · Dental
% Residents in Geographic Shortage-Designated Counties 74.6%
Maine Shortage Designations by Care Type
How Maine's 223 active HRSA designations split across the three provider categories. According to KFF's May 2026 tracker, Maine has adopted ACA Medicaid expansion. That policy context does not measure provider supply, appointment availability, or care quality.
Maine HPSA designations by type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations, by provider category.
- Primary care
Primary care
80 designations
- Dental
Dental
76 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
67 designations
Counties in Maine, by shortage volume
All 16Maine counties, ranked by active HPSA designations across primary care, mental health, and dental.
| # | County | Designations | Primary Care | Mental Health | Dental | MUA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aroostook | 44 | 16 | 13 | 15 | MUA |
| 2 | Penobscot | 39 | 14 | 11 | 14 | MUA |
| 3 | Washington | 29 | 12 | 8 | 9 | MUA |
| 4 | Oxford | 25 | 10 | 7 | 8 | MUA |
| 5 | Somerset | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | MUA |
| 6 | Waldo | 17 | 6 | 5 | 6 | MUA |
| 7 | Kennebec | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | MUA |
| 8 | Piscataquis | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | MUA |
| 9 | Franklin | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | MUA |
| 10 | Androscoggin | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | MUA |
| 11 | Lincoln | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | MUA |
| 12 | Hancock | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | MUA |
| 13 | Cumberland | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | MUA |
| 14 | Knox | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 15 | York | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | MUA |
| 16 | Sagadahoc | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | MUA |
Medically Underserved Areas in Maine
Showing 30 of 52 MUA designations (lowest MUA Index first, i.e. most underserved).
| Name | MUA Index |
|---|---|
| Low Inc - Jackman Sa | 0.0 |
| Governor Corinna Town Service Area | 0.0 |
| Lubec Town - County | 0.0 |
| N Washington Unorganized - County | 0.0 |
| East Machias Town - County | 0.0 |
| Danforth Town - County | 0.0 |
| New Portland Town - County | 0.0 |
| Aroostook Governor Service Area | 0.0 |
| Low Inc - Rangeley Pcaa | 0.0 |
| Low Inc - Bangor Pcaa | 0.0 |
| Med Ind - Pcaa #40 | 46.6 |
| Washington Town - County | 47.4 |
| Med Ind - Bar Harbor Pcaa | 48.5 |
| Med Ind - Calais Service Area | 49.2 |
| Med Ind - Pittsfield Pcaa | 49.7 |
| Drew/ Prentiss Service Area | 50.4 |
| Patten/ Stacyville Service Area | 50.6 |
| Med Ind - Norway Pcaa | 50.8 |
| Greenville Pcaa | 51.3 |
| Low Inc - Mars Hill | 52.5 |
| Bradford Town - County | 52.8 |
| Eastport | 54.0 |
| Cumberland Service Area | 54.0 |
| Lincoln Service Area | 54.2 |
| Aroostook Service Area | 54.7 |
| Aroostook Service Area | 55.2 |
| Washington Service Area | 55.5 |
| Low Inc - Fort Fairfield ( P C A A #56) | 55.7 |
| Androscoggin Service Area | 55.9 |
| Green/ Turner/ Leeds Service Area | 56.4 |
High-density reading for Maine
At 223 active designations (80 primary care / 67 mental health / 76 dental), Maine sits in the top quarter of the state and territory corpus by designations per resident. That volume is where NHSC placements, FQHC operating geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the state boundary alone.
Aroostook County leads the in-state table with 44 active records; open that county profile before treating the state total as evenly spread. About 74.6% of residents live in a geographic shortage county; facility and population-group designations cover additional residents counted separately.
Learn More About Healthcare Shortages
Explore more Maine shortage data
Dig deeper into the federal shortage designations behind Maine's numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there doctor shortages in Maine? ▼
Yes. Maine has 223 Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), including 80 in primary care, 67 in mental health, and 76 in dental care. About 74.6% of Maine 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 Maine, there are 223 designated HPSAs and 52 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs).
How many Medically Underserved Areas are in Maine? ▼
Maine has 52 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs). About 1,016,035 residents (74.6% 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.
What federal programs address healthcare shortages in Maine? ▼
HRSA shortage designations in Maine unlock eligibility for over 30 federal programs, including National Health Service Corps (NHSC) loan repayment and scholarships, Community Health Center (FQHC) funding, Medicare bonus payments (10% for physicians in HPSAs), J-1 visa waiver programs for international medical graduates, and Rural Health Clinic certification. These programs direct billions of dollars annually toward underserved communities.
How does Maine compare to other states in HRSA shortage designations? ▼
Maine has 223 total HPSA designations and 52 Medically Underserved Areas. With 74.6% of residents in counties carrying a geographic shortage designation, you can compare the recorded HRSA designations and scores with other states on our national rankings pages for primary care, mental health, and dental care.
How often is Maine HPSA data updated? ▼
HRSA publishes HPSA designation changes through the Data Warehouse on a rolling basis. This page reports the portal's stated HRSA source vintage after a verified refresh; use HRSA's official tools when a current designation status matters.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse HRSA Data Warehouse Not affiliated with HRSA
Choose the next comparison
Use Maine'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 Maine's primary-care shortage record with every other state before drawing conclusions from a raw total; population and geography affect designation counts. Compare states
- Aroostook 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.