HRSA Counties Indexed
4
with HPSA / MUA coverage
State healthcare shortage profile
Northern Mariana Islands Healthcare Shortage Areas
6 active HRSA Health Professional Shortage Area designations and 1 Medically Underserved Areas across Northern Mariana Islands.
- Total HPSAs
- 6
- Primary care
- 2
- Mental health
- 2
- Dental
- 2
Upper-middle density verdict
Within HRSA's current state and territory corpus, Northern Mariana Islands occupies the upper-middle density quarter. The Data Warehouse counts 6 active shortage designations across 4 counties; Saipan County has the largest county count at 6; about 100.0% of residents live in a geographic shortage county.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Primary-care shortages
- 1
- Medically underserved areas
- 100.0%
- Residents in a shortage county
Corpus placement
Where Northern Mariana Islands sits among all 56 states and territories
Northern Mariana Islands carries 6 active HPSA designations for a population of 47,329, which is 12.7 per 100,000 residents, ranking it 18 of 56 and above 68% of states and territories, against a median of 7.3.
3 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 Northern Mariana Islands changed from 6 to 6 (0).
- IDs added
- 0
- IDs absent now
- 0
- Newly designated
- 0
- No longer designated
- 0
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
1
Residents in Geographic Shortage Areas
47,329
% Residents in Geographic Shortage
100.0%
Discipline Mix
2 / 2 / 2 PC/MH/D
Primary care · Mental health · Dental
% Residents in Geographic Shortage-Designated Counties 100.0%
Northern Mariana Islands Shortage Designations by Care Type
How Northern Mariana Islands's 6 active HRSA designations split across the three provider categories. According to KFF's May 2026 tracker, Northern Mariana Islands has not adopted ACA Medicaid expansion. That policy context does not measure provider supply, appointment availability, or care quality.
Northern Mariana Islands HPSA designations by type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations, by provider category.
- Primary care
Primary care
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Counties in Northern Mariana Islands, by shortage volume
All 4Northern Mariana Islands counties, ranked by active HPSA designations across primary care, mental health, and dental.
| # | County | Designations | Primary Care | Mental Health | Dental | MUA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saipan | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 2 | Northern Islands | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
| 3 | Rota | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
| 4 | Tinian | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
Medically Underserved Areas in Northern Mariana Islands
All 1 MUA designations in Northern Mariana Islands, lowest MUA Index first.
| Name | MUA Index |
|---|---|
| Cnmi | 46.7 |
Upper-middle density reading for Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands carries 6 active HPSA designations with 1 Medically Underserved Area, enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the densest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) 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 Northern Mariana Islands shortage data
Dig deeper into the federal shortage designations behind Northern Mariana Islands's numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there doctor shortages in Northern Mariana Islands? ▼
Yes. Northern Mariana Islands has 6 Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), including 2 in primary care, 2 in mental health, and 2 in dental care. About 100.0% of Northern Mariana Islands 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 Northern Mariana Islands, there are 6 designated HPSAs and 1 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs).
How many Medically Underserved Areas are in Northern Mariana Islands? ▼
Northern Mariana Islands has 1 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs). About 47,329 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.
What federal programs address healthcare shortages in Northern Mariana Islands? ▼
HRSA shortage designations in Northern Mariana Islands 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.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse HRSA Data Warehouse Not affiliated with HRSA
Choose the next comparison
Use Northern Mariana Islands'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 Northern Mariana Islands's primary-care shortage record with every other state before drawing conclusions from a raw total; population and geography affect designation counts. Compare states
- Saipan 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.