HRSA Counties Indexed
95
with HPSA / MUA coverage
Medically underserved areas & HPSA profile
Medically Underserved Areas in Tennessee
99 Medically Underserved Areas and 385 active HRSA Health Professional Shortage Area designations across Tennessee.
- MUAs
- 99
- Total HPSAs
- 385
- Primary care
- 151
- Mental health
- 84
- Dental
- 150
Lower-middle density verdict
Tennessee sits in the lower-middle quarter by active designations per resident. According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, its 95 counties carry 385 active shortage designations; Davidson County has the largest county count at 24, while about 13.5% of residents live in a geographic shortage county.
- 385
- Active HPSA designations
- 151
- Primary-care shortages
- 99
- Medically underserved areas
- 13.5%
- Residents in a shortage county
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Tennessee on its own pages , computed from the retained designation mirror as of 2026-08-15. Each line carries its own denominator so it can be quoted as it stands.
-
Davidson County holds 6.2% of Tennessee's 385 active designations (24 of 385).
93 of 95 counties in this profile carry at least one active record; the remainder are zero-active on this release.
-
39.2% of Tennessee's active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from state aggregates: 151 primary care, 84 mental health, 150 dental (denominator 385).
-
Closing Tennessee's active designations would take about 727 additional clinician FTEs, led by primary care.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id across the state: 306 primary care, 148 mental health, 273 dental. Federal gap estimate, not a practising-clinician headcount.
Corpus placement
Where Tennessee sits among all 56 states and territories
Tennessee carries 385 active HPSA designations for a population of 6,910,840, which is 5.6 per 100,000 residents, ranking it 35 of 56 and above 38% of states and territories, against a median of 7.3.
19 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
99
Residents in Geographic Shortage Areas
935,795
% Residents in Geographic Shortage
13.5%
Discipline Mix
151 / 84 / 150 PC/MH/D
Primary care · Mental health · Dental
% Residents in Geographic Shortage-Designated Counties 13.5%
Tennessee Shortage Designations by Care Type
How Tennessee's 385 active HRSA designations split across the three provider categories. According to KFF's May 2026 tracker, Tennessee has not adopted ACA Medicaid expansion. That policy context does not measure provider supply, appointment availability, or care quality.
Tennessee HPSA designations by type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations, by provider category.
- Primary care
Primary care
151 designations
- Dental
Dental
150 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
84 designations
Tennessee 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 Tennessee
84 counties with at least one active dental designation ; led by Shelby (8). Full list (designation count in parentheses): Shelby (8) , Davidson (7) , Hardeman (5) , Campbell (4) , Hamilton (4) , Monroe (4) , Warren (4) , Bedford (3) , Chester (3) , Coffee (3) , Cumberland (3) , Humphreys (3) , McMinn (3) , Polk (3) , Bledsoe (2) , Carroll (2) , Claiborne (2) , Cocke (2) , Dickson (2) , Fentress (2) ; plus 64 more in the table below.
Primary-care HPSA counties in Tennessee
90 counties with at least one active primary-care designation ; led by Shelby (10). Full list: Shelby (10) , Davidson (9) , Hardeman (5) , Campbell (4) , Hamilton (4) , Monroe (4) , Warren (4) , Bedford (3) , Chester (3) , Coffee (3) , Cumberland (3) , Humphreys (3) , Lake (3) , McMinn (3) , Polk (3) , Bledsoe (2) , Carroll (2) , Claiborne (2) , Cocke (2) , Dickson (2) ; plus 70 more in the table below.
Mental-health HPSA counties in Tennessee
77 counties with at least one active mental-health designation ; led by Davidson (8). Full list: Davidson (8) , Hardeman (6) , Hamilton (5) , Campbell (4) , Monroe (4) , Shelby (4) , Warren (4) , Chester (3) , Cumberland (3) , Bedford (2) , Bledsoe (2) , Carroll (2) , Claiborne (2) , Cocke (2) , Coffee (2) , Dickson (2) , Fentress (2) , Gibson (2) , Hardin (2) , Henderson (2) ; plus 57 more in the table below.
All counties in Tennessee, by total shortage volume
The 40 counties with the most active HPSA designations, of 95 in Tennessee. Columns split primary care, mental health, and dental.
| # | County | Designations | Primary Care | Mental Health | Dental | MUA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davidson | 24 | 9 | 8 | 7 | MUA |
| 2 | Shelby | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | MUA |
| 3 | Hardeman | 16 | 5 | 6 | 5 | MUA |
| 4 | Hamilton | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | MUA |
| 5 | Campbell | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | MUA |
| 6 | Monroe | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | MUA |
| 7 | Warren | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | MUA |
| 8 | Chester | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | MUA |
| 9 | Cumberland | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | MUA |
| 10 | Bedford | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | MUA |
| 11 | Coffee | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | MUA |
| 12 | Humphreys | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | MUA |
| 13 | McMinn | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | MUA |
| 14 | Polk | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | MUA |
| 15 | Lake | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 16 | Bledsoe | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 17 | Carroll | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 18 | Claiborne | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 19 | Cocke | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 20 | Dickson | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 21 | Fentress | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 22 | Gibson | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 23 | Hardin | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 24 | Henderson | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 25 | Henry | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 26 | Morgan | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 27 | Perry | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 28 | Putnam | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 29 | Rhea | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 30 | Scott | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 31 | Sevier | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 32 | Williamson | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - |
| 33 | Hawkins | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | MUA |
| 34 | Knox | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | MUA |
| 35 | Meigs | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | MUA |
| 36 | Sumner | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - |
| 37 | Van Buren | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 38 | Washington | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | MUA |
| 39 | Maury | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - |
| 40 | Rutherford | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - |
Medically Underserved Areas in Tennessee
Showing 30 of 99 MUA designations (lowest MUA Index first, i.e. most underserved).
| Name | MUA Index |
|---|---|
| Johnson County | 43.0 |
| Lake County MUA | 44.0 |
| Hancock County | 44.0 |
| Tipton Service Area | 44.9 |
| LI-Pickett County | 48.0 |
| Davidson Service Area | 48.3 |
| LI-Henry County | 49.0 |
| Morgan County | 49.0 |
| Polk County | 50.0 |
| Jackson County | 51.0 |
| Perry County | 51.0 |
| Van Buren County | 51.0 |
| East Jackson Service Area | 51.5 |
| LI - Obion County | 52.0 |
| Wayne County | 52.0 |
| South Memphis/Orange Mound | 52.3 |
| LI - Weakley County | 53.0 |
| Trousdale Service Area | 53.3 |
| Knox Service Area | 53.6 |
| Knox Service Area | 53.6 |
| Cocke County | 53.8 |
| LI - McMinn County | 54.0 |
| LI-Dyer County | 54.0 |
| Union Service Area | 54.0 |
| Decatur County | 54.0 |
| Hardeman County | 54.0 |
| LI - Franklin County | 54.0 |
| Wilson Service Area | 54.4 |
| Lewis County | 55.0 |
| LI-Carroll County | 55.0 |
Lower-middle density reading for Tennessee
Tennessee sits below the national mid-pack by designations per resident with 385 active records across 95 counties. A moderate footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the state total looks small next to denser peers.
About 13.5% of residents live in a geographic shortage county. Use the county ranking below to see which localities drive that share.
Learn More About Healthcare Shortages
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Medically Underserved Areas are in Tennessee? ▼
Tennessee has 99 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs). About 935,795 residents (13.5% 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 Tennessee have dental HPSA designations? ▼
84 Tennessee counties carry at least one active dental Health Professional Shortage Area in the current HRSA release: Shelby (8), Davidson (7), Hardeman (5), Campbell (4), Hamilton (4), Monroe (4), Warren (4), Bedford (3), Chester (3), Coffee (3), Cumberland (3), Humphreys (3), McMinn (3), Polk (3), Bledsoe (2), Carroll (2), Claiborne (2), Cocke (2), Dickson (2), Fentress (2); plus 64 more on the table below. Counts are designated dental HPSA records per county, not a dentist headcount.
Are there doctor shortages in Tennessee? ▼
Yes. Tennessee has 385 Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), including 151 in primary care, 84 in mental health, and 150 in dental care. About 13.5% of Tennessee 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.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse Not affiliated with HRSA
Choose the next comparison
Use Tennessee'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 Tennessee's primary-care shortage record with every other state before drawing conclusions from a raw total; population and geography affect designation counts. Compare states
- Davidson 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 Tennessee (TN) 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.