HRSA Counties Indexed
39
with HPSA / MUA coverage
State healthcare shortage profile
Washington Healthcare Shortage Areas
640 active HRSA Health Professional Shortage Area designations and 47 Medically Underserved Areas across Washington.
- Total HPSAs
- 640
- Primary care
- 219
- Mental health
- 217
- Dental
- 204
Upper-middle density verdict
Within HRSA's current state and territory corpus, Washington occupies the upper-middle density quarter. The Data Warehouse counts 640 active shortage designations across 39 counties; King County has the largest county count at 63; about 96.7% of residents live in a geographic shortage county.
- 640
- Active HPSA designations
- 219
- Primary-care shortages
- 47
- Medically underserved areas
- 96.7%
- Residents in a shortage county
Corpus placement
Where Washington sits among all 56 states and territories
Washington carries 640 active HPSA designations for a population of 7,705,281, which is 8.3 per 100,000 residents, ranking it 25 of 56 and above 55% of states and territories, against a median of 7.3.
105 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 Washington changed from 597 to 640 (+43).
- IDs added
- 43
- IDs absent now
- 0
- Newly designated
- 0
- No longer designated
- 0
Among IDs present in both snapshots, scores rose for 6 and fell for 4; recorded providers needed rose for 5 and fell for 6. 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
47
Residents in Geographic Shortage Areas
7,448,553
% Residents in Geographic Shortage
96.7%
Discipline Mix
219 / 217 / 204 PC/MH/D
Primary care · Mental health · Dental
% Residents in Geographic Shortage-Designated Counties 96.7%
Washington Shortage Designations by Care Type
How Washington's 640 active HRSA designations split across the three provider categories. According to KFF's May 2026 tracker, Washington has adopted ACA Medicaid expansion. That policy context does not measure provider supply, appointment availability, or care quality.
Washington HPSA designations by type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations, by provider category.
- Primary care
Primary care
219 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
217 designations
- Dental
Dental
204 designations
Counties in Washington, by shortage volume
All 39Washington counties, ranked by active HPSA designations across primary care, mental health, and dental.
| # | County | Designations | Primary Care | Mental Health | Dental | MUA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King | 63 | 24 | 22 | 17 | MUA |
| 2 | Yakima | 57 | 19 | 19 | 19 | MUA |
| 3 | Grays Harbor | 36 | 12 | 12 | 12 | MUA |
| 4 | Lewis | 33 | 11 | 11 | 11 | MUA |
| 5 | Clallam | 32 | 11 | 10 | 11 | MUA |
| 6 | Grant | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | MUA |
| 7 | Okanogan | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | MUA |
| 8 | Snohomish | 30 | 12 | 10 | 8 | MUA |
| 9 | Jefferson | 29 | 10 | 9 | 10 | - |
| 10 | Spokane | 24 | 8 | 9 | 7 | MUA |
| 11 | Pierce | 23 | 8 | 9 | 6 | MUA |
| 12 | Stevens | 21 | 7 | 7 | 7 | MUA |
| 13 | Kitsap | 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | MUA |
| 14 | Pacific | 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | MUA |
| 15 | Chelan | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | - |
| 16 | Ferry | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | MUA |
| 17 | Mason | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | MUA |
| 18 | Thurston | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | MUA |
| 19 | Benton | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | - |
| 20 | Cowlitz | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | MUA |
| 21 | Kittitas | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | MUA |
| 22 | Pend Oreille | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | MUA |
| 23 | Skagit | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | - |
| 24 | Whatcom | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | MUA |
| 25 | Adams | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | MUA |
| 26 | Franklin | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | MUA |
| 27 | Klickitat | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | MUA |
| 28 | Clark | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 29 | Douglas | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 30 | Garfield | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | MUA |
| 31 | Walla Walla | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - |
| 32 | Asotin | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | MUA |
| 33 | Columbia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | MUA |
| 34 | Island | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | MUA |
| 35 | Lincoln | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | MUA |
| 36 | San Juan | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | MUA |
| 37 | Skamania | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
| 38 | Wahkiakum | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
| 39 | Whitman | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
Medically Underserved Areas in Washington
Showing 30 of 47 MUA designations (lowest MUA Index first, i.e. most underserved).
| Name | MUA Index |
|---|---|
| San Juan Service Area | 0.0 |
| Lopez Service Area | 0.0 |
| Governor King Service Area | 0.0 |
| Residents - Northermost Peninsula Service Area | 0.0 |
| Western Lewis Service Area | 0.0 |
| Eastern Lewis Service Area | 0.0 |
| Orcas Divison - County | 0.0 |
| Franklin Service Area | 42.7 |
| Quinault Service Area | 50.1 |
| Pend Oreille Service Area | 50.7 |
| Camono Island Service Area | 51.2 |
| Spokane Service Area | 51.8 |
| King Service Area | 52.5 |
| Asotin Service Area | 53.1 |
| Kelso City Service Area | 54.0 |
| Cowlitz Service Area | 54.6 |
| Low Inc/hmless - Dwntown Bellingham | 55.5 |
| Okanogan Service Area | 55.6 |
| Low Income - Port Angeles/sequim Area | 56.7 |
| Panorama | 57.1 |
| King Service Area | 57.7 |
| Downtown Bremerton Service Area | 57.9 |
| Columbia Service Area | 57.9 |
| Clallam Bay- Neah Bay Div. Service Area | 58.1 |
| Ferry Service Area | 58.1 |
| Native American - Klickitat County | 58.3 |
| Low-income/homeless | 58.6 |
| West Edmonds Service Area | 58.9 |
| Othello Service Area | 59.1 |
| Wilbur Service Area | 59.1 |
Upper-middle density reading for Washington
Washington carries 640 active HPSA designations with 47 Medically Underserved Areas, enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the densest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (219/217/204) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Geographic shortage counties cover about 96.7% 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 Washington shortage data
Dig deeper into the federal shortage designations behind Washington's numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there doctor shortages in Washington? ▼
Yes. Washington has 640 Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), including 219 in primary care, 217 in mental health, and 204 in dental care. About 96.7% of Washington 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 Washington, there are 640 designated HPSAs and 47 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs).
How many Medically Underserved Areas are in Washington? ▼
Washington has 47 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs). About 7,448,553 residents (96.7% 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.
What federal programs address healthcare shortages in Washington? ▼
HRSA shortage designations in Washington 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 Washington'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 Washington's primary-care shortage record with every other state before drawing conclusions from a raw total; population and geography affect designation counts. Compare states
- King 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.