PA · Healthcare shortage profile
Allegheny County, PA
Peak severity leads this reading: Allegheny County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 1,250,578.
- Active HPSAs
- 20
- Population
- 1,250,578
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 44.9
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Allegheny County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 20 active HPSA designations, more than 95% of the 3,289 real US counties, with dental the deepest gap.
- 20
- Active HPSA designations
- 8
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 5%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Allegheny County, PA 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.
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Peak HPSA score 25.0 clears HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Scores at or above 17 on the 0–25/26 scales open NHSC placement priority for the matching provider type; eligibility still follows the designated area, not the county boundary alone.
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Closing Allegheny County's active designations would take about 8.6 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.9 primary care, 4.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Allegheny County's 20 active designations are dental.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 7 primary care, 5 mental health, 8 dental (denominator 20).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Allegheny County
Allegheny County intersects 119 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.
Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county
107 additional ZCTAs intersect this county in the crosswalk (ordered by land share).
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Allegheny County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
20 Top 5% higher than 95% of 3,289 real US counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026
State peer position. Allegheny County sits among the top three county rank positions in PA, at rank 2 of 67. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 42003. Population: 1,250,578.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity scores
Current designated records only. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 20 active (designated) HPSAs in Allegheny County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| North Side Christian Health Center | dental | 25.0 |
| Primary Care Health Services Inc | dental | 23.0 |
| Squirrel Hill Health Center | dental | 23.0 |
| East Liberty Family Health Care Center, Inc. | dental | 21.0 |
| Primary Care Health Services Inc | primary_care | 19.0 |
| North Side Christian Health Center | primary_care | 19.0 |
| LI-Hill District | dental | 19.0 |
| Squirrel Hill Health Center | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Metro Family Practice, Inc | dental | 17.0 |
| LI-South Braddock | dental | 17.0 |
| LI-Homewood Brushton | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Metro Family Practice, Inc | primary_care | 13.0 |
| LI-Homewood Brushton | dental | 13.0 |
| East Liberty Family Health Care Center, Inc. | primary_care | 11.0 |
| LI-Manchester | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Squirrel Hill Health Center | mental_health | 10.0 |
| North Side Christian Health Center | mental_health | 9.0 |
| East Liberty Family Health Care Center, Inc. | mental_health | 9.0 |
| Primary Care Health Services Inc | mental_health | 9.0 |
| Metro Family Practice, Inc | mental_health | 6.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Allegheny County
Peak severity leads this reading: Allegheny County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Allegheny County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 10.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 44.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Allegheny County above 95% of real US counties (20 active designations: 7 primary care, 5 mental health, 8 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 25.0. The table on this page lists the highest-severity records first so a reader can see which named facilities, geographies, or population groups drive that burden without treating the county total as a personal appointment forecast.
Allegheny County sits among the top three county rank positions in PA, at rank 2 of 67. Heavy-burden counties are where NHSC placement, Community Health Center grant geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the county boundary alone.
Allegheny County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Dental
Dental
8 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
7 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Allegheny County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Allegheny County's active designations: about 8.6 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Allegheny County, PA · 2026 HRSA designation data updated quarterly; HPSA scores 0-25 (primary/mental) and 0-26 (dental); higher = greater shortage severity. Coverage tiers from U.S. Census ACS PUMS + KFF state tracker.
Acting on a heavy-burden county
Allegheny County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Allegheny County's 20 active designations make providers here eligible for National Health Service Corps loan repayment, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's dental burden compares with the rest of PA before you draw conclusions from a single score. PA overview
- Check whether an area clears HRSA's 3,500:1 population-to-provider threshold with the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score. HPSA score lookup
HPSA scores describe shortage severity within HRSA's designation criteria, not the availability of any individual provider. For a specific appointment, contact a provider or your insurer; use HRSA's current tools to verify a designation.
Counties With a Similar Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Allegheny County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Montgomery County, MD and Milwaukee County, WI.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Allegheny County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “NORTH SIDE CHRISTIAN HEALTH CENTER”).
Montgomery County, MD
25.0 dental score · 1,062,061 pop.
Milwaukee County, WI
25.0 dental score · 939,489 pop.
Hamilton County, OH
25.0 dental score · 830,639 pop.
Miami-Dade County, FL
25.0 dental score · 2,701,767 pop.
Tarrant County, TX
25.0 dental score · 2,110,640 pop.
Philadelphia County, PA
25.0 dental score · 1,603,797 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Allegheny County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Allegheny County carries an MUA designation (index 44.9; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Which record sets Allegheny County's peak score of 25.0?
- "NORTH SIDE CHRISTIAN HEALTH CENTER" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 42,901 people in the service area; designated 03/01/2009). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 20 active rows: 7 primary care, 5 mental health, 8 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Allegheny County's severity reading?
- After "NORTH SIDE CHRISTIAN HEALTH CENTER", the next active names on this release are "NORTH SIDE CHRISTIAN HEALTH CENTER", "PRIMARY CARE HEALTH SERVICES INC", "SQUIRREL HILL HEALTH CENTER" and "East Liberty Family Health Care Center, Inc.". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~8.6 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Allegheny County's high-severity geography?
- Allegheny County's 20 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, eligibility follows the designated area and provider type, not merely the county line around "NORTH SIDE CHRISTIAN HEALTH CENTER".
- How does Allegheny County's peak severity sit inside PA?
- Allegheny County holds 20 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Allegheny County sits among the top three county rank positions in PA, at rank 2 of 67. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Montgomery County, MD and Milwaukee County, WI.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 42003. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) , BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_DH.csv (dental) — download the normalized export on our open data page. PlainHealthAccess is not affiliated with HRSA or any government agency.
HRSA Data Warehouse HPSA + MUA/P records for FIPS 42003 (Allegheny County, PA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 20; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.