PA · Healthcare shortage profile
Philadelphia County, PA
Peak severity leads this reading: Philadelphia County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 1,603,797.
- Active HPSAs
- 46
- Population
- 1,603,797
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 43.3
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Philadelphia County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 46 active HPSA designations, more than 99% of the 3,289 real US counties, with dental the deepest gap.
- 46
- Active HPSA designations
- 18
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 1%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia County's active designations would take about 74 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.6 primary care, 4 mental health, 66 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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39.1% of Philadelphia County's 46 active designations are dental.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 14 primary care, 14 mental health, 18 dental (denominator 46).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Philadelphia County
Philadelphia County intersects 49 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
37 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.
Philadelphia County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
46 Top 1% higher than 99% 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. Philadelphia County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 67 real counties in PA. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 42101. Population: 1,603,797.
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
Showing the 40 most-severe of 46 active (designated) HPSAs in Philadelphia County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Spectrum Health Services | dental | 25.0 |
| Sayre Health Center | dental | 25.0 |
| Delaware Valley Community Health, Inc. | dental | 23.0 |
| Philadelphia Fight | dental | 23.0 |
| Covenant House Inc | dental | 21.0 |
| Public Health Management Corp | dental | 21.0 |
| City OF Philadelphia | dental | 21.0 |
| Esperanza Health Center, Inc. | dental | 21.0 |
| Project Home | dental | 21.0 |
| LI-Philadelphia D5 | dental | 19.0 |
| Covenant House Inc | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI-Philadelphia D1 | dental | 17.0 |
| LI-Philadelphia D4 | dental | 17.0 |
| City OF Philadelphia | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Esperanza Health Center, Inc. | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Delaware Valley Community Health, Inc. | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Covenant House Inc | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Quality Community Health Care, Inc. | dental | 15.0 |
| LI-Philadelphia D2 | dental | 15.0 |
| Sayre Health Center | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Project Home | primary_care | 12.0 |
| FDC-Philadelphia | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Esperanza Health Center, Inc. | mental_health | 12.0 |
| FDC-Philadelphia | mental_health | 12.0 |
| FDC-Philadelphia | dental | 12.0 |
| Philadelphia Fight | primary_care | 11.0 |
| Spectrum Health Services | primary_care | 11.0 |
| City OF Philadelphia | mental_health | 11.0 |
| Greater Philadelphia Health Action Inc | dental | 11.0 |
| Public Health Management Corp | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Delaware Valley Community Health, Inc. | mental_health | 10.0 |
| Sayre Health Center | mental_health | 9.0 |
| Philadelphia Fight | mental_health | 9.0 |
| Quality Community Health Care, Inc. | primary_care | 8.0 |
| Spectrum Health Services | mental_health | 8.0 |
| Public Health Management Corp | mental_health | 8.0 |
| Mazzoni Center | dental | 7.0 |
| Fair Hill Community Physi | dental | 7.0 |
| Greater Philadelphia Health Action Inc | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Quality Community Health Care, Inc. | mental_health | 6.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Philadelphia County
Peak severity leads this reading: Philadelphia County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Philadelphia 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 17.0 of 25; Mental health reads 15.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 43.3, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Philadelphia County above 99% of real US counties (46 active designations: 14 primary care, 14 mental health, 18 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.
Philadelphia County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 67 real counties in PA. 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.
Philadelphia County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Dental
Dental
18 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
14 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Philadelphia County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Philadelphia County's active designations: about 74 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 Philadelphia 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
Philadelphia County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Philadelphia County's 46 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 Philadelphia County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Cook County, IL and Riverside County, CA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Philadelphia 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 “SPECTRUM HEALTH SERVICES”).
Cook County, IL
25.0 dental score · 5,275,541 pop.
Riverside County, CA
25.0 dental score · 2,418,185 pop.
Broward County, FL
25.0 dental score · 1,944,375 pop.
Hillsborough County, FL
25.0 dental score · 1,459,762 pop.
Contra Costa County, CA
25.0 dental score · 1,165,927 pop.
Westchester County, NY
25.0 dental score · 1,004,457 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Philadelphia County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Philadelphia County carries an MUA designation (index 43.3; 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 Philadelphia County's peak score of 25.0?
- "SPECTRUM HEALTH SERVICES" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 168,598 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 46 active rows: 14 primary care, 14 mental health, 18 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Philadelphia County's severity reading?
- After "SPECTRUM HEALTH SERVICES", the next active names on this release are "SPECTRUM HEALTH SERVICES", "SAYRE HEALTH CENTER", "DELAWARE VALLEY COMMUNITY HEALTH, INC." and "PHILADELPHIA FIGHT". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~74 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Philadelphia County's high-severity geography?
- Philadelphia County's 46 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 "SPECTRUM HEALTH SERVICES".
- How does Philadelphia County's peak severity sit inside PA?
- Philadelphia County holds 46 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Philadelphia County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 67 real counties in PA. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Cook County, IL and Riverside County, CA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 42101. 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 42101 (Philadelphia County, PA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 46; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.