AZ · Healthcare shortage profile
Gila County, AZ
Designation volume is the standout signal for Gila County: 36 active HPSA records, above 98% of real US counties. Population 53,272.
- Active HPSAs
- 36
- Population
- 53,272
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- 50.9
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Gila County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 36 active HPSA designations, more than 98% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 36
- Active HPSA designations
- 12
- Dental shortages
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 2%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Gila County, AZ 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 24.0 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 Gila County's active designations would take about 17 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 7.6 primary care, 2.5 mental health, 7.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Gila County's 36 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 12 primary care, 12 mental health, 12 dental (denominator 36).
Gila County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
14 Census ZCTAs intersect Gila County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
6 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Gila County carries 36 active designations, above 98% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Gila County falls in the lower half of AZ counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 15. Ties share a rank.
Computed from current designated HPSA rows for every five-digit county FIPS. See the placement methodology.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 04007. Population: 53,272.
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 36 active (designated) HPSAs in Gila County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| White Mountain Apache Tribe | dental | 24.0 |
| Canyon Day Junior High School | dental | 23.0 |
| John F. Kennedy School | dental | 23.0 |
| Canyon Day Junior High School | primary_care | 20.0 |
| John F. Kennedy School | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Pleasant Valley Comm Medical Center | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Canyon Day Junior High School | mental_health | 20.0 |
| LI - White Mountain Apache Tribe | mental_health | 20.0 |
| San Carlos Apache Tribe | dental | 20.0 |
| San Carlos Apache Tribe | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Globe | mental_health | 19.0 |
| John F. Kennedy School | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Cobre Valley Family Practice | dental | 19.0 |
| Pleasant Valley Comm Medical Center | dental | 19.0 |
| San Carlos Apache Tribe | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Cobre Valley Family Practice | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Cobre Valley Surgical Services | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Ponderosa Family Care | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Cobre Valley Red Rock Clinic | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Cobre Valley Family Practice | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI - Payson | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Tonto Basin Clinic | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Cobre Valley Red Rock Clinic | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Cobre Valley Surgical Services | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Cobre Valley Surgical Services | dental | 17.0 |
| LI-Globe | dental | 17.0 |
| Cobre Valley Red Rock Clinic | dental | 17.0 |
| Globe | primary_care | 16.0 |
| White Mountain Apache Tribe | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Tonto Basin Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Ponderosa Family Care | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Payson | dental | 15.0 |
| Ponderosa Family Care | dental | 15.0 |
| Tonto Basin Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| Pleasant Valley Comm Medical Center | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Payson | mental_health | 11.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Gila County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Gila County: 36 active HPSA records, above 98% of real US counties. Dental care carries Gila County's deepest shortage reading, 24.0 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 20.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 50.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Gila County above 98% of real US counties (36 active designations: 12 primary care, 12 mental health, 12 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 24.0. 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.
Gila County falls in the lower half of AZ counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 15. 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.
Gila County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
12 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
12 designations
- Dental
Dental
12 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Gila County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Gila County's active designations: about 17 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 Gila County, AZ · 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
Gila County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Gila County's 36 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 primary care burden compares with the rest of AZ before you draw conclusions from a single score. AZ 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 Gila County's 24.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Camuy County, PR and Aguas Buenas County, PR.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Gila County (36 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 36 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Gila County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Gila County carries an MUA designation (index 50.9; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- What makes up Gila County's 36 active HPSA designations?
- 36 Designated rows (12 primary care, 12 mental health, 12 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "White Mountain Apache Tribe" (score 24.0; dental; 9,477 people in the service area; ~2.4 FTE still needed on the record; designated 11/01/2025). Also active: "CANYON DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL", "JOHN F. KENNEDY SCHOOL", "CANYON DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL". Above 98% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Gila County?
- Peak active score 24.0 in dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 36 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Gila County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 17 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "White Mountain Apache Tribe" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Gila County's designation volume?
- 36 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
- How does Gila County's volume compare inside AZ?
- 36 active HPSA rows · peak 24.0. Gila County falls in the lower half of AZ counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 15. Score-nearest counties on this release include Camuy County, PR and Aguas Buenas County, PR.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 04007. 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 04007 (Gila County, AZ), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 36; peak score 24.0; signature 36 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.