NM · Healthcare shortage profile
Bernalillo County, NM
Peak severity leads this reading: Bernalillo County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 676,444.
- Active HPSAs
- 33
- Population
- 676,444
- Peak shortage score
- 26.0
- MUA Index
- 58.5
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bernalillo County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 33 active HPSA designations, more than 98% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 33
- Active HPSA designations
- 11
- Dental shortages
- 26
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 2%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Bernalillo County, NM 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 26.0 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 Bernalillo County's active designations would take about 146 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 75 primary care, 15 mental health, 56 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Bernalillo County's 33 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 11 primary care, 11 mental health, 11 dental (denominator 33).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Bernalillo County
Bernalillo County intersects 29 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
17 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, Bernalillo County carries 33 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. Bernalillo County sits among the top three county rank positions in NM, at rank 2 of 32. 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: 35001. Population: 676,444.
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 33 active (designated) HPSAs in Bernalillo County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque Health Care For Homeless | dental | 26.0 |
| First Nations Community Health Source Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| First Nations Community Health Source Inc | primary_care | 22.0 |
| Albuquerque Health Care For Homeless | primary_care | 22.0 |
| First Choice Community Health Care | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Canoncito Health Center | dental | 21.0 |
| First Choice Community Health Care | dental | 21.0 |
| Canoncito Health Center | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Albuquerque Health Care For Homeless | mental_health | 20.0 |
| First Nations Community Healthsource | dental | 20.0 |
| Albuquerque Indian Dental Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Isleta Health Center | dental | 20.0 |
| Albuquerque Indian Health Center | dental | 20.0 |
| First Nations Community Healthsource | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Isleta Health Center | primary_care | 19.0 |
| First Nations Community Healthsource - Central | primary_care | 19.0 |
| First Nations Community Healthsource - Truman | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Albuquerque Indian Dental Clinic | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Albuquerque Indian Health Center | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Canoncito Health Center | mental_health | 19.0 |
| First Choice Community Health Care | mental_health | 19.0 |
| ME - Bernalillo County MH | mental_health | 19.0 |
| First Nations Community Healthsource - Central | dental | 19.0 |
| First Nations Community Healthsource - Truman | dental | 19.0 |
| LI - Bernalillo County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Isleta Health Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| First Nations Community Health Source Inc | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Albuquerque Indian Health Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Albuquerque Indian Dental Clinic | mental_health | 18.0 |
| First Nations Community Healthsource | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI - Bernalillo County | dental | 17.0 |
| First Nations Community Healthsource - Central | mental_health | 16.0 |
| First Nations Community Healthsource - Truman | mental_health | 16.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Bernalillo County
Peak severity leads this reading: Bernalillo County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Bernalillo County's deepest shortage reading, 26.0 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 22.0 of 25; Mental health reads 20.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Bernalillo County above 98% of real US counties (33 active designations: 11 primary care, 11 mental health, 11 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 26.0. 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.
Bernalillo County sits among the top three county rank positions in NM, at rank 2 of 32. 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.
Bernalillo 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
11 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
11 designations
- Dental
Dental
11 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Bernalillo County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Bernalillo County's active designations: about 146 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 Bernalillo County, NM · 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
Bernalillo County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Bernalillo County's 33 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 NM before you draw conclusions from a single score. NM 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 Bernalillo County's 26.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Sarasota County, FL and Clermont County, OH.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Bernalillo County's dental score of 26.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 26.0 (severity lead on this page is “ALBUQUERQUE HEALTH CARE FOR HOMELESS”).
Sarasota County, FL
26.0 dental score · 434,006 pop.
Clermont County, OH
26.0 dental score · 208,601 pop.
Ouachita County, LA
26.0 dental score · 160,368 pop.
Wicomico County, MD
26.0 dental score · 103,588 pop.
Jefferson County, AR
26.0 dental score · 67,260 pop.
Marion County, IN
26.0 dental score · 977,203 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Bernalillo County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Bernalillo County carries an MUA designation (index 58.5; 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 Bernalillo County's peak score of 26.0?
- "ALBUQUERQUE HEALTH CARE FOR HOMELESS" leads the active set (score 26.0; dental; 81,427 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 33 active rows: 11 primary care, 11 mental health, 11 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Bernalillo County's severity reading?
- After "ALBUQUERQUE HEALTH CARE FOR HOMELESS", the next active names on this release are "ALBUQUERQUE HEALTH CARE FOR HOMELESS", "First Nations Community Health Source Inc", "First Nations Community Health Source Inc" and "ALBUQUERQUE HEALTH CARE FOR HOMELESS". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~146 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Bernalillo County's high-severity geography?
- Bernalillo County's 33 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 "ALBUQUERQUE HEALTH CARE FOR HOMELESS".
- How does Bernalillo County's peak severity sit inside NM?
- Bernalillo County holds 33 active HPSA rows with peak 26.0. Bernalillo County sits among the top three county rank positions in NM, at rank 2 of 32. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Sarasota County, FL and Clermont County, OH.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 35001. 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 35001 (Bernalillo County, NM), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 33; peak score 26.0; signature peak score 26.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.