Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

HI · Healthcare shortage profile

Honolulu County, HI

Peak severity leads this reading: Honolulu County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 1,016,508.

Active HPSAs
42
Population
1,016,508
Peak shortage score
26.0
MUA Index
55.3
HI state overview → About this data

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Honolulu County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 42 active HPSA designations, more than 99% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

42
Active HPSA designations
14
Dental shortages
26
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 1%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Honolulu County, HI 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.

  1. 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.

  2. Closing Honolulu County's active designations would take about 43 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 20 primary care, 12 mental health, 11 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Honolulu County's 42 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 14 primary care, 14 mental health, 14 dental (denominator 42).

Dense ZCTA lattice over Honolulu County

Honolulu County intersects 38 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

26 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, Honolulu County carries 42 active designations, above 99% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Honolulu County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 5 real counties in HI. 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: 15003. Population: 1,016,508.

14
Dental HPSAs
14
Primary Care HPSAs
14
Mental Health HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 55.3

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 21.0
Mental Health 24.0
Dental 26.0

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 42 active (designated) HPSAs in Honolulu County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Ko'Olauloa Health Center dental 26.0
Kalihi Palama Health Center dental 26.0
Kokua Kalihi Valley (Comprehensive Family Services) dental 26.0
Kokua Kalihi Valley (Comprehensive Family Services) mental_health 24.0
Waianae District Comprehensive Health And Hospital Board, Incorporated dental 24.0
Waimanalo Health Center mental_health 22.0
Waianae District Comprehensive Health And Hospital Board, Incorporated mental_health 22.0
Wahiawa Center For Community Health, The mental_health 22.0
Wahiawa Center For Community Health, The dental 22.0
Waikiki Health dental 22.0
Kokua Kalihi Valley (Comprehensive Family Services) primary_care 21.0
Waianae District Comprehensive Health And Hospital Board, Incorporated primary_care 21.0
Wahiawa Center For Community Health, The primary_care 20.0
Waimanalo Health Center dental 20.0
Ko'Olauloa Health Center mental_health 19.0
Ko'Olauloa Health Center primary_care 18.0
Kalihi Palama Health Center mental_health 18.0
LI - Kalihi-Palama dental 18.0
Castle Health Clinic OF Laie mental_health 17.0
The Clinic AT Kahuku Medical Center mental_health 17.0
Castle Health Clinic OF Laie dental 16.0
Waikiki Health mental_health 15.0
The Clinic AT Kahuku Medical Center dental 15.0
Oahu Akau primary_care 14.0
LI - Honolulu County mental_health 14.0
Castle Health Clinic OF Laie primary_care 13.0
The Clinic AT Kahuku Medical Center primary_care 13.0
Fdc - Honolulu mental_health 12.0
CF-Women Community Correctional Center mental_health 12.0
CF-Halawa Correctional Facility mental_health 12.0
FDC-Honolulu dental 12.0
Waimanalo Health Center primary_care 7.0
Kalihi Palama Health Center primary_care 6.0
Waikiki Health primary_care 6.0
CF-Womens Community Correctional Center primary_care 6.0
Fdc - Honolulu primary_care 6.0
CF-Oahu Community Correctional Center primary_care 6.0
CF-Halawa Correctional Facility primary_care 6.0
CF-Oahu Community Correctional Center mental_health 6.0
CF-Womens Community Correctional Center dental 6.0

Heavy-burden reading for Honolulu County

Peak severity leads this reading: Honolulu County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Honolulu 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 21.0 of 25; Mental health reads 24.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 55.3, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Honolulu County above 99% of real US counties (42 active designations: 14 primary care, 14 mental health, 14 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.

Honolulu County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 5 real counties in HI. 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.

Honolulu County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Heavy-volume FTE gap in Honolulu County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Honolulu County's active designations: about 43 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 Honolulu County, HI · 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

Honolulu County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Honolulu County's 42 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 HI before you draw conclusions from a single score. HI 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 Honolulu 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.

Sarasota County, FL

26.0 score 434,006 pop.

Clermont County, OH

26.0 score 208,601 pop.

Ouachita County, LA

26.0 score 160,368 pop.

Wicomico County, MD

26.0 score 103,588 pop.

Jefferson County, AR

26.0 score 67,260 pop.

Prince George's County, MD

26.0 score 967,201 pop.

Counties near Honolulu 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 “KO'OLAULOA HEALTH CENTER”).

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.

Prince George's County, MD

26.0 dental score · 967,201 pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Honolulu County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Honolulu County carries an MUA designation (index 55.3; 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 Honolulu County's peak score of 26.0?
"KO'OLAULOA HEALTH CENTER" leads the active set (score 26.0; dental; 4,947 people in the service area; designated 02/28/2006). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 42 active rows: 14 primary care, 14 mental health, 14 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Honolulu County's severity reading?
After "KO'OLAULOA HEALTH CENTER", the next active names on this release are "KO'OLAULOA HEALTH CENTER", "KALIHI PALAMA HEALTH CENTER", "Kokua Kalihi Valley (Comprehensive Family Services)" and "Kokua Kalihi Valley (Comprehensive Family Services)". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~43 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Honolulu County's high-severity geography?
Honolulu County's 42 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 "KO'OLAULOA HEALTH CENTER".
How does Honolulu County's peak severity sit inside HI?
Honolulu County holds 42 active HPSA rows with peak 26.0. Honolulu County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 5 real counties in HI. 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: 15003. 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 15003 (Honolulu County, HI), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 42; peak score 26.0; signature peak score 26.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.