HI · Healthcare shortage profile
Hawaii County, HI
Peak severity leads this reading: Hawaii County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 200,629.
- Active HPSAs
- 30
- Population
- 200,629
- Peak shortage score
- 26.0
- MUA Index
- 61.2
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Hawaii County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 30 active HPSA designations, more than 97% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 30
- Active HPSA designations
- 10
- Dental shortages
- 26
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 3%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Hawaii 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.
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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 Hawaii County's active designations would take about 32 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 17 primary care, 4.2 mental health, 11 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Hawaii County's 30 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 10 primary care, 10 mental health, 10 dental (denominator 30).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Hawaii County
Hawaii County intersects 28 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
16 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, Hawaii County carries 30 active designations, above 97% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Hawaii County sits among the top three county rank positions in HI, at rank 2 of 5. 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: 15001. Population: 200,629.
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 30 active (designated) HPSAs in Hawaii County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| West Hawaii Community Health Center Inc | dental | 26.0 |
| West Hawaii Community Health Center Inc | mental_health | 23.0 |
| Hamakua Health Center, Inc | dental | 20.0 |
| Kau Hospital Rural Health Clin | dental | 18.0 |
| Kau Hospital Rural Health Clin | primary_care | 17.0 |
| East Hawaii Health Clinic AT 1190 Waianuenue | mental_health | 17.0 |
| East Hawaii Health Clinic AT Pu'Uhonu Way | mental_health | 17.0 |
| East Hawaii Health Clinic AT Kea'Au | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Puna Community Medical Center | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI - Hawaii County | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Kau Hospital Rural Health Clin | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI-Hawaii County | dental | 16.0 |
| Five Mountains Hawaii, Inc | dental | 16.0 |
| Hawaii County | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Hamakua Health Center, Inc | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Five Mountains Hawaii, Inc | mental_health | 15.0 |
| West Hawaii Community Health Center Inc | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Puna Community Medical Center | dental | 14.0 |
| East Hawaii Health Clinic AT Pu'Uhonu Way | dental | 13.0 |
| East Hawaii Health Clinic AT Kea'Au | dental | 13.0 |
| East Hawaii Health Clinic AT 1190 Waianuenue | dental | 13.0 |
| East Hawaii Health Clinic AT Kea'Au | primary_care | 12.0 |
| CF-Hawaii Community Correctional Center | primary_care | 12.0 |
| CF-Hawaii Community Correctional Center | mental_health | 12.0 |
| CF-Hawaii Community Correctional Center | dental | 12.0 |
| Five Mountains Hawaii, Inc | primary_care | 11.0 |
| East Hawaii Health Clinic AT Pu'Uhonu Way | primary_care | 10.0 |
| East Hawaii Health Clinic AT 1190 Waianuenue | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Puna Community Medical Center | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Hamakua Health Center, Inc | primary_care | 9.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Hawaii County
Peak severity leads this reading: Hawaii County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Hawaii 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 17.0 of 25; Mental health reads 23.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Hawaii County above 97% of real US counties (30 active designations: 10 primary care, 10 mental health, 10 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.
Hawaii County sits among the top three county rank positions in HI, at rank 2 of 5. 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.
Hawaii 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
10 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
10 designations
- Dental
Dental
10 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Hawaii County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Hawaii County's active designations: about 32 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 Hawaii 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
Hawaii County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Hawaii County's 30 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 Hawaii County's 26.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Orange County, FL and Lee County, FL.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Hawaii 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 “WEST HAWAII COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER INC”).
Orange County, FL
26.0 dental score · 1,429,908 pop.
Lee County, FL
26.0 dental score · 760,822 pop.
Sonoma County, CA
26.0 dental score · 488,863 pop.
Albany County, NY
26.0 dental score · 314,848 pop.
Yellowstone County, MT
26.0 dental score · 164,731 pop.
Chautauqua County, NY
26.0 dental score · 127,657 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Hawaii County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Hawaii County carries an MUA designation (index 61.2; 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 Hawaii County's peak score of 26.0?
- "WEST HAWAII COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER INC" leads the active set (score 26.0; dental; 12,892 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 30 active rows: 10 primary care, 10 mental health, 10 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Hawaii County's severity reading?
- After "WEST HAWAII COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER INC", the next active names on this release are "WEST HAWAII COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER INC", "WEST HAWAII COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER INC", "HAMAKUA HEALTH CENTER, INC" and "KAU HOSPITAL RURAL HEALTH CLIN". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~32 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Hawaii County's high-severity geography?
- Hawaii County's 30 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 "WEST HAWAII COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER INC".
- How does Hawaii County's peak severity sit inside HI?
- Hawaii County holds 30 active HPSA rows with peak 26.0. Hawaii County sits among the top three county rank positions in HI, at rank 2 of 5. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Orange County, FL and Lee County, FL.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 15001. 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 15001 (Hawaii County, HI), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 30; peak score 26.0; signature peak score 26.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.