OR · Healthcare shortage profile
Clackamas County, OR
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Clackamas County's active designations would take about 33 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 421,401.
- Active HPSAs
- 13
- Population
- 421,401
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- 54.1
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Clackamas County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 13 active HPSA designations, more than 89% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 13
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Dental shortages
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 11%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Clackamas County
Clackamas County intersects 37 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
25 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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Clackamas County, OR 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 20.0 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 Clackamas County's active designations would take about 33 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 33 primary care. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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38.5% of Clackamas County's 13 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 5 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 13).
Clackamas County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
13 Top 11% higher than 89% 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. Clackamas County falls in the upper half of OR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 of 36. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 41005. Population: 421,401.
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 13 active (designated) HPSAs in Clackamas County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| County OF Clackamas | dental | 20.0 |
| County OF Clackamas | mental_health | 18.0 |
| County OF Clackamas | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Adventist Health Tillamook Medical Group Estacada | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Orchid Health Wade Creek Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Adventist Health Tillamook Medical Group Estacada | dental | 14.0 |
| Adventist Health Tillamook Medical Group Estacada | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Orchid Health Wade Creek Clinic | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Legacy Medical Group - Firwood | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Legacy Medical Group - Firwood | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Legacy Medical Group - Firwood | dental | 13.0 |
| Orchid Health Wade Creek Clinic | dental | 13.0 |
| Eastern Clackamas | primary_care | 12.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Clackamas County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Clackamas County's active designations would take about 33 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Dental care carries Clackamas County's deepest shortage reading, 20.0 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 16.0 of 25; Mental health reads 18.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 54.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Clackamas County above 89% of real US counties (13 active designations: 5 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 20.0. 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.
Clackamas County falls in the upper half of OR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 of 36. 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.
Clackamas County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
4 designations
- Dental
Dental
4 designations
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Clackamas County, OR · 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
Clackamas County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Clackamas County's 13 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 OR before you draw conclusions from a single score. OR 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 Clackamas County's 20.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Isabella County, MI and Carroll County, NH.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Clackamas County's 13
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 13 - the inventory behind the ~33 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Clackamas County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Clackamas County carries an MUA designation (index 54.1; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Clackamas County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~33 FTE, with primary care the largest slice (33). "COUNTY OF CLACKAMAS" is the highest-scored active row (score 20.0; dental; 57,264 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Clackamas County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "COUNTY OF CLACKAMAS", "COUNTY OF CLACKAMAS", "COUNTY OF CLACKAMAS" and "ADVENTIST HEALTH TILLAMOOK MEDICAL GROUP ESTACADA". Discipline counts: 5 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental across 13 designated rows.
- Do Clackamas County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
- Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
- How does Clackamas County's FTE burden compare inside OR?
- 13 active designations and ~33 FTE published need. Clackamas County falls in the upper half of OR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 of 36. Score-nearest counties on this release include Isabella County, MI and Carroll County, NH.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 41005. 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 41005 (Clackamas County, OR), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 13; peak score 20.0; signature 33 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.