OR · Healthcare shortage profile
Multnomah County, OR
Peak severity leads this reading: Multnomah County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 815,428.
- Active HPSAs
- 48
- Population
- 815,428
- Peak shortage score
- 26.0
- MUA Index
- 52.5
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Multnomah County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 48 active HPSA designations, more than 99% of the 3,289 real US counties, with dental the deepest gap.
- 48
- Active HPSA designations
- 17
- Dental shortages
- 26
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 1%
- US counties by volume
Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Multnomah 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 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 Multnomah County's active designations would take about 33 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 12 mental health, 20 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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35.4% of Multnomah County's 48 active designations are dental.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 15 primary care, 16 mental health, 17 dental (denominator 48).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Multnomah County
Multnomah County intersects 44 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
32 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, Multnomah County carries 48 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. Multnomah County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 36 real counties in OR. 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: 41051. Population: 815,428.
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
Showing the 40 most-severe of 48 active (designated) HPSAs in Multnomah County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Central City Concern | dental | 26.0 |
| Multnomah County | dental | 26.0 |
| The Wallace Medical Concern | dental | 24.0 |
| Oregon Health & Science University | dental | 24.0 |
| The Native American Rehabilitation Association OF The Northwest, Incorporated | dental | 24.0 |
| Outside IN | dental | 24.0 |
| Cascadia Health | dental | 23.0 |
| Oregon Health & Science University | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Multnomah County | mental_health | 21.0 |
| The Wallace Medical Concern | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Multnomah County | primary_care | 20.0 |
| The Wallace Medical Concern | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Nara of the Northwest, Inc. - Dental Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Central City Concern | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Nara of the Northwest, Inc. - Indian Health Clinic | mental_health | 19.0 |
| The Native American Rehabilitation Association OF The Northwest, Incorporated | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Nara of the Northwest, Inc. - Dental Clinic | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Nara of the Northwest, Inc. - Indian Health Clinic | dental | 19.0 |
| Oregon Health & Science University | primary_care | 18.0 |
| The Native American Rehabilitation Association OF The Northwest, Incorporated | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Outside IN | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI - Inner Portland | dental | 18.0 |
| Nara of the Northwest, Inc. - Indian Health Clinic | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Nara of the Northwest, Inc. - Dental Clinic | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Central City Concern | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Cascade Aids Project | dental | 17.0 |
| Cascadia Health | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Outside IN | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI-East Portland | dental | 16.0 |
| Nara of the Northwest, Inc. – Tate Topo | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Nara of the Northwest, Inc. - Outpatient Treatment Center | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Nara of the Northwest, Inc. - Oyate Behavioral Health | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Nara of the Northwest, Inc. – Totem Lodge | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Nara of the Northwest, Inc. - Wellness Center | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Cascade Aids Project | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Nara of the Northwest, Inc. - Oyate Behavioral Health | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Nara of the Northwest, Inc. – Tate Topo | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Nara of the Northwest, Inc. - Wellness Center | mental_health | 15.0 |
| ME - Multnomah County | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Nara of the Northwest, Inc. - Outpatient Treatment Center | mental_health | 15.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Multnomah County
Peak severity leads this reading: Multnomah County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Multnomah 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 52.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Multnomah County above 99% of real US counties (48 active designations: 15 primary care, 16 mental health, 17 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.
Multnomah County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 36 real counties in OR. 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.
Multnomah County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Dental
Dental
17 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
16 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
15 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Multnomah County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Multnomah County's active designations: about 33 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 Multnomah 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
Multnomah County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Multnomah County's 48 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 dental 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 Multnomah County's 26.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Orange County, FL and Polk County, FL.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Multnomah County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Multnomah County carries an MUA designation (index 52.5; 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 Multnomah County's peak score of 26.0?
- "CENTRAL CITY CONCERN" leads the active set (score 26.0; dental; 155,241 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 48 active rows: 15 primary care, 16 mental health, 17 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Multnomah County's severity reading?
- After "CENTRAL CITY CONCERN", the next active names on this release are "CENTRAL CITY CONCERN", "Multnomah County", "THE WALLACE MEDICAL CONCERN" and "OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~33 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Multnomah County's high-severity geography?
- Multnomah County's 48 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 "CENTRAL CITY CONCERN".
- How does Multnomah County's peak severity sit inside OR?
- Multnomah County holds 48 active HPSA rows with peak 26.0. Multnomah County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 36 real counties in OR. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Orange County, FL and Polk County, FL.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 41051. 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 41051 (Multnomah County, OR), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 48; peak score 26.0; signature peak score 26.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.