WA · Healthcare shortage profile
King County, WA
Peak severity leads this reading: King County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 2,269,675.
- Active HPSAs
- 63
- Population
- 2,269,675
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 52.5
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, King County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 63 active HPSA designations, more than 99% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 63
- Active HPSA designations
- 17
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 1%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for King County, WA 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 25.0 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 King County's active designations would take about 87 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 72 primary care, 13 mental health, 1.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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38.1% of King County's 63 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 24 primary care, 22 mental health, 17 dental (denominator 63).
Dense ZCTA lattice over King County
King County intersects 89 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
77 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, King County carries 63 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. King County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 39 real counties in WA. 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: 53033. Population: 2,269,675.
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 63 active (designated) HPSAs in King County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Indian Health Board | dental | 25.0 |
| Seattle Roots Community Health | dental | 25.0 |
| Neighborcare Health | dental | 25.0 |
| Healthpoint | dental | 25.0 |
| King County | dental | 23.0 |
| International Community Health Services | dental | 23.0 |
| Neighborcare Health | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Healthpoint | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Seattle Indian Health Board | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Seattle Roots Community Health | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Healthpoint | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Sea Mar Community Health Centers | dental | 21.0 |
| Sea Mar Community Health Centers | primary_care | 20.0 |
| International Community Health Services | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Sea Mar Community Health Centers | mental_health | 20.0 |
| King County | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Seattle Indian Health Board | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Nara – Youth Prevention Program | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI - North Seattle Service Area | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Seattle Indian Health Board | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Raging River Recovery Center | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Seattle Indian Health Board - Lake City Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Snoqualmie Tribal Family Clinic (Formerly North Bend Family) | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Seattle Indian Health Board - Pioneer Square Center | primary_care | 18.0 |
| International Community Health Services | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Muckleshoot Behavioral Health Program | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Muckleshoot Tribal Clinic | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Muckleshoot Behavioral Health Program | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Muckleshoot Tribal Clinic | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI-Central King Service Area | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Muckleshoot Dental Clinic | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI-Southwest King Service Area | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Enumclaw | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Snoqualmie-North Bend SA | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Vashon-Maury Island | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI-Auburn-Federal Way Service Area | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Neighborcare Health | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI-SeaTac-Tukwila Service Area | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Muckleshoot Dental Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| King County | mental_health | 15.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for King County
Peak severity leads this reading: King County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries King County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 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 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 King County above 99% of real US counties (63 active designations: 24 primary care, 22 mental health, 17 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 25.0. 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.
King County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 39 real counties in WA. 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.
King 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
24 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
22 designations
- Dental
Dental
17 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in King County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for King County's active designations: about 87 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 King County, WA · 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
King County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- King County's 63 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 WA before you draw conclusions from a single score. WA 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 King County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Montgomery County, MD and Milwaukee County, WI.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near King County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “SEATTLE INDIAN HEALTH BOARD”).
Montgomery County, MD
25.0 dental score · 1,062,061 pop.
Milwaukee County, WI
25.0 dental score · 939,489 pop.
Hamilton County, OH
25.0 dental score · 830,639 pop.
Miami-Dade County, FL
25.0 dental score · 2,701,767 pop.
Bexar County, TX
25.0 dental score · 2,009,324 pop.
Sacramento County, CA
25.0 dental score · 1,585,055 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does King County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - King 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 King County's peak score of 25.0?
- "SEATTLE INDIAN HEALTH BOARD" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 223,984 people in the service area; designated 12/03/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 63 active rows: 24 primary care, 22 mental health, 17 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under King County's severity reading?
- After "SEATTLE INDIAN HEALTH BOARD", the next active names on this release are "SEATTLE INDIAN HEALTH BOARD", "Seattle Roots Community Health", "NEIGHBORCARE HEALTH" and "HEALTHPOINT". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~87 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow King County's high-severity geography?
- King County's 63 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 "SEATTLE INDIAN HEALTH BOARD".
- How does King County's peak severity sit inside WA?
- King County holds 63 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. King County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 39 real counties in WA. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Montgomery County, MD and Milwaukee County, WI.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 53033. 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 53033 (King County, WA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 63; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.