WA · Healthcare shortage profile
Skagit County, WA
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Skagit County's active designations would take about 23 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 129,523.
- Active HPSAs
- 12
- Population
- 129,523
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- -
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Skagit County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 12 active HPSA designations, more than 85% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 12
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Mental-health shortages
- 18
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 15%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Skagit County
Skagit County intersects 17 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
5 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 Skagit 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 18.0 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 Skagit County's active designations would take about 23 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 13 primary care, 4.3 mental health, 4.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Skagit County's 12 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 12).
Skagit County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
12 Top 15% higher than 85% 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. Skagit County falls in the upper half of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 39. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 53057. Population: 129,523.
Peak severity scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Skagit County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 12 active (designated) HPSAs in Skagit County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Swinomish Tribal Health Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Upper Skagit Tribal Clinic | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Swinomish Tribal Health Center | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Upper Skagit Tribal Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Skagit County | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Skagit County | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Swinomish Tribal Health Center | dental | 13.0 |
| Sauk-Suiattle Tribal Community Clinic | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Sauk-Suiattle Tribal Community Clinic | primary_care | 9.0 |
| Upper Skagit Tribal Clinic | dental | 7.0 |
| Sauk-Suiattle Tribal Community Clinic | dental | 7.0 |
| Skagit County | dental | 5.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Skagit County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Skagit County's active designations would take about 23 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Skagit County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 18.0 of 25, 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; Dental care reads 13.0 of 26. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Skagit County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Volume places Skagit County above 85% of real US counties (12 active designations: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 18.0. 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.
Skagit County falls in the upper half of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 39. 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.
Skagit 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
4 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
4 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Skagit County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 23 FTE across Skagit County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Skagit 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
Skagit County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Skagit County's 12 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 Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Skagit County's 18.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Clackamas County, OR and Weber County, UT.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Skagit County's 12
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 12 - the inventory behind the ~23 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Skagit County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~23 FTE, with primary care the largest slice (13). "Swinomish Tribal Health Center" is the highest-scored active row (score 18.0; mental health; 15,110 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Why is Skagit County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Skagit County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which named designations drive Skagit County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "Swinomish Tribal Health Center", "Upper Skagit Tribal Clinic", "Swinomish Tribal Health Center" and "Upper Skagit Tribal Clinic". Discipline counts: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental across 12 designated rows.
- Do Skagit 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 Skagit County's FTE burden compare inside WA?
- 12 active designations and ~23 FTE published need. Skagit County falls in the upper half of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 39. Score-nearest counties on this release include Clackamas County, OR and Weber County, UT.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 53057. 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 53057 (Skagit County, WA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 12; peak score 18.0; signature 23 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.