Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

WA · Healthcare shortage profile

Okanogan County, WA

Peak severity leads this reading: Okanogan County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 42,104.

Active HPSAs
30
Population
42,104
Peak shortage score
25.0
MUA Index
55.6

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Okanogan 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
25
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 3%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Okanogan 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.

  1. 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.

  2. Closing Okanogan County's active designations would take about 7.5 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.2 primary care, 2.1 mental health, 2.1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Okanogan 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 Okanogan County

Okanogan County intersects 22 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

10 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, Okanogan 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. Okanogan County falls in the upper quarter of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 39. 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: 53047. Population: 42,104.

10
Dental HPSAs
10
Primary Care HPSAs
10
Mental Health HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 55.6

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 20.0
Mental Health 21.0
Dental 25.0

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 Okanogan County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Confederated Tribes OF Colville Reservation dental 25.0
Family Health Centers dental 23.0
Colville Indian Health Center mental_health 21.0
Family Health Centers mental_health 21.0
Confederated Tribes OF Colville Reservation primary_care 20.0
Omak Behavioral Health Program Chiliwist dental 20.0
Omak Health Center dental 20.0
Colville Indian Health Center dental 20.0
Confluence Health Omak Clinic mental_health 18.0
Confederated Tribes OF Colville Reservation mental_health 18.0
Mid-Valley Medical Group mental_health 18.0
Okanogan County mental_health 18.0
Colville Indian Health Center primary_care 17.0
Family Health Centers primary_care 17.0
Omak Health Center mental_health 17.0
Omak Behavioral Health Program Chiliwist mental_health 17.0
Confluence Health Tonasket Clinic mental_health 17.0
Confluence Health Omak Clinic dental 17.0
Confluence Health Tonasket Clinic dental 17.0
Mid-Valley Medical Group dental 17.0
Omak Health Center primary_care 16.0
Omak Behavioral Health Program Chiliwist primary_care 16.0
Confluence Health Brewster mental_health 16.0
Li/h/mfw - Okanogan County dental 16.0
Confluence Health Omak Clinic primary_care 14.0
Mid-Valley Medical Group primary_care 14.0
LI - Okanogan County primary_care 14.0
Confluence Health Tonasket Clinic primary_care 14.0
Confluence Health Brewster primary_care 13.0
Confluence Health Brewster dental 11.0

Heavy-burden reading for Okanogan County

Peak severity leads this reading: Okanogan County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Okanogan 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 55.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Okanogan 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 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.

Okanogan County falls in the upper quarter of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 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.

Okanogan County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Heavy-volume FTE gap in Okanogan County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Okanogan County's active designations: about 7.5 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 Okanogan 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

Okanogan County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Okanogan 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 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 Okanogan County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Cook County, IL and Riverside County, CA.

Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Counties near Okanogan 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 “CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF COLVILLE RESERVATION”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Okanogan County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Okanogan County carries an MUA designation (index 55.6; 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 Okanogan County's peak score of 25.0?
"CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF COLVILLE RESERVATION" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 6,393 people in the service area; designated 09/30/2003). 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 Okanogan County's severity reading?
After "CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF COLVILLE RESERVATION", the next active names on this release are "CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF COLVILLE RESERVATION", "FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS", "Colville Indian Health Center" and "FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~7.5 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Okanogan County's high-severity geography?
Okanogan 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 "CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF COLVILLE RESERVATION".
How does Okanogan County's peak severity sit inside WA?
Okanogan County holds 30 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Okanogan County falls in the upper quarter of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 39. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Cook County, IL and Riverside County, CA.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 53047. 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 53047 (Okanogan County, WA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 30; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.