WA · Healthcare shortage profile
Benton County, WA
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Benton County's active designations would take about 68 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 206,873.
- Active HPSAs
- 12
- Population
- 206,873
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- -
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Benton 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
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 15%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Benton 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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Closing Benton County's active designations would take about 68 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 44 primary care, 14 mental health, 11 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Benton 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).
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Peak HPSA score 16.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.
Benton County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 Census ZCTAs intersect Benton County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
4 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
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Benton County carries 12 active designations, above 85% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.
State peer position. Benton County falls in the upper half of WA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 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: 53005. Population: 206,873.
Below high-priority line
Benton County is designated, but no active score clears 17
12 active designations sit on this FIPS (4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental), and the peak severity is 16.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.
Peak severity scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Benton 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 Benton County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Prosser Pmh Family Medicine | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Benton City Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Astria Urgent Care Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Benton and Franklin Counties | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Benton County | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Prosser Pmh Family Medicine | dental | 15.0 |
| Benton City Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| Astria Urgent Care Center | dental | 15.0 |
| Astria Urgent Care Center | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Prosser Pmh Family Medicine | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Benton City Clinic | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Benton County | dental | 10.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Benton County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Benton County's active designations would take about 68 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Benton County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 16.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 15.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Benton County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Volume places Benton 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 16.0. 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.
Benton 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.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Benton County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 68 FTE across Benton County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Counties with a matching designation count to Benton County's 12
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 12 - the inventory behind the ~68 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Benton County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~68 FTE, with primary care the largest slice (44). "PROSSER PMH FAMILY MEDICINE" is the highest-scored active row (score 16.0; mental health; 141,653 people in the service area; designated 12/16/2022). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Why is Benton County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Benton County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which named designations drive Benton County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "PROSSER PMH FAMILY MEDICINE", "BENTON CITY CLINIC", "ASTRIA URGENT CARE CENTER" and "Benton and Franklin Counties". Discipline counts: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental across 12 designated rows.
- Do Benton 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 Benton County's FTE burden compare inside WA?
- 12 active designations and ~68 FTE published need. Benton 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 Nash County, NC and Kent County, MI.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 53005. 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 53005 (Benton County, WA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 12; peak score 16.0; signature 68 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.