AK · Healthcare shortage profile
Anchorage County, AK
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Anchorage County's active designations would take about 42 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 291,247.
- Active HPSAs
- 59
- Population
- 291,247
- Peak shortage score
- 22.0
- MUA Index
- 61.7
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Anchorage County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 59 active HPSA designations, more than 99% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 59
- Active HPSA designations
- 19
- Dental shortages
- 22
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 1%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Anchorage County, AK 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 22.0 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 Anchorage County's active designations would take about 42 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 14 primary care, 6.5 mental health, 21 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.9% of Anchorage County's 59 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 20 primary care, 20 mental health, 19 dental (denominator 59).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Anchorage County
Anchorage County intersects 18 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
6 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.
Anchorage County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
59 Top 1% higher than 99% 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. Anchorage County sits among the top three county rank positions in AK, at rank 3 of 31. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 02020. Population: 291,247.
Single high-priority discipline
Anchorage County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is dental care
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 19 active dental care designations to Anchorage County , with a peak score of 22.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the dental care records.
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 59 active (designated) HPSAs in Anchorage County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Southcentral Foundation | dental | 22.0 |
| Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center, Inc. | dental | 18.0 |
| Southcentral Foundation | mental_health | 15.0 |
| ME - Anchorage Borough | dental | 15.0 |
| Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center, Inc. | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Eastern Aleutian Tribes, Inc. | dental | 14.0 |
| Eastern Aleutian Tribes, Inc. | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Girdwood Health Clinic Inc. | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Hiland Mountain Correctional Center | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Eastern Aleutian Tribes, Inc. | mental_health | 12.0 |
| ME - Anchorage Borough | primary_care | 11.0 |
| Southcentral Foundation | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center, Inc. | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Anchorage Native Primary Care Center | mental_health | 10.0 |
| Alaska Native Medical Center | mental_health | 10.0 |
| Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Inc. | mental_health | 10.0 |
| ME - Anchorage Borough | mental_health | 10.0 |
| Anthc Education Development | mental_health | 10.0 |
| Alaska Native Medical Center | dental | 8.0 |
| Girdwood Health Clinic Inc. | dental | 8.0 |
| Anthc Education Development | dental | 7.0 |
| Anchorage Native Primary Care Center | dental | 7.0 |
| Anthc Education Development | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Inc. | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Anchorage Native Primary Care Center | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Hiland Mountain Correctional Center | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Alaska Native Medical Center | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Girdwood Health Clinic Inc. | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Anchorage Correctional Complex | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Eklutna Village Clinic | mental_health | 6.0 |
| Anchorage Correctional Complex | mental_health | 6.0 |
| Behavioral Health Services Fireweed, Scf | mental_health | 6.0 |
| Anchorage Correctional Complex | dental | 6.0 |
| Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Inc. | dental | 6.0 |
| Quyana Clubhouse | mental_health | 5.0 |
| Dena A Coy | mental_health | 5.0 |
| Eklutna Village Clinic | dental | 4.0 |
| Citc Clare Swan Outpatient | mental_health | 3.0 |
| Scf Family Dental | mental_health | 3.0 |
| Scf Bsd Child & Family Outpatient Services | mental_health | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Anchorage County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Anchorage County's active designations would take about 42 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Dental care carries Anchorage County's deepest shortage reading, 22.0 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 12.0 of 25; Mental health reads 15.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Anchorage County above 99% of real US counties (59 active designations: 20 primary care, 20 mental health, 19 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 22.0. 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.
Anchorage County sits among the top three county rank positions in AK, at rank 3 of 31. 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 Anchorage County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 42 FTE across Anchorage County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Acting on Anchorage County's high-priority dental care
Anchorage County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Anchorage County's high-priority dental care designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's dental care burden compares with the rest of AK before drawing conclusions from a single score. AK overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 Anchorage County's 22.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with San Juan County, NM and Franklin County, MA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Anchorage County's 59
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 59 - the inventory behind the ~42 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Anchorage County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Anchorage County carries an MUA designation (index 61.7; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Anchorage County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~42 FTE, with dental the largest slice (21). "Southcentral Foundation" is the highest-scored active row (score 22.0; dental; 79,783 people in the service area; designated 08/22/2005). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Anchorage County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "Southcentral Foundation", "ANCHORAGE NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH CENTER, INC.", "Southcentral Foundation" and "ME - Anchorage Borough". Discipline counts: 20 primary care, 20 mental health, 19 dental across 59 designated rows.
- Do Anchorage 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 Anchorage County's FTE burden compare inside AK?
- 59 active designations and ~42 FTE published need. Anchorage County sits among the top three county rank positions in AK, at rank 3 of 31. Score-nearest counties on this release include San Juan County, NM and Franklin County, MA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 02020. 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 02020 (Anchorage County, AK), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 59; peak score 22.0; signature 42 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.