The report is based on a quarterly summary of designated Health Professional Shortage Area statistics published Dec. 31 by HHS, the Bureau of Health Workforce and the Health Resources and Services Administration. HPSA designations are given to areas where the population-to-provider ratio for primary care meets or exceeds 3,500 to 1, or 3,000 to 1 in high-need communities.
As of Dec. 31, 7,718 areas in the U.S. were designated as health professional shortage areas, affecting 76.3 million people. While this marks a decrease of 271 shortage areas since 2021, only 47.2% of primary care needs are currently being met nationwide. Closing the gap would require an estimated 13,273 additional primary care practitioners.
Below is a breakdown of how each state and Washington, D.C., rank based on the percentage of primary care needs met. This metric assesses how well a state’s current primary care workforce meets federal adequacy standards. The “practitioners needed to remove HPSA designation” metric reflects the additional number of physicians needed to eliminate these shortages. These figures do not account for the contributions of nurse practitioners or physician assistants, who may help expand primary care access in some regions.
1. Vermont
Percent of need met: 77.83%
Practitioners needed: 0
2. Connecticut
Percent of need met: 74.98%
Practitioners needed: 53
3. New Hampshire
Percent of need met: 74.85%
Practitioners needed: 10
4. Rhode Island
Percent of need met: 72.13%
Practitioners needed: 13
5. New Jersey
Percent of need met: 69.24%
Practitioners needed: 19
6. Louisiana
Percent of need met: 67.77%
Practitioners needed: 207
7. Wisconsin
Percent of need met: 66.50%
Practitioners needed: 138
8. South Carolina
Percent of need met: 66.41%
Practitioners needed: 162
9. Alabama
Percent of need met: 66.22%
Practitioners needed: 220
10. Virginia
Percent of need met: 65.55%
Practitioners needed: 210
11. Arkansas
Percent of need met: 65.31%
Practitioners needed: 131
12. Utah
Percent of need met: 65.14%
Practitioners needed: 72
13. Tennessee
Percent of need met: 64.93%
Practitioners needed: 272
14. Oregon
Percent of need met: 62.56%
Practitioners needed: 107
15. Pennsylvania
Percent of need met: 56.44%
Practitioners needed: 73
16. Wyoming
Percent of need met: 55.98%
Practitioners needed: 23
17. Minnesota
Percent of need met: 55.03%
Practitioners needed: 193
18. Texas
Percent of need met: 54.49%
Practitioners needed: 885
19. California
Percent of need met: 54.48%
Practitioners needed: 971
20. Indiana
Percent of need met: 51.99%
Practitioners needed: 332
21. West Virginia
Percent of need met: 50.10%
Practitioners needed: 123
22. Kansas
Percent of need met: 49.32%
Practitioners needed: 113
23. North Carolina
Percent of need met: 46.81%
Practitioners needed: 408
24. Illinois
Percent of need met: 46.66%
Practitioners needed: 527
25. Mississippi
Percent of need met: 46.57%
Practitioners needed: 251
26. Michigan
Percent of need met: 45.96%
Practitioners needed: 490
27. Maine
Percent of need met: 44.54%
Practitioners needed: 18
28. Montana
Percent of need met: 44.11%
Practitioners needed: 50
29. Hawaii
Percent of need met: 43.55%
Practitioners needed: 87
30. Colorado
Percent of need met: 43.14%
Practitioners needed: 159
31. Ohio
Percent of need met: 43.13%
Practitioners needed: 361
32. Idaho
Percent of need met: 42.53%
Practitioners needed: 99
33. Nevada
Percent of need met: 42.06%
Practitioners needed: 182
34. Nebraska
Percent of need met: 41.70%
Practitioners needed: 21
35. Massachusetts
Percent of need met: 40.28%
Practitioners needed: 94
36. New Mexico
Percent of need met: 39.74%
Practitioners needed: 200
37. Washington
Percent of need met: 39.10%
Practitioners needed: 499
38. Georgia
Percent of need met: 38.14%
Practitioners needed: 586
39. Florida
Percent of need met: 36.53%
Practitioners needed: 1,336
40. New York
Percent of need met: 35.45%
Practitioners needed: 1,013
41. Arizona
Percent of need met: 35.42%
Practitioners needed: 493
42. Kentucky
Percent of need met: 35.01%
Practitioners needed: 305
43. South Dakota
Percent of need met: 33.59%
Practitioners needed: 49
44. Oklahoma
Percent of need met: 33.26%
Practitioners needed: 297
45. North Dakota
Percent of need met: 33.24%
Practitioners needed: 39
46. Iowa
Percent of need met: 31.30%
Practitioners needed: 159
47. Maryland
Percent of need met: 28.76%
Practitioners needed: 282
48. Missouri
Percent of need met: 22.27%
Practitioners needed: 476
49. Alaska
Percent of need met: 20.71%
Practitioners needed: 73
50. Delaware
Percent of need met: 14.85%
Practitioners needed: 71
51. District of Columbia
Percent of need met: 0.23%*
Practitioners needed: 96
*While Washington, D.C., ranks last with only 0.23% of its primary care needs met, this figure may reflect a high concentration of designated shortage areas rather than an overall lack of providers across the district.