Where are Alaska's doctor shortages?
30 Alaska counties have at least one federal shortage designation for primary care, mental health or dental care. Look up a hospital to see whether its area has a shortage.
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Primary care shortage
28 counties
93% of Alaska's 30 counties, against 88% nationally. 20 are designated as a whole county. 21 Alaska hospitals are in these counties.
Mental health shortage
30 counties
100% of Alaska's counties, against 93% nationally. 30 counties have a dental shortage designation.
Alaska's highest-need counties for primary care
Counties with the highest primary care shortage score (0 to 25; higher means greater need).
Kusilvak
Whole county · 1 designation
Score 18
Mental health score 18
Northwest Arctic
Whole county · 1 designation
Score 18
Mental health score 18
Bethel
Whole county · 1 designation
Score 17
Mental health score 20
Nome
Whole county · 1 designation
Score 17
Mental health score 18
North Slope
Whole county · 1 designation
Score 16
Mental health score 18
Juneau
Whole county · 2 designations
Score 15
Mental health score 15
Every Alaska county with a shortage designation
Click a column to sort, or filter by county name. "Whole county" means the entire county is designated; "Part" means one or more areas within it (such as census tracts) or a population group (such as low-income residents) is designated. The number is the highest shortage score in the county.
No Alaska county with a shortage designation matches that name.
Only counties with at least one active area-based designation (geographic or population) are listed; Alaska has 30 counties in all. Scores run from 0 to 25 for primary care and mental health and 0 to 26 for dental care; higher means greater need. Bars show each score against the maximum. Source: Health Resources and Services Administration (data.hrsa.gov).
Questions about shortage areas in Alaska
Which Alaska counties are primary care shortage areas?
28 Alaska counties have all or part of the county designated as short of primary care providers (93% of 30). 20 are designated as a whole county: Aleutians East, Aleutians West, Bethel, Bristol Bay, Denali, Hoonah-Angoon, Juneau, Ketchikan Gateway, Kusilvak, Matanuska-Susitna, Nome, North Slope, Northwest Arctic, Petersburg, Prince of Wales-Hyder, Skagway, Southeast Fairbanks, Wrangell City and Borough, Yakutat, Yukon-Koyukuk. In the other 8, part of the county or a population group (such as low-income residents) is designated.
Which Alaska county has the greatest need for primary care?
Kusilvak has the highest primary care shortage score in Alaska: 18 on a scale of 0 to 25, where higher means greater need. Next highest: Northwest Arctic (18), Bethel (17), Nome (17), North Slope (16).
Is there a mental health care shortage in Alaska?
30 Alaska counties have a mental health shortage designation (100% of counties, against 93% nationally), 27 of them for the whole county. The highest mental health score is in Bethel (20 of 25). 30 counties have a dental shortage designation.
How does Alaska compare with the rest of the U.S.?
93% of Alaska's counties have a primary care shortage designation, higher than the national figure of 88% (2,759 of 3,143 counties). Many designations cover only part of a county or a population group, so a county being listed doesn't mean every resident lacks care.
What do the shortage scores mean?
HRSA scores each shortage area on how severe the need is, using things like the ratio of people to providers, poverty and travel time to care. Scores run from 0 to 25 for primary care and mental health, and from 0 to 26 for dental care. Higher scores mean greater need, and the highest-scoring areas get priority for National Health Service Corps clinicians.
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Shortage areas in every state
HRSA designates Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) where there are too few providers for the population: for primary care, generally fewer than one doctor for every 3,500 people (or 3,000 in high-need areas). Designations unlock federal programs such as National Health Service Corps clinicians and Medicare bonus payments. About the data.
Shortage areas in other states
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