157 Georgia 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.
Switch state
Primary care shortage
143 counties
90% of Georgia's 159 counties, against 88% nationally. 46 are designated as a whole county. 145 Georgia hospitals are in these counties.
Mental health shortage
153 counties
96% of Georgia's counties, against 93% nationally. 124 counties have a dental shortage designation.
Georgia's highest-need counties for primary care
Counties with the highest primary care shortage score (0 to 25; higher means greater need).
DoughertyPart of county · 1 designationScore 22Mental health score 15
DoolyWhole county · 2 designationsScore 22Mental health score 18
DecaturPart of county · 1 designationScore 22Mental health score 18
TelfairPart of county · 1 designationScore 22Mental health score 13
McIntoshPart of county · 1 designationScore 22Mental health score 18
TurnerPart of county · 1 designationScore 22Mental health score 14
Every Georgia 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 Georgia county with a shortage designation matches that name.
Only counties with at least one active area-based designation (geographic or population) are listed; Georgia has 159 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).
Advertisement
Questions about shortage areas in Georgia
Which Georgia counties are primary care shortage areas?
143 Georgia counties have all or part of the county designated as short of primary care providers (90% of 159). 46 are designated as a whole county: Atkinson, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Burke, Charlton, Clay, Colquitt, Crawford, Dooly, Early, Echols, Emanuel, Glascock, Hancock, Harris, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins and more. In the other 97, part of the county or a population group (such as low-income residents) is designated.
Which Georgia county has the greatest need for primary care?
Dougherty has the highest primary care shortage score in Georgia: 22 on a scale of 0 to 25, where higher means greater need. Next highest: Dooly (22), Decatur (22), Telfair (22), McIntosh (22).
Is there a mental health care shortage in Georgia?
153 Georgia counties have a mental health shortage designation (96% of counties, against 93% nationally), 109 of them for the whole county. The highest mental health score is in Atkinson (20 of 25). 124 counties have a dental shortage designation.
How does Georgia compare with the rest of the U.S.?
90% of Georgia'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.
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.
