92 Indiana 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
76 counties
83% of Indiana's 92 counties, against 88% nationally. 46 are designated as a whole county. 125 Indiana hospitals are in these counties.
Mental health shortage
92 counties
100% of Indiana's counties, against 93% nationally. 57 counties have a dental shortage designation.
Indiana's highest-need counties for primary care
Counties with the highest primary care shortage score (0 to 25; higher means greater need).
MarionPart of county · 7 designationsScore 19Mental health score 14
AllenPart of county · 4 designationsScore 19Mental health score 12
LakePart of county · 3 designationsScore 18Mental health score 19
SwitzerlandPart of county · 1 designationScore 18Mental health score 12
VigoPart of county · 1 designationScore 17Mental health score 18
MadisonPart of county · 1 designationScore 17Mental health score 16
Every Indiana 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 Indiana county with a shortage designation matches that name.
Only counties with at least one active area-based designation (geographic or population) are listed; Indiana has 92 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).
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Questions about shortage areas in Indiana
Which Indiana counties are primary care shortage areas?
76 Indiana counties have all or part of the county designated as short of primary care providers (83% of 92). 46 are designated as a whole county: Adams, Benton, Blackford, Brown, Carroll, Clay, Crawford, Daviess, De Kalb, Decatur, Fountain, Franklin, Gibson, Greene, Harrison, Jasper, Jay, Jennings, Lagrange, Lawrence and more. In the other 30, part of the county or a population group (such as low-income residents) is designated.
Which Indiana county has the greatest need for primary care?
Marion has the highest primary care shortage score in Indiana: 19 on a scale of 0 to 25, where higher means greater need. Next highest: Allen (19), Lake (18), Switzerland (18), Vigo (17).
Is there a mental health care shortage in Indiana?
92 Indiana counties have a mental health shortage designation (100% of counties, against 93% nationally), 85 of them for the whole county. The highest mental health score is in Lake (19 of 25). 57 counties have a dental shortage designation.
How does Indiana compare with the rest of the U.S.?
83% of Indiana's counties have a primary care shortage designation, lower 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.
