Where are New Hampshire's doctor shortages?
9 New Hampshire 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
9 counties
90% of New Hampshire's 10 counties, against 88% nationally. 0 are designated as a whole county. 27 New Hampshire hospitals are in these counties.
Mental health shortage
5 counties
50% of New Hampshire's counties, against 93% nationally. 3 counties have a dental shortage designation.
New Hampshire's highest-need counties for primary care
Counties with the highest primary care shortage score (0 to 25; higher means greater need).
Sullivan
Part of county · 4 designations
Score 15
No mental health designation
Grafton
Part of county · 3 designations
Score 15
Mental health score 13
Cheshire
Part of county · 2 designations
Score 11
No mental health designation
Hillsborough
Part of county · 2 designations
Score 11
No mental health designation
Merrimack
Part of county · 2 designations
Score 11
Mental health score 13
Belknap
Part of county · 2 designations
Score 9
Mental health score 13
Every New Hampshire 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.
| County | Primary care | Mental health | Dental |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belknap Concord Hospital- Laconia | – | ||
| Carroll Huggins Hospital, Memorial Hospital, the | – | ||
| Cheshire Cheshire Medical Center | – | – | |
| Coos Androscoggin Valley Hospital, Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital, Weeks Medical Center | |||
| Grafton Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, Cottage Hospital, Littleton Regional Hospital, Mary Hitchcock Mem Hospital +1 more | |||
| Hillsborough Catholic Medical Center, Crotched Mountain Rehab Center, Elliot Hospital, Monadnock Community Hospital +3 more | – | – | |
| Merrimack Concord Hospital, Franklin Regional Hospital, Healthsouth Rehab Hospital, New Hampshire Hospital +1 more | – | ||
| Strafford Frisbie Memorial Hospital, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital | – | – | |
| Sullivan Valley Regional Hospital | – |
No New Hampshire county with a shortage designation matches that name.
Only counties with at least one active area-based designation (geographic or population) are listed; New Hampshire has 10 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 New Hampshire
Which New Hampshire counties are primary care shortage areas?
9 New Hampshire counties have all or part of the county designated as short of primary care providers (90% of 10). None is designated as a whole county. In the other 9, part of the county or a population group (such as low-income residents) is designated.
Which New Hampshire county has the greatest need for primary care?
Sullivan has the highest primary care shortage score in New Hampshire: 15 on a scale of 0 to 25, where higher means greater need. Next highest: Grafton (15), Cheshire (11), Hillsborough (11), Merrimack (11).
Is there a mental health care shortage in New Hampshire?
5 New Hampshire counties have a mental health shortage designation (50% of counties, against 93% nationally), 1 of them for the whole county. The highest mental health score is in Coos (15 of 25). 3 counties have a dental shortage designation.
How does New Hampshire compare with the rest of the U.S.?
90% of New Hampshire'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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