Where are New Jersey's doctor shortages?
9 New Jersey 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
6 counties
29% of New Jersey's 21 counties, against 88% nationally. 1 is designated as a whole county. 27 New Jersey hospitals are in these counties.
Mental health shortage
7 counties
33% of New Jersey's counties, against 93% nationally. 2 counties have a dental shortage designation.
New Jersey's highest-need counties for primary care
Counties with the highest primary care shortage score (0 to 25; higher means greater need).
Salem
Part of county · 1 designation
Score 18
Mental health score 14
Essex
Part of county · 2 designations
Score 13
Mental health score 19
Union
Part of county · 1 designation
Score 13
Mental health score 13
Cape May
Part of county · 1 designation
Score 12
Mental health score 17
Cumberland
Whole county · 1 designation
Score 11
Mental health score 18
Ocean
Part of county · 1 designation
Score 10
No mental health designation
Every New Jersey 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape May Cape Regional Medical Center INC | – | ||
| Cumberland Inspira Medical Center Vineland | |||
| Essex Carewell Health Medical Center, Clara Maass Medical Center, Essex County Hospital Center, Mountainside Hospital +8 more | – | ||
| Mercer Capital Health System-Fuld Campus, Capital Health System-Mercer Campus, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, St Lawrence Rehabilitation Ctr +2 more | – | – | |
| Middlesex Jfk Medical Center, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Saint Peter's University Hospital +3 more | – | – | |
| Ocean Community Medical Center, Monmouth Medical Center-Southern Campus, New Beginnings, Ocean Medical Center +2 more | – | – | |
| Salem Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill | – | ||
| Sussex Newton Memorial Hospital | – | – | |
| Union Children's Specialized Hosp, Mountainview Behavioral Hospital, Overlook Hospital, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Rahway +2 more | – |
No New Jersey county with a shortage designation matches that name.
Only counties with at least one active area-based designation (geographic or population) are listed; New Jersey has 21 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 Jersey
Which New Jersey counties are primary care shortage areas?
6 New Jersey counties have all or part of the county designated as short of primary care providers (29% of 21). 1 is designated as a whole county: Cumberland. In the other 5, part of the county or a population group (such as low-income residents) is designated.
Which New Jersey county has the greatest need for primary care?
Salem has the highest primary care shortage score in New Jersey: 18 on a scale of 0 to 25, where higher means greater need. Next highest: Essex (13), Union (13), Cape May (12), Cumberland (11).
Is there a mental health care shortage in New Jersey?
7 New Jersey counties have a mental health shortage designation (33% of counties, against 93% nationally), 4 of them for the whole county. The highest mental health score is in Essex (19 of 25). 2 counties have a dental shortage designation.
How does New Jersey compare with the rest of the U.S.?
29% of New Jersey'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.
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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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