Primary care is the foundation of a healthy community. Counties with abundant primary care physicians see better preventive care, earlier disease detection, lower emergency room utilization, and longer life expectancy. We ranked every US county by primary care provider density to find where access is best — and where it is critically lacking.
The national average is approximately 55 primary care physicians per 100,000 residents. The federal government defines counties with fewer than 50 per 100,000 as Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Counties with the Best Primary Care Access
Montour County, PA leads with 580.5 primary care physicians per 100,000 residents. Urban counties with medical schools and major hospital systems dominate the top of the list.
| Rank | County | State | PCP per 100K | Health Score | Uninsured Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montour County | PA | 580.5 | 76.3 | 4.44% |
| 2 | Adams County | ND | 507.6 | 65.5 | 7.9% |
| 3 | Falls Church city | VA | 296.7 | 93.4 | 3.85% |
| 4 | Haines Borough | AK | 289.7 | 69.5 | 11.19% |
| 5 | Charlottesville city | VA | 284.6 | 65.3 | 7.97% |
| 6 | Hooker County | NE | 272.5 | 66.6 | 9.05% |
| 7 | Winchester city | VA | 255.9 | 44.2 | 10.55% |
| 8 | Clark County | KS | 252.9 | 57.5 | 7.89% |
| 9 | Dillingham Census Area | AK | 251.5 | 7.6 | 16.96% |
| 10 | Olmsted County | MN | 231.3 | 97.5 | 4.15% |
| 11 | Baylor County | TX | 230.1 | 25.4 | 16.57% |
| 12 | Hood River County | OR | 220.3 | 66.5 | 11.53% |
| 13 | Gove County | KS | 217.8 | 66.2 | 10.02% |
| 14 | Sitka City and Borough | AK | 214.1 | 62.2 | 14.95% |
| 15 | Boone County | IN | 210.8 | 86.3 | 5.1% |
| 16 | Bristol County | RI | 200.7 | 96.3 | 3.55% |
| 17 | Johnson County | IA | 191.9 | 95.2 | 5.02% |
| 18 | Grafton County | NH | 188.7 | 87.7 | 7.04% |
| 19 | Washington County | TN | 185.5 | 33.5 | 11.97% |
| 20 | Howard County | MD | 183.5 | 98.7 | 4.3% |
| 21 | Orange County | NC | 182 | 85.2 | 8.12% |
| 22 | Washtenaw County | MI | 177.6 | 95.6 | 4.29% |
| 23 | Fredericksburg city | VA | 176.3 | 50.4 | 8.7% |
| 24 | Big Stone County | MN | 174.9 | 78.6 | 6.21% |
| 25 | Adair County | MO | 174.7 | 43.7 | 10.8% |
Counties Facing Primary Care Shortages
These counties fall well below the federal threshold for adequate primary care access:
| Rank | County | State | PCP per 100K | Health Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ripley County | IN | 3.4 | 57.4 |
| 2 | Logan County | OK | 3.9 | 50.2 |
| 3 | Milam County | TX | 4 | 28.2 |
| 4 | Crawford County | MO | 4.4 | 15.3 |
| 5 | Grant Parish | LA | 4.5 | 34.4 |
| 6 | Lincoln County | MO | 4.9 | 55.3 |
| 7 | Warren County | NC | 5.3 | 18.4 |
| 8 | Long County | GA | 5.8 | 32.9 |
| 9 | Dallas County | MO | 5.8 | 23.5 |
| 10 | Falls County | TX | 5.8 | 18 |
Note
The federal government recommends 80-100 primary care physicians per 100,000 residents for adequate access. Counties below 50 are designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas, making them eligible for federal provider incentive programs.
Methodology
Primary care physician ratios come from CDC County Health Rankings (2024), counting physicians specializing in general practice medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics/gynecology per 100,000 residents. Data is sourced from the CMS National Provider Identifier registry.
Data sources: CDC County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (2024), a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program, and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2019-2023). All figures are estimates and may differ from other published analyses due to methodology differences. This content is informational only and does not constitute medical advice.