Similarly, 20 % of counties are still hospital deserts, 48 % of counties are still hospital bed deserts, and 38 % of counties are still trauma-center deserts for the majority of residents.
For these Americans, appropriate hospital care may be too far away to survive a serious injury or illness. Research shows that long travel times to the hospital negatively affect treatment and quality of care. And, when accessing a trauma center, every second counts. Doctors often refer to the“ golden hour,” which is the concept that a patient needs to receive definitive care within an hour of injury to increase their chances of survival.
Primary care and community health center deserts
The number of federally designated primary care healthcare professional shortage areas has declined since 2021. However, this is largely due to a system reclassification that withdrew shortage designations in 2024 for many facilities— not because primary care shortages actually improved. In fact, according to the American Hospital Association, the number of staffed beds in U. S. hospitals has declined from 2021 to 2025. And, the average patient caseload in remaining federally designated primary care deserts— home to nearly 8 million people— is still 1 full-time primary care professional for every 7,597 people. That’ s over 2.5 times the recommended level.
Meanwhile, federally funded community health centers have become slightly more accessible since 2021— at least for now. While over 71 million people still live in health center deserts today, this number is down from over 78 million people in 2021. However, funding for these health centers and programs that address primary care shortages are currently at risk due to federal policy changes.
States hit hardest by healthcare deserts
Healthcare deserts across multiple services make it even harder for people to access comprehensive care. Almost 60 % of counties have more than one type of healthcare desert, meaning people lack adequate access to more than one critical healthcare service. And nearly 8 million people live in counties with at least 4 healthcare deserts.