A geographic area, facility, or population unit where individuals have substandard access to basic medical care because there are too few primary care physicians relative to the community's population size can be designated a primary care HPSA (health professional shortage area) by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).  As of March 31, 2025, more than 77.2 million Americans lived in primary care HPSAs.  This included 1.5 million people who lived in the six-state New England region.  The HRSA estimates that to eliminate this primary care shortage, New England HPSAs would need 188 more primary care physicians.  A closer study of 3/31/25 HRSA data reveals the following state-level breakdown of the primary care shortfall in New England:

The Primary Care Shortfall in New England

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortfall
CT	46	694,859	53
MA	61	471,369	94
ME	76	85,155	18
NH	22	112,513	10
RI	13	137,033	13
VT	13	1,580	0
Region	231	1,502,509	188
U.S.	7,749	77,253,848	13,364

(1) HRSA-designated Geographic Units, Population Groups, and Facilities with a primary care shortfall

(2) Population of designated HPSAs

(3) Primary Care practitioners needed to remove the HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, 3/31/25 (HRSA)