A primary care health professional shortage area (HPSA), as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is geographic area, population group, or facility where residents have bad access to basic medical care.  This designation reflects the fact that given the population size of the HPSA, there are too few primary care physicians serving the community.  As of March 31, 2025, HRSA data showed that more than 77.2 million Americans lived in a primary care shortfall area, including over 10.8 million residents of the four-state Southwestern U.S.  The HRSA estimates that to eliminate the primary care shortfall in the Southwestern U.S., HPSAs in the region would need over 1,900 additional primary care physicians.  A closer review of March 31, 2025, HRSA data reveals the following about the primary care shortfall in the Southwestern U.S.:

The Primary Care Shortfall in the Southwestern U.S.

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortfall
AZ	215	2,285,336	493
NM	106	1,027,943	200
OK	190	1,225,098	297
TX	387	6,278,102	916
Region	898	10,816,479	1,906
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)