Health professional shortage designations in Alaska

The deck crowned mental health because it was listed first, then treated dental as a lesser problem.

Mental health and primary care each have 329 designated IDs, 46.0 per 100,000 residents.

Dental health has 327 IDs, 45.7 per 100,000.

The files were last modified 2026-09-30.

A one-discipline campaign is a choice, not something the counts force.

Together the three files hold 985 distinct IDs, 137.6 per 100,000 civilian residents.

Alaska's civilian population here is 715,760.

The per-resident figure is high because the population is small relative to the ID count, and because areas overlap you must not add populations out of the designation file.

An ID is still not an open job.

Each discipline

Ranked table

Swipe the table sideways. The same figures are in the blocks above.

Takeaways

• Alaska is 1 of 51 when areas are ordered by designations per resident.
• Withdrawn and proposed rows are out. Repeated component pieces of one ID count once.
• Rural status is not split here, because one ID can carry more than one rural label.
• Do not brief 46.0 as mental health pulling away from primary care. The two rates match.

For recruiters

• If you only have budget for one discipline, say so. The table will not pick it for you.
• Pair the ID count with the per-resident figure so 329 does not get recited as 329 vacancies.

FAQ

Are these posted wages or open jobs?

No. The table is a government survey or a designation file.

What should a recruiter do first?

Follow the recruiter note on this page.

Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Area detail files (primary care, dental, mental health), 2026-09-30.

Related hiring pages

Methodology

Counts are distinct HPSA IDs with status Designated in the HRSA primary-care, dental, and mental-health detail files, last modified 2026-09-30. Component rows that repeat an ID are counted once. Withdrawn and proposed rows are excluded. Population is not summed from the HPSA file, because shortage areas overlap. The per-resident count uses Census civilian population on July 1, 2025, which is 715,760 in Alaska, divided into the ID count per 100,000 residents. Rural-status fields are not added in this table, because one ID can carry more than one rural status. Alaska has 985 distinct designated IDs across the three disciplines, which is 137.6 per 100,000 civilian residents. Areas are ordered by that per-resident count. Alaska is 1 of 51.

Sources

• HRSA Health Professional Shortage Area detail files (primary care, dental, mental health) · 2026-09-30
• Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, civilian population by age and sex · July 1, 2025