8 in 10 U.S. counties are now ‘healthcare deserts’: GoodRx study
CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — More than 80% of United States counties, home to over 120 million Americans, lack adequate access to basic healthcare services, according to a GoodRx Research analysis that shows worsening gaps in pharmacies, primary care, and hospitals.
The findings highlight widening inequities in care and raise questions about how both public systems and private outsourcing partners can help stabilize strained health infrastructure.
A recent CNN report covered the healthcare deserts—also known as health professional shortage areas—in which Americans live in areas without adequate health care services, a figure expected to rise as 700 rural hospitals face potential closure.
CNN visited Thomasville Regional Medical Center, which closed in 2024. The hospital’s closure placed the town’s residents into a group of nearly 50 million Americans living more than one hour from a trauma center.
“Tremendous amount of people who live in Thomasville worked at that facility,” said Sheldon Day, Mayor of Thomasville, Alabama.
“It’s almost like the apocalypse happened here,” he added.
The impact on Thomasville’s economy is tremendous, according to Day. Many residents have left town, making it hard to attract new ones.
“How many young couples do you think are going to move to Thomasville, Alabama, that want to have a family? There’s not a pediatrician within eight counties.”
Pharmacy and hospital deserts surge across the U.S.
According to the report, 81% of the counties in the U.S. are now identified as healthcare deserts, which translates to the fact that the population in these areas does not have easy access to at least one of the essential medical services, such as pharmacies, hospital beds, trauma centers, or health clinics.
The research also shows that presently, over 120 million people, which is around one-third of the total U.S. population, live in areas that are being termed as healthcare deserts.
The closure of pharmacies has ramped up across the country, and this trend has led to more than 1,300 pharmacies going out of business since the start of 2021, in turn increasing the number of people living in pharmacy deserts from 41 million to 48 million.
The analysis reveals that there are 45% of the counties falling under the category of pharmacy deserts, where the majority of the residents need to drive more than 15 minutes to reach the nearest pharmacy.
The pressure on hospital and trauma care services is just as severe. The study claims that more than 28 million individuals live more than 30 minutes from the closest hospital, and nearly 50 million live more than an hour from a trauma center capable of handling serious injuries.
The report points out that in certain rural areas, hospital care may be so inaccessible that getting treatment for a serious injury or illness may simply be impossible due to the time factor.
Staffing shortages accelerate remote and outsourced care
The enduring shortages in primary healthcare have led healthcare organizations to resort to outsourced clinical support models, including telemedicine staffing, remote triage, and virtual nursing.
The federal reclassifications, rather than actual improvements, have reduced the number of designated shortage areas, intensifying pressure on healthcare organizations.
The report indicates that the loss of shortage designations was “not because the primary care shortages actually improved.”
The ratio of one clinician serving 7,597 patients is already observed in federally designated primary care deserts, which is more than double the recommended ratio.
This scenario is causing hospitals and clinics to transfer their administrative and clinical burdens to outsourcing partners, such as virtual scribes and after-hours call centers, in order to keep their operations running.
The difficulties are made worse in rural states. Wyoming (87%), Vermont (74%), Montana (70%), New Mexico (60%), and Alaska (56%) have the highest percentages of residents living in counties lacking healthcare services.
Many counties, such as Catron County in New Mexico and Hettinger County in North Dakota, experience a lack of major services, highlighting the necessity for expanded outsourcing and digital health solutions in areas where the return of physical infrastructure is unlikely.
The study concludes that “healthcare deserts continue to pose serious challenges” for millions of Americans. With limited facilities, staffing gaps, and financial barriers all worsening, health systems may increasingly turn to outsourced support and digital care models as stopgap solutions in places where traditional healthcare access remains out of reach.
