Check Doctor and Hospital Density by City
Estimate how easy it may be to access everyday healthcare in different cities. See a simple 0-100 index based on doctors per capita, primary care, hospitals, clinics, mental health providers, and more.
Estimate healthcare access across cities
See a simple 0-100 index based on provider availability, hospitals, clinics, and basic access indicators.
Tip: Pick one or two cities and choose what type of care matters most to you.
Healthcare Access Score: Availability vs Practical Access
A healthcare access score measures whether doctors, hospitals, and clinics actually exist in meaningful numbers—not whether you'll definitely get an appointment tomorrow. You're comparing two cities for a job move, and one boasts "world-class medical centers." That's great if you need heart surgery. But if you just need a primary care doctor accepting new patients, those rankings might not tell you much.
A common mistake: confusing healthcare availability with quality of care. A city might have 90 doctors per 10,000 residents (high density) but 40% of them aren't taking new patients, or your insurance isn't accepted. The score measures infrastructure—it doesn't guarantee you'll get seen next week.
The result helps you screen cities for healthcare infrastructure before digging into specifics. If a city scores 50 on healthcare access, you know there are gaps—probably long waits for primary care or limited specialist options. If it scores 85, the infrastructure exists, and your job becomes finding the right providers within it.
Provider Density vs Hospital Reach
Healthcare access breaks into several components. You might care about all of them, or one might dominate based on your situation.
Doctors per Capita
Total physician density relative to population. Higher numbers suggest more options, but doesn't distinguish between specialists and generalists.
Primary Care Access
Family doctors, general practitioners, internists. These are the providers you see for routine care, checkups, and first-line treatment.
Hospital Access
Hospital beds per capita and proximity to facilities. Critical for emergencies, surgeries, and inpatient care.
Clinics & Urgent Care
Walk-in clinics, urgent care centers. These handle minor emergencies and same-day needs without ER wait times or costs.
Specialist Access
Cardiologists, dermatologists, orthopedists, etc. Matters if you have ongoing conditions or anticipate needing specialized care.
Mental Health Providers
Therapists, psychiatrists, counselors. Often scarce even in cities with strong general healthcare infrastructure.
A city might have excellent hospitals but limited primary care—so routine checkups take weeks, but if you break your leg, you'll get top-tier treatment. The score breakdown shows which components are strong or weak.
Where Access Looks Good but Fails
High scores can mask practical problems. Here's what the numbers don't tell you:
"Not accepting new patients"
A city might have plenty of doctors on paper, but half of them have closed panels. Provider counts don't reflect actual availability.
Insurance network gaps
Your insurance might not be accepted by the top-rated providers. In-network options could be far more limited than the city average suggests.
Geographic clustering
Specialists often cluster near medical centers. If you live 30 minutes away, that "excellent specialist access" becomes a half-day commitment for each appointment.
Wait times beyond the score
The wait-time proxy is based on provider density, not actual scheduling data. A city with high density might still have 6-week waits for dermatology or 3-month waits for psychiatry.
Use the score to filter cities, but verify with actual calls once you've narrowed options. Check which providers are in your network and whether they're accepting patients.
Special Cases (Chronic Care, Pediatrics, Specialists)
General access scores matter most for healthy adults with typical needs. If your situation is more specific, you need to weight differently:
When to dig deeper:
- Chronic conditions: If you need regular specialist visits (rheumatologist, endocrinologist, nephrologist), the general specialist score matters less than whether your specific specialty has providers accepting your insurance.
- Pediatrics: Overall doctor counts don't tell you about pediatricians specifically. Some cities with high adult access have pediatric shortages.
- Mental health: Mental health provider shortages are widespread. Even cities with score 70+ on mental health might have 2-3 month waits for therapy.
- Rare conditions: If you need a specific specialty (transplant center, pediatric oncology, rare disease specialists), city scores are less useful than checking whether that exact resource exists.
For these cases, the score helps you shortlist, but you'll need to verify specific provider availability before deciding. A city with score 65 might have the exact specialist you need, while a score-85 city might not.
What This Score Doesn't Measure
Healthcare access and healthcare quality are different things. This score measures availability and density. It doesn't cover:
Provider quality
Board certifications, patient outcomes, malpractice history. More doctors doesn't mean better doctors.
Patient satisfaction
Bedside manner, communication, office staff quality. A city might have plenty of providers who are hard to work with.
Insurance costs
Premium prices, deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums vary by state and market. Access doesn't mean affordable.
Telehealth options
Virtual care availability has expanded rapidly. Local provider density matters less if you can see a doctor via video.
Think of this as measuring healthcare infrastructure capacity. A city needs to score well here for healthcare to be practically accessible—but scoring well doesn't guarantee you'll have a great experience.
Quick Healthcare Access Q&A
What score is "good enough" for a healthy adult?
65+ generally means adequate infrastructure for routine needs. Below 50, you're likely looking at limited options and longer waits. Above 80 indicates strong medical infrastructure with multiple options for most services.
Should I prioritize primary care or specialists?
For most healthy people: primary care. You'll use it more often, and a good primary care doctor coordinates specialist referrals when needed. If you have ongoing conditions requiring regular specialist care, weight that higher.
How do I verify actual wait times?
Call provider offices directly. Ask: "If I wanted a new patient appointment for a routine checkup, when is the first available slot?" Do this for 3-4 providers to get a realistic picture. Online reviews sometimes mention wait times too.
What if mental health access is my main concern?
Look at the mental health dimension specifically, not just the overall score. Then verify by calling therapists and psychiatrists in your insurance network. Mental health has the widest gap between "providers exist" and "providers are available."
Does this account for rural vs urban within a metro?
Scores are metro-wide averages. Within a large metro, downtown areas often have excellent access while suburbs 30 miles out have less. If you're moving to the outskirts, assume your practical access is lower than the city score suggests.
Sources & References
Healthcare access data draws from:
- •HRSA Data Warehouse: data.hrsa.gov - Provider distribution and shortage area designations.
- •American Hospital Association: aha.org/statistics - Hospital bed counts and facility data.
- •County Health Rankings: countyhealthrankings.org - Clinical care access metrics by county.
- •SAMHSA Treatment Locator: findtreatment.samhsa.gov - Mental health provider data.
For Educational Purposes Only - Not Professional Advice
This calculator provides estimates for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute travel, financial, legal, or professional advice. Results are based on the information you provide and general guidelines that may not account for your individual circumstances. Costs, fees, and regulations change frequently. Always consult with a qualified licensed moving company or relocation specialist for advice specific to your situation. Information should be verified with official FMCSA.gov sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about healthcare access metrics, provider availability, data sources, and how to use this tool for relocation planning.
What does the City Healthcare Access Score measure?
The Healthcare Access Score is a 0-100 index that estimates how easy it may be to access routine healthcare in a city. It combines indicators like doctors per capita, primary care availability, hospital access, clinic density, mental health provider availability, and simplified proxies for insurance coverage and wait times. Higher scores suggest more healthcare options and potentially easier access.
Does this index tell me how good doctors are?
No. This tool measures availability and access, not quality of care. A city with a high access score has more providers per capita, but that doesn't guarantee better outcomes, higher patient satisfaction, or that specific providers are accepting new patients. Quality ratings require different data sources like patient reviews and outcome statistics.
Where do provider and facility indicators come from?
Our data is based on aggregated city-level statistics from public health data sources, census information, and healthcare industry reports. The data represents approximate provider counts and facility availability, typically 1-2 years old. We scale raw counts to 0-100 scores for comparison purposes.
Can I use this instead of medical or insurance advice?
No. This tool is for general informational purposes only. It does not provide medical advice, insurance recommendations, or clinical guidance. Always consult with healthcare professionals for medical decisions and insurance experts for coverage questions. Don't use this tool to make healthcare or relocation decisions without additional research.
Why might my personal experience differ from the score?
Many factors affect individual healthcare experiences: your specific insurance network, which providers are accepting new patients, your location within the city (neighborhood variation), your specific health needs, and appointment availability at any given time. City-level averages don't capture these individual circumstances.
What do the priority profiles change?
Priority profiles adjust how we weight different dimensions when calculating the overall score. 'Primary care focus' emphasizes family doctors and routine care access. 'Hospital access focus' prioritizes hospital beds and emergency care. 'Mental health focus' weights mental health providers and specialists more heavily. 'Balanced' gives relatively equal weight to all factors.
How does typical usage pattern affect the score?
Usage pattern makes small adjustments to dimension weights. If you rarely visit the doctor, insurance coverage proxies get slightly more weight (coverage matters when you do go). Frequent visitors see more weight on primary care and wait times (you'll interact with these more often). Occasional visitors get balanced weighting.
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