Top 10 Growing Metro Areas With Active HPSAs

These 10 metropolitan areas reported population gains and active federal shortage area designations identified in census and health care workforce data.

By
Conexiant News Staff
June 30, 2026
3 min

Conexiant

Objective:

To identify the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the US from 2023 to 2024 that have active Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations.

Approach:

Population Growth Analysis: Examined population and workforce data to determine growth trends in metropolitan areas.
HPSA Designation Review: Reviewed federally designated shortages of primary care, mental health, and dental professionals in these areas.

Key Findings:

Houston-Pasadena–The Woodlands, Texas gained approximately 198,000 residents and has 15 primary care, 17 mental health, and 15 dental HPSA designations.
Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington, Texas added nearly 178,000 residents with 21 active HPSA designations.
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona grew by nearly 85,000 residents and has 114 active HPSA designations.
Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach, Florida increased by around 123,000 residents with 53 active HPSA designations.
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida grew by around 76,000 residents with nine active HPSA designations.
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, North Carolina-South Carolina saw an increase of over 61,000 residents with 21 active HPSA designations.
Austin–Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas grew by over 58,000 residents with six active HPSA designations.
Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario, California added almost 40,000 residents with 47 active HPSA designations.

Interpretation:

The data indicates significant population growth in metropolitan areas that are also facing shortages in healthcare professionals.

Limitations:

The analysis is limited to population growth data from 2023 to 2024.
HPSA designations may not fully represent the healthcare needs of the populations.