One in Three Americans Live in a Health Care Desert. Here’s What You Need to Know

Changes to work requirements and enrollment criteria may have some Americans scrambling for coverage

Published Jul 25, 2025

For many Americans, the first concern when it comes to health care access is a financial one. It isn’t news that we have one of the most expensive health care systems in the developed world.

But for those living in more than 80% of U.S. counties, according to a new study by GoodRx, lack of access can also be a physical problem — specifically one of distance. For the over 120 million Americans who call those counties home, health care isn’t just expensive: It’s also far away.

What is a health care desert — and who lives in one?

Inspired by the concept of the “food desert” as outlined by the USDA, GoodRx uses driving time to define multiple types of health care deserts in the United States:

Pharmacy deserts, where the average drive time to the three closest pharmacies exceeds 15 minutes
Hospital, low-cost health center and trauma-center deserts, where it takes more than 30, 20 or 60 minutes to drive to each of these types of facilities, respectively
Hospital bed deserts, where local hospitals have fewer than two beds per 1,000 residents
Primary care deserts, where more than 50% of the population lives in a primary care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), indicating a low population-to-health care provider ratio as well as high poverty rates, infant mortality rates or low birthweights and long travel times to provider facilities

Put plainly, these are areas where getting to the doctor and back is more than a quick trip. In some especially remote areas, it could be an all-day affair.

GoodRx first defined these health care deserts back in 2021 — and, unfortunately, the problem has only worsened since then. Some 1,300 pharmacies have closed, landing more Americans in pharmacy deserts: 48 million in 2025, compared to 41 million in 2021.

When it comes to emergency care, the numbers aren’t much more encouraging. GoodRx says 20% of counties are hospital deserts, with over 28 million people living more than half an hour away from the nearest hospital. Nearly 80 million people live in hospital-bed deserts, while almost 50 million live over an hour from the nearest trauma center — a long time to drive when you’re gushing blood.

Even a checkup can be an ordeal for many. Although designated HPSAs have technically fallen since 2021, this change is in part due to an official redefinition of what a “shortage” means. According to GoodRx, the average caseload in the HPSAs that remain (in which almost 8 million people live) is just a single full-time primary care provider for more than 7,500 residents — more than double the recommended level.

Worse still, about 60% of U.S. counties qualify for more than one type of health care desert. Further, almost 8 million people — approximately the population of New York City — live in counties that qualify for at least four.

States that are the hardest-hit by health care deserts include Wyoming, where 87% of the population lives in at least one health care desert; Vermont, where 74% do; Montana (70%); New Mexico (60%) and Alaska (56%). (Meanwhile, ValuePenguin found that southern states offer the worst access to prenatal and maternal care.)

Getting the health care you deserve — no matter where you live

For Americans living in health care deserts (around a third of the U.S. population), planning ahead can be key — insofar as it’s possible. Sometimes, health care needs don’t fit your schedule.

Telehealth can be a useful supplement for certain diagnoses and treatments. In addition, the DEA has extended the rules allowing telehealth providers to prescribe certain controlled substances, which could be good news for some Americans living in health care deserts.

For those in pharmacy deserts, prescription delivery could help save a trip (or ten), and in some cases is even covered by insurance. (Still, be sure to read the fine print, as there may be delivery fees that fall to you.)

And, as always, reviewing your health insurance policy can help ensure you know exactly what’s covered — and how much you’ll pay for it. The same goes for your prescription insurance or Medicare Part D plan.

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