Population Health · Health Equity
Mapping America's care-access deserts.
CareShed scores every U.S. county on health-equity need — combining chronic-disease burden, care access, prevention gaps, and social vulnerability into one transparent index, so scarce resources reach the communities that need them most.
Counties scored
2,956
US counties
Population covered
317,427,015
residents
Critical-need counties
298
top-decile need
States (highest need)
MS
avg score 91.9
Health-equity need map
Toggle between overall equity need and the care-access gap. Hover a county for detail.
Highest combined burden, access, prevention & social need — prioritize.
Elevated need across multiple domains.
Above-median need in some domains.
Lower relative need today — monitor.
Highest-need states
Mean county health-equity score.
Highest-need counties
| County | Tier | Equity need | Diabetes | Uninsured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zavala, TX | Critical | 100 | 21.4% | 42.8% |
| Dimmit, TX | Critical | 100 | 21.5% | 41.6% |
| Jim Hogg, TX | Critical | 99.9 | 20.2% | 41.3% |
| Kusilvak, AK | Critical | 99.9 | 18.0% | 18.1% |
| Starr, TX | Critical | 99.9 | 20.5% | 43.7% |
| Sioux, ND | Critical | 99.8 | 20.1% | 13.9% |
| Zapata, TX | Critical | 99.8 | 20.1% | 43.3% |
| Oglala Lakota, SD | Critical | 99.8 | 23.8% | 18.9% |
| Quitman, MS | Critical | 99.7 | 19.5% | 16.0% |
| Bethel, AK | Critical | 99.7 | 14.7% | 15.9% |
| Willacy, TX | Critical | 99.7 | 19.0% | 40.7% |
| Hudspeth, TX | Critical | 99.6 | 17.4% | 36.9% |
| McKinley, NM | Critical | 99.6 | 17.9% | 15.3% |
| Todd, SD | Critical | 99.6 | 22.9% | 17.6% |
| Sharkey, MS | Critical | 99.5 | 19.6% | 16.5% |
What is computed vs. proposed
Every number here is computed from CDC PLACES public data. This v1 index blends four domains — chronic burden, care access, prevention gaps, and social vulnerability. The full CareShed model adds HRSA provider-shortage areas (careshed access), Census ACS social vulnerability, and a CDC-WONDER-validated explainable risk model with SHAP explanations; those are labeled as planned enhancements, not shown here as results.