Data, Maps, and Other Resources

The Rural Health, Health Workforce, and Primary Care Systems Development teams study healthcare access and overall health in rural areas.

Maps

Healthcare Professional Shortage Area Maps

Medically Underserved Area and Population Map

MUA/P

Rural/Urban Definitions – What is rural?

Rurality can be defined in many different ways. In Rural Urban Classification System (PDF), we provide guidelines for using rural urban classification systems for public health assessment.

Frequently used definitions and tools

Population density and land area criteria used for rural area assistance and other programs - Office of Financial Management
How We Define Rural – Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP)
Am I Rural? Tool – Rural Health Information Hub

Sub-County Level: Zip Code and Census Tract

Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes are a classification system that allows flexible classification of areas along the rural-urban continuum. They were developed to address limitations of county-based classifications by incorporating measures of population density, urbanization, and daily commuting patterns.

RUCA codes are defined at the census tract level and can be cross-walked to ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) to support analyses where tract-level data are not available.

These spreadsheets contain secondary RUCA codes based on Census 2010

The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released updated RUCA codes based on the 2020 Census. However, many existing federal, state, and programmatic resources still reference the 2010 RUCA framework. Users should confirm which version is required for their specific use case.

2020 Rural-Urban Commuting Area Codes | USDA

Rurality Classification Map

Urban, Suburban, Large Town, and Small Town/Rural Census Tract Map (PDF) - DOH Modified RUCA Codes Classification

Data

Publications/Additional Information

Below are several resources and publications, focusing on health and health related profile of rural populations, available from internal and external sources.

Videos about working in Rural Health

Working at a hospital or clinic

Working as a paramedic

Emergency Medical and Fire Service volunteering - a volunteer by an ambulance

Volunteering in EMS and fire services

Critical Access and Rural Hospitals Annual Profiles

These snapshot profiles provide an understanding of each hospital and the services they offer.

Health Care Access Reports

The health care access reports are informational documents created as part of the Medicaid Provider Access Assessment. They provide a snapshot overview of workforce data at the county level, highlighting areas in Washington where there may be a shortage of health care providers serving rural and underserved populations. Reports are published as they are completed.