Area Health Resources Files

This dataset includes county, state, and national-level data on health professions, health facilities, population characteristics, and health professions training programs from HRSA.

The Area Health Resources Files (AHRF) is an essential data resource for health services researchers, planners, policymakers, and other health professionals. It contains more than 6,000 variables from over 50 data sources, organized into county-specific files.

Key Features

• Comprehensive Coverage: Data on health care facilities, health professions, resource scarcity, health status, economic activity, health training programs, and socioeconomic and environmental characteristics
• Multiple Geographic Levels: County, state, and national level aggregations
• Historical Data: Time-series data allowing for trend analysis
• Regular Updates: Updated annually with the most recent data available

Data Sources

The AHRF integrates data from multiple authoritative sources including:

• American Medical Association (AMA)
• American Dental Association (ADA)
• American Hospital Association (AHA)
• U.S. Census Bureau
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)

Common Use Cases

• Health workforce planning and analysis
• Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation research
• Rural health studies
• Health disparities research
• Policy evaluation and planning