Nearly Half Of U.S. Counties Have At Least One ‘Pharmacy Desert’

About 46% of counties in the United States have at least one community in a “pharmacy desert” because the nearest retail pharmacy was 10 miles or more distant. Of the 1,447 counties with a pharmacy desert, 629 (43.5%) had many communities in a pharmacy desert. Counties with a high density of pharmacy deserts had a higher social vulnerability index (SVI) and lower density of primary care professionals (PCPs) than counties with a lower density of pharmacy deserts.

Of the 629 counties with high density of pharmacy deserts, 238 counties (38%) had high SVI, and 194 counties (31%) had . . .