Community Health Centers serve 52 million Americans — that’s 1 in 7 Americans and 1 in 3 in rural areas.
Community Health Centers (CHCs) are nonprofit, patient-governed organizations that provide affordable high-quality, comprehensive, and effective primary care to people living in areas with few primary care providers. CHCs make up the nation’s largest primary care system.
CHCs save lives and dollars. They deliver primary care to 14% of the U.S. population for only 1% of total healthcare spending. CHCs, also known as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) [including Section 330 grantees and Look-Alikes (which provide similar services but do not receive federal health center funding)], are committed to providing care to all patients, regardless of income or insurance status.
CHC data highlights
- 1,512 CHCs deliver care at more than 17,000 locations.
- The CHC workforce has grown to 326,000 full-time employees.
Sources: (1) Masselli, M., & Shin, P. (2025, August). How many patients do Community Health Centers really care for? You’ll be surprised! Moses/Weitzman Health System & National Association of Community Health Centers. (2) 2024 Uniform Data System, HRSA, DHHS. (3) U.S. Bureau of the Census, Population Estimates Program (2024).
Related:
Learn more about health centers by visiting our Community Health Center Research page.
