Washington micro-market
Healthcare practice financing in University Place, Washington
Direct answer
Pierce County carries 28 SBA healthcare approvals worth $8,450,400, and inside University Place the census shows 364 enumerated clinicians against 35,160 residents, 103.5 per 10,000, 32 percent of them in behavioral and mental health group practices. Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA lies 17 miles away.
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- Population: 35,160 residents (25K-50K band)1
- Healthcare providers registered here: 364 across 23 fields2
- Median household income: $94,9523
- Largest provider field: Behavioral and mental health group practices: 117 registered providers2
- Medicare-certified providers in town: 2 across 2 categories4
- Nearest metro: Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA, 17 miles1
Fields practicing inside University Place
The NPPES file puts 364 enumerated clinicians inside University Place, spread over 23 fields at 103.5 per 10,000 residents
| Specialty | Enumerated clinicians | Density per 10,000 | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behavioral and mental health group practices | 117 | 33.3 | NPPES [2] |
| Physical, occupational, and speech therapy | 86 | 24.5 | NPPES [2] |
| General dentistry | 28 | 8.0 | NPPES [2] |
| Primary care and family medicine | 24 | 6.8 | NPPES [2] |
| Chiropractic | 20 | 5.7 | NPPES [2] |
| Specialty physician groups | 17 | 4.8 | NPPES [2] |
| Optometry and ophthalmology | 13 | 3.7 | NPPES [2] |
| Med spa and aesthetics | 7 | 2.0 | NPPES [2] |
| Skilled nursing, assisted living, and memory care | 7 | 2.0 | NPPES [2] |
| Ketamine, TMS, and interventional psychiatry | 6 | 1.7 | NPPES [2] |
| Independent pharmacy | 5 | 1.4 | NPPES [2] |
| Podiatry | 4 | 1.1 | NPPES [2] |
| Dermatology | 4 | 1.1 | NPPES [2] |
| DME and HME suppliers | 4 | 1.1 | NPPES [2] |
| Home health | 4 | 1.1 | NPPES [2] |
| Dental specialties | 4 | 1.1 | NPPES [2] |
| Non-medical home care | 4 | 1.1 | NPPES [2] |
| Telehealth and virtual clinics | 4 | 1.1 | NPPES [2] |
| Occupational health and drug testing | 2 | 0.6 | NPPES [2] |
| Urgent care | 1 | 0.3 | NPPES [2] |
| NEMT and ambulance | 1 | 0.3 | NPPES [2] |
| Audiology and hearing centers | 1 | 0.3 | NPPES [2] |
| Clinical and toxicology labs | 1 | 0.3 | NPPES [2] |
| Medical equipment suppliers | 4 | CMS [4] | |
| Hospice providers | 1 | CMS [4] | |
| Home health agencies | 1 | CMS [4] |
Behavioral and mental health group practices carries 117 of the 364 enumerated providers here, and several of them can sit inside one practice. Read the column as clinicians, not owners.
What Pierce County credit files already show
28 healthcare approvals averaging $301,800 set the deal shape lenders in Pierce County have already underwritten
| What it measures | Value | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare files approved | 28 | Counted for the fiscal year the SBA publishes [5] |
| Dollars behind them | $8,450,400 | Everything approved to healthcare borrowers, added up [5] |
| Typical approval size | $301,800 | The dollar column over the approval column [5] |
| Credit offices operating locally | 396 | Places that write credit locally, NAICS 522 [6] |
The consequence of these numbers
At 103.5 clinicians per 10,000 residents, the catchment radius in a projection has to be defended rather than assumed. A request measured against 28 prior Pierce County approvals is priced on precedent, which shortens the questions about valuation. Household income of $94,952 in University Place is the number a lender uses to sanity check the self-pay share of a revenue projection.
Where a file from this town usually lands
- Practice acquisition
- Working capital term loan
- Startup and de novo
- Expansion, relocation, and build-out
- Business line of credit
Ranked from the 23 fields that actually practice in University Place, weighted toward behavioral and mental health group practices. Availability still depends on Washington and on the funding partner.
Underwriting by field in University Place
What a funder opens first depends on the field. In University Place that means behavioral and mental health group practices, physical, occupational, and speech therapy, general dentistry.
| Specialty | Read first in underwriting | Why the money is usually needed |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral and mental health group practices (117) | Clinician retention and productivity, Payer mix and Medicaid concentration, Re-authorization and session limit exposure | Working capital through the credentialing lag |
| Physical, occupational, and speech therapy (86) | Visits per case, Referral source concentration, Payer mix and authorization rules | Startup or expansion clinic |
| General dentistry (28) | Three years of collections history, Hygiene as a share of collections, Overhead ratio and owner add-backs | Acquisition of an established practice |
NPPES supplies the University Place counts. The reading columns describe the field in general, and no partner reviewing a University Place file is bound by them.
How University Place prices against its neighbors
Density is the number that moves an appraisal: 103.5 per 10,000 here
| Market | Population | Clinicians | Density per 10,000 | Distance in miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Place (current) | 35,160 | 364 | 103.5 | |
| Fife | 11,077 | 55 | 49.7 | 9 |
| Gig Harbor | 12,643 | 558 | 441.4 | 9 |
| Edgewood | 13,496 | 17 | 12.6 | 12 |
| Puyallup | 42,552 | 1,391 | 326.9 | 12 |
| Sumner | 10,885 | 86 | 79.0 | 15 |
| Des Moines | 33,207 | 185 | 55.7 | 16 |
Distance, income, and the wage floor around University Place
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA lies 17 miles from University Place, close enough that appraisers price the lease against Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA rents while 35,160 residents set the revenue ceiling. Median household income runs $94,952, which is the number a funder converts into case acceptance on anything elective or cash-pay. With no hospital in town, a projection has to name where referrals and coverage come from.
More of Washington
- Fife 11,077 residents
- Gig Harbor 12,643 residents
- Edgewood 13,496 residents
- Puyallup 42,552 residents
- Sumner 10,885 residents
- Des Moines 33,207 residents
University Place owners, answered
01How many providers practice in University Place, and in what?
Across 23 fields, University Place carries 364 enumerated clinicians, 103.5 per 10,000 of the 35,160 people living here. The concentration is in behavioral and mental health group practices, 117 of the total, then physical, occupational, and speech therapy at 86. Count practices from that only with care.
02Which fields carry the volume in University Place?
Volume concentrates in behavioral and mental health group practices, 117 of them, ahead of physical, occupational, and speech therapy at 86, across 23 fields. A thin second field usually means a longer search for staff than a pro forma allows for.
03What does SBA lending look like around University Place?
The county file behind University Place holds 28 healthcare approvals totaling $8,450,400, an average of $301,800. Those are the loan sizes lenders in Pierce County have already carried.
04What does Pierce County's shortage designation change?
Designated for primary care, dental, mental health, Pierce County qualifies its clinicians for federal repayment support. On a file that turns on adding staff, that is the difference between a hiring assumption and a hiring plan.
05How many Medicare-certified providers are based in University Place?
2 Medicare-certified providers hold an address in the town across the Care Compare categories. Certified volume this close matters on a working-capital file, because it shows the payer-mix and the reimbursement lag a funder will price into a 35,160 resident market.
06Is University Place underwritten as part of Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA?
Comparables and demand split at 17 miles. An appraiser prices the lease and the equipment off Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA; the revenue line has to hold up against 35,160 local residents.
Sources
- 1U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates, vintage 2024
- 2CMS NPPES, monthly full replacement file
- 3U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2023, table B19013
- 4CMS Care Compare provider datasets
- 5U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) and 504 approvals
- 6U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022
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