FL · Healthcare shortage profile
Gulf County, FL
Peak severity leads this reading: Gulf County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 14,192.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 14,192
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 59.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Gulf County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Mental-health shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Gulf County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 2 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Gulf County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Gulf County, FL on its own pages , computed from the retained designation mirror as of 2026-08-15. Each line carries its own denominator so it can be quoted as it stands.
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Peak HPSA score 21.0 clears HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Scores at or above 17 on the 0–25/26 scales open NHSC placement priority for the matching provider type; eligibility still follows the designated area, not the county boundary alone.
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Closing Gulf County's active designations would take about 17 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2 primary care, 14 mental health, 1.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Gulf County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).
Gulf County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
6 Top 46% higher than 54% of 3,289 real US counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026
State peer position. Gulf County falls in the lower half of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 41 of 67. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 12045. Population: 14,192.
Single high-priority discipline
Gulf County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active mental health designations to Gulf County , with a peak score of 21.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the mental health records.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Gulf County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| CF-Gulf Correctional Institution/Annex/Work Camp | mental_health | 21.0 |
| LI-Gulf County | dental | 16.0 |
| MHCA-Big Bend Comm Based Care-Circuit 14 | mental_health | 15.0 |
| LI - Gulf County | primary_care | 14.0 |
| CF-Gulf Correctional Institution/Annex/Work Camp | primary_care | 6.0 |
| CF - Gulf Correctional Institution/Annex | dental | 3.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Gulf County
Peak severity leads this reading: Gulf County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Gulf County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 21.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 14.0 of 25; Dental care reads 16.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 59.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Gulf County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Gulf County falls in the lower half of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 41 of 67. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Gulf County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Gulf County's active designations: about 17 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Acting on Gulf County's high-priority mental health
Gulf County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Gulf County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of FL before drawing conclusions from a single score. FL overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. HPSA score lookup
HPSA scores describe shortage severity within HRSA's designation criteria, not the availability of any individual provider. For a specific appointment, contact a provider or your insurer; use HRSA's current tools to verify a designation.
Nearby mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Gulf County's 21.0. Open Winnebago County, IL or King County, WA next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Gulf County's mental score of 21.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “CF-Gulf Correctional Institution/Annex/Work Camp”).
Winnebago County, IL
21.0 mental score · 285,350 pop.
King County, WA
21.0 mental score · 2,269,675 pop.
Westchester County, NY
21.0 mental score · 1,004,457 pop.
Lake County, IL
21.0 mental score · 714,342 pop.
Guilford County, NC
21.0 mental score · 541,299 pop.
Jefferson County, LA
21.0 mental score · 440,781 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Gulf County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Gulf County carries an MUA designation (index 59.0; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Which record sets Gulf County's peak score of 21.0?
- "CF-Gulf Correctional Institution/Annex/Work Camp" leads the active set (score 21.0; mental health; 3,749 people in the service area; ~1.9 FTE still needed on the record; designated 03/17/1999). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Gulf County's severity reading?
- After "CF-Gulf Correctional Institution/Annex/Work Camp", the next active names on this release are "CF-Gulf Correctional Institution/Annex/Work Camp", "LI-Gulf County", "MHCA-Big Bend Comm Based Care-Circuit 14" and "LI - Gulf County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~17 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Gulf County's high-severity geography?
- Gulf County's 6 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, eligibility follows the designated area and provider type, not merely the county line around "CF-Gulf Correctional Institution/Annex/Work Camp".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 12045. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) , BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_DH.csv (dental) — download the normalized export on our open data page. PlainHealthAccess is not affiliated with HRSA or any government agency.
HRSA Data Warehouse HPSA + MUA/P records for FIPS 12045 (Gulf County, FL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.