LA · Healthcare shortage profile
St. James County, LA
Peak severity leads this reading: St. James County's highest active HPSA score is 13.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 20,192.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 20,192
- Peak shortage score
- 13.0
- MUA Index
- 60.7
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, St. James County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 3
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 13
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch St. James County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting St. James County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
2 additional ZCTAs intersect this county in the crosswalk (ordered by land share).
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 St. James County, LA 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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Closing St. James County's active designations would take about 1 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.5 primary care, 0.4 mental health, 0 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of St. James County's 3 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 3).
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Peak HPSA score 13.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, St. James County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.
State peer position. St. James County falls in the lower half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 44 of 64. Ties share a rank.
Computed from current designated HPSA rows for every five-digit county FIPS. See the placement methodology.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 22093. Population: 20,192.
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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in St. James County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-St. James Parish | mental_health | 13.0 |
| LI - St James Parish | primary_care | 12.0 |
| LI-Saint James Parish | dental | 8.0 |
Light-burden reading for St. James County
Peak severity leads this reading: St. James County's highest active HPSA score is 13.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. St. James County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 13.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 12.0 of 25; Dental care reads 8.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
St. James County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.
St. James County falls in the lower half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 44 of 64. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Light-volume FTE gap for St. James County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for St. James County's active designations: about 1 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near St. James County's mental score of 13.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 13.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI-St. James Parish”).
Sussex County, NJ
13.0 mental score · 144,221 pop.
Belknap County, NH
13.0 mental score · 63,705 pop.
Summit County, UT
13.0 mental score · 42,357 pop.
Jackson County, OH
13.0 mental score · 32,653 pop.
Meigs County, OH
13.0 mental score · 22,210 pop.
Stone County, MS
13.0 mental score · 18,333 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does St. James County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - St. James County carries an MUA designation (index 60.7; 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 St. James County's peak score of 13.0?
- "LI-St. James Parish" leads the active set (score 13.0; mental health; 6,295 people in the service area; ~0.4 FTE still needed on the record; designated 07/01/2019). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under St. James County's severity reading?
- After "LI-St. James Parish", the next active names on this release are "LI-St. James Parish", "LI - ST JAMES PARISH" and "LI-SAINT JAMES PARISH". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~1 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 22093. 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 22093 (St. James County, LA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 13.0; signature peak score 13.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.