MA · Healthcare shortage profile
Bristol County, MA
Designation volume is the standout signal for Bristol County: 11 active HPSA records, above 84% of real US counties. Population 579,200.
- Active HPSAs
- 11
- Population
- 579,200
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 55.2
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bristol County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 11 active HPSA designations, more than 84% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 11
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 16%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Bristol County
Bristol County intersects 36 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.
Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county
24 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 Bristol County, MA 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 Bristol County's active designations would take about 16 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 11 primary care, 3.8 mental health, 1.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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36.4% of Bristol County's 11 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 11).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bristol County carries 11 active designations, above 84% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Bristol County falls in the upper half of MA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 7 of 14. 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: 25005. Population: 579,200.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity 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 11 active (designated) HPSAs in Bristol County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Healthfirst Family Care Center, Inc. | dental | 21.0 |
| Greater New Bedford Community Health Center Inc | dental | 21.0 |
| Greater New Bedford Community Health Center Inc | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Greater New Bedford Community Health Center Inc | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI - New Bedford | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Healthfirst Family Care Center, Inc. | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Healthfirst Family Care Center, Inc. | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Bristol County House of Corrections | mental_health | 12.0 |
| LI - New Bedford | mental_health | 10.0 |
| Bristol County House of Corrections | primary_care | 6.0 |
| CF-Bristol County House of Corrections | dental | 6.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Bristol County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Bristol County: 11 active HPSA records, above 84% of real US counties. Dental care carries Bristol County's deepest shortage reading, 21.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 18.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 55.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Bristol County above 84% of real US counties (11 active designations: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 21.0. The table on this page lists the highest-severity records first so a reader can see which named facilities, geographies, or population groups drive that burden without treating the county total as a personal appointment forecast.
Bristol County falls in the upper half of MA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 7 of 14. Heavy-burden counties are where NHSC placement, Community Health Center grant geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the county boundary alone.
Bristol County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
4 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
4 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Bristol County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Bristol County's active designations: about 16 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Bristol County, MA · 2026 HRSA designation data updated quarterly; HPSA scores 0-25 (primary/mental) and 0-26 (dental); higher = greater shortage severity. Coverage tiers from U.S. Census ACS PUMS + KFF state tracker.
Acting on a heavy-burden county
Bristol County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Bristol County's 11 active designations make providers here eligible for National Health Service Corps loan repayment, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's primary care burden compares with the rest of MA before you draw conclusions from a single score. MA overview
- Check whether an area clears HRSA's 3,500:1 population-to-provider threshold with the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score. 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.
Counties With a Similar Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Bristol County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Mesa County, CO and Mercer County, PA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Bristol County (11 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 11 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Bristol County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Bristol County carries an MUA designation (index 55.2; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- What makes up Bristol County's 11 active HPSA designations?
- 11 Designated rows (4 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "HEALTHFIRST FAMILY CARE CENTER, INC." (score 21.0; dental; 37,868 people in the service area; designated 09/30/2004). Also active: "GREATER NEW BEDFORD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER INC", "GREATER NEW BEDFORD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER INC", "GREATER NEW BEDFORD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER INC". Above 84% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Bristol County?
- Peak active score 21.0 in dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 11 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Bristol County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 16 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "HEALTHFIRST FAMILY CARE CENTER, INC." is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Bristol County's designation volume?
- 11 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
- How does Bristol County's volume compare inside MA?
- 11 active HPSA rows · peak 21.0. Bristol County falls in the upper half of MA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 7 of 14. Score-nearest counties on this release include Mesa County, CO and Mercer County, PA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 25005. 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 25005 (Bristol County, MA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 11; peak score 21.0; signature 11 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.