NJ · Healthcare shortage profile
Union County, NJ
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Union County's active designations would take about 16 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 575,345.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 575,345
- Peak shortage score
- 13.0
- MUA Index
- 57.3
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Union County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 5
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Primary-care shortages
- 13
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Union County
Union County intersects 27 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
15 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 Union County, NJ 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 Union 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): 7.6 primary care, 7 mental health, 1.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Union County's 5 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 5).
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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, Union County carries 5 active designations, above 47% 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. Union County falls in the upper half of NJ counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 of 20. 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: 34039. Population: 575,345.
Below high-priority line
Union County is designated, but no active score clears 17
5 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental), and the peak severity is 13.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.
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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Union County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth SA | primary_care | 13.0 |
| East Middlesex/Southern Union SA | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Ice - Elizabeth | dental | 12.0 |
| Ice - Elizabeth | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Ice - Elizabeth | mental_health | 6.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Union County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Union County's active designations would take about 16 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Union County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health: both scored 13.0 by HRSA, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Dental care reads 12.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.3, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Union County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Union County falls in the upper half of NJ counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 of 20. 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 Union County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 16 FTE across Union County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Counties with a matching designation count to Union County's 5
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 5 - the inventory behind the ~16 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Union County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Union County carries an MUA designation (index 57.3; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Union County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~16 FTE, with primary care the largest slice (7.6). "Elizabeth SA" is the highest-scored active row (score 13.0; primary care; 111,388 people in the service area; ~6.6 FTE still needed on the record; designated 02/25/2026). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Union County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "Elizabeth SA", "East Middlesex/Southern Union SA", "ICE - Elizabeth" and "ICE - Elizabeth". Discipline counts: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental across 5 designated rows.
- Do Union County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
- Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 34039. 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 34039 (Union County, NJ), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 13.0; signature 16 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.