OH · Healthcare shortage profile
Darke County, OH
Peak severity leads this reading: Darke County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 51,881.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 51,881
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- 56.9
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Darke 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
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Darke County
Darke County intersects 25 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
13 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 Darke County, OH 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 20.0 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 Darke County's active designations would take about 12 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.7 primary care, 8.4 mental health, 2.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Darke 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).
Darke 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. Darke County falls in the upper half of OH counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 88. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 39037. Population: 51,881.
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 Darke County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Family Health Services of Darke County, Inc. | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Family Health Services of Darke County, Inc. | dental | 20.0 |
| Darke-Miami-Shelby Mhca | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI-Darke County | dental | 13.0 |
| Family Health Services of Darke County, Inc. | primary_care | 12.0 |
| LI-Darke County | primary_care | 11.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Darke County
Peak severity leads this reading: Darke County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Darke County's shortage runs equally deep in mental health and dental care: both scored 20.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 12.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 56.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Darke 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.
Darke County falls in the upper half of OH counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 88. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Darke County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Darke County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Darke County's active designations: about 12 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 Darke County, OH · 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 Darke County's designations
Darke County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Darke County's 6 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 OH before you draw conclusions from a single score. OH 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.
Nearby mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Darke County's 20.0. Open Buncombe County, NC or Mohave County, AZ next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Darke County's mental score of 20.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 20.0 (severity lead on this page is “Family Health Services of Darke County, Inc.”).
Buncombe County, NC
20.0 mental score · 269,452 pop.
Mohave County, AZ
20.0 mental score · 213,267 pop.
Portage County, OH
20.0 mental score · 161,791 pop.
Washington County, TN
20.0 mental score · 133,001 pop.
Fort Bend County, TX
20.0 mental score · 822,779 pop.
Onondaga County, NY
20.0 mental score · 476,516 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Darke County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Darke County carries an MUA designation (index 56.9; 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 Darke County's peak score of 20.0?
- "Family Health Services of Darke County, Inc." leads the active set (score 20.0; mental health; 14,308 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). 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 Darke County's severity reading?
- After "Family Health Services of Darke County, Inc.", the next active names on this release are "Family Health Services of Darke County, Inc.", "Family Health Services of Darke County, Inc.", "Darke-Miami-Shelby MHCA" and "LI-Darke County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~12 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Darke County's high-severity geography?
- Darke 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 "Family Health Services of Darke County, Inc.".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 39037. 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 39037 (Darke County, OH), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 20.0; signature peak score 20.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.