PA · Healthcare shortage profile
Franklin County, PA
Peak severity leads this reading: Franklin County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 155,932.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 155,932
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 51.3
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Franklin 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
- Dental shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Franklin County
Franklin County intersects 31 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
19 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 Franklin County, PA 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 17.0 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 Franklin County's active designations would take about 0.7 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.4 primary care, 0.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Franklin County's 5 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 5).
Franklin County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
5 Top 53% higher than 47% 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. Franklin County falls in the upper half of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 32 of 67. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 42055. Population: 155,932.
Single high-priority discipline
Franklin County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is dental care
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active dental care designations to Franklin County , with a peak score of 17.0. 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 dental care 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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Franklin County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Keystone Rural Health Center | dental | 17.0 |
| Keystone Rural Health Center | primary_care | 12.0 |
| LI- Dry Run | primary_care | 11.0 |
| Keystone Rural Health Center | mental_health | 10.0 |
| LI-Dry Run | dental | 10.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Franklin County
Peak severity leads this reading: Franklin County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Franklin County's deepest shortage reading, 17.0 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 12.0 of 25; Mental health reads 10.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 51.3, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Franklin 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 (2/1/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Franklin County falls in the upper half of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 32 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 Franklin County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Franklin County's active designations: about 0.7 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Acting on Franklin County's high-priority dental care
Franklin County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Franklin County's high-priority dental care designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's dental care burden compares with the rest of PA before drawing conclusions from a single score. PA 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 dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Franklin County's 17.0. Open Will County, IL or Jackson County, MI next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Franklin County's dental score of 17.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 17.0 (severity lead on this page is “KEYSTONE RURAL HEALTH CENTER”).
Will County, IL
17.0 dental score · 696,355 pop.
Jackson County, MI
17.0 dental score · 160,366 pop.
Boone County, KY
17.0 dental score · 135,968 pop.
Craighead County, AR
17.0 dental score · 111,231 pop.
Sevier County, TN
17.0 dental score · 98,380 pop.
Burke County, NC
17.0 dental score · 87,570 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Franklin County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Franklin County carries an MUA designation (index 51.3; 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 Franklin County's peak score of 17.0?
- "KEYSTONE RURAL HEALTH CENTER" leads the active set (score 17.0; dental; 38,044 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 5 active rows: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Franklin County's severity reading?
- After "KEYSTONE RURAL HEALTH CENTER", the next active names on this release are "KEYSTONE RURAL HEALTH CENTER", "KEYSTONE RURAL HEALTH CENTER", "LI- Dry Run" and "KEYSTONE RURAL HEALTH CENTER". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~0.7 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Franklin County's high-severity geography?
- Franklin County's 5 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 "KEYSTONE RURAL HEALTH CENTER".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 42055. 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 42055 (Franklin County, PA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 17.0; signature peak score 17.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.