PA · Healthcare shortage profile
Wayne County, PA
Peak severity leads this reading: Wayne County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 51,155.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 51,155
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- 46.5
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Wayne 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
- 18
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Wayne County
Wayne County intersects 30 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
18 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 Wayne 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 18.0 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 Wayne County's active designations would take about 3.5 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.5 primary care, 0.9 mental health, 1.1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Wayne 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).
Wayne 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. Wayne County falls in the upper half of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 25 of 67. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 42127. Population: 51,155.
Single high-priority discipline
Wayne County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active mental health designations to Wayne County , with a peak score of 18.0. 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 mental health 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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Wayne County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Usp - Canaan | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers | dental | 13.0 |
| Usp - Canaan | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Usp - Canaan | dental | 12.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Wayne County
Peak severity leads this reading: Wayne County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Wayne County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 18.0 of 25, 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; Dental care reads 13.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 46.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Wayne 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.
Wayne County falls in the upper half of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 25 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 Wayne County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Wayne County's active designations: about 3.5 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Acting on Wayne County's high-priority mental health
Wayne County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Wayne County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health 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 mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Wayne County's 18.0. Open Caguas County, PR or Cuyahoga County, OH next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Wayne County's mental score of 18.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 18.0 (severity lead on this page is “Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers”).
Caguas County, PR
18.0 mental score · 127,244 pop.
Cuyahoga County, OH
18.0 mental score · 1,264,817 pop.
Adams County, CO
18.0 mental score · 519,572 pop.
Cumberland County, NC
18.0 mental score · 334,728 pop.
Clay County, FL
18.0 mental score · 218,245 pop.
Indian River County, FL
18.0 mental score · 159,788 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Wayne County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Wayne County carries an MUA designation (index 46.5; 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 Wayne County's peak score of 18.0?
- "Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers" leads the active set (score 18.0; mental health; 28,467 people in the service area; designated 01/09/2007). 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 Wayne County's severity reading?
- After "Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers", the next active names on this release are "Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers", "USP - Canaan", "Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers" and "USP - Canaan". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.5 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Wayne County's high-severity geography?
- Wayne 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 "Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 42127. 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 42127 (Wayne County, PA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 18.0; signature peak score 18.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.