SC · Healthcare shortage profile
Clarendon County, SC
Peak severity leads this reading: Clarendon County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 31,144.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 31,144
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 59.5
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Clarendon 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
- Dental shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Clarendon County, SC 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 Clarendon County's active designations would take about 19 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2 primary care, 11 mental health, 5.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Clarendon 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).
Clarendon County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 Census ZCTAs intersect Clarendon County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
3 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.
Clarendon 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. Clarendon County falls in the upper half of SC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 46. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 45027. Population: 31,144.
Single high-priority discipline
Clarendon County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is dental care
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active dental care designations to Clarendon County , with a peak score of 21.0. 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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Clarendon County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Turbeville Correctional Institution | dental | 21.0 |
| LI-Clarendon County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Clarendon County | dental | 16.0 |
| Turbeville Correctional Institution | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Mhca Santee/Wateree | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Turbeville Correctional Institution | primary_care | 12.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Clarendon County
Peak severity leads this reading: Clarendon County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Clarendon 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 16.0 of 25; Mental health reads 15.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 59.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Clarendon 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.
Clarendon County falls in the upper half of SC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 46. 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 Clarendon County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Clarendon County's active designations: about 19 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Acting on Clarendon County's high-priority dental care
Clarendon County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Clarendon 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 SC before drawing conclusions from a single score. SC 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 Clarendon County's 21.0. Open Ventura County, CA or Monterey County, CA next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Clarendon County's dental score of 21.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “Turbeville Correctional Institution”).
Ventura County, CA
21.0 dental score · 843,843 pop.
Monterey County, CA
21.0 dental score · 439,035 pop.
Lorain County, OH
21.0 dental score · 312,964 pop.
Jefferson County, NY
21.0 dental score · 116,721 pop.
Flathead County, MT
21.0 dental score · 104,357 pop.
Putnam County, WV
21.0 dental score · 57,440 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Clarendon County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Clarendon County carries an MUA designation (index 59.5; 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 Clarendon County's peak score of 21.0?
- "Turbeville Correctional Institution" leads the active set (score 21.0; dental; 863 people in the service area; ~0.6 FTE still needed on the record; designated 09/04/2012). 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 Clarendon County's severity reading?
- After "Turbeville Correctional Institution", the next active names on this release are "Turbeville Correctional Institution", "LI-Clarendon County", "Clarendon County" and "Turbeville Correctional Institution". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~19 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Clarendon County's high-severity geography?
- Clarendon 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 "Turbeville Correctional Institution".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 45027. 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 45027 (Clarendon County, SC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.