SC · Healthcare shortage profile
Lee County, SC
Peak severity leads this reading: Lee County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 16,531.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 16,531
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- 29.5
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lee 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
- Primary-care shortages
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Lee 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 24.0 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 Lee 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): 4.3 primary care, 11 mental health, 3.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Lee 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).
Lee County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 Census ZCTAs intersect Lee 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
4 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.
Lee 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. Lee 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: 45061. Population: 16,531.
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 Lee County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lee Correctional Institution | primary_care | 24.0 |
| Lee County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Lee County | dental | 18.0 |
| Lee Correctional Institution | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Mhca Santee/Wateree | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Lee Correctional Institution | dental | 12.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Lee County
Peak severity leads this reading: Lee County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Lee County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 24.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 15.0 of 25; Dental care reads 18.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 29.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Lee 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.
Lee 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.
Lee County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Lee County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Lee County's active designations: about 19 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 Lee County, SC · 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 Lee County's designations
Lee County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Lee 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 SC before you draw conclusions from a single score. SC 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 primary-care score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Lee County's 24.0. Open Jones County, MS or Greene County, GA next.
Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Lee County's primary score of 24.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 24.0 (severity lead on this page is “Lee Correctional Institution”).
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Lee County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Lee County carries an MUA designation (index 29.5; 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 Lee County's peak score of 24.0?
- "Lee Correctional Institution" leads the active set (score 24.0; primary care; 1,279 people in the service area; ~1.3 FTE still needed on the record; designated 03/06/2009). 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 Lee County's severity reading?
- After "Lee Correctional Institution", the next active names on this release are "Lee Correctional Institution", "Lee County", "Lee County" and "Lee Correctional Institution". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~19 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Lee County's high-severity geography?
- Lee 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 "Lee Correctional Institution".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 45061. 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 45061 (Lee County, SC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 24.0; signature peak score 24.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.