VA · Healthcare shortage profile
Orange County, VA
Peak severity leads this reading: Orange County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 36,254.
- Active HPSAs
- 2
- Population
- 36,254
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- -
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Orange County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 2 active HPSA designations, more than 10% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 2
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 90%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Orange County, VA 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.
-
Closing Orange County's active designations would take about 7.2 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.4 mental health, 4.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
50% of Orange County's 2 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 2).
-
Peak HPSA score 16.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.
Orange County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
13 Census ZCTAs intersect Orange 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
5 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.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Orange County carries 2 active designations, above 10% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.
State peer position. Orange County falls in the lower half of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 102 of 133. Ties share a rank.
Computed from current designated HPSA rows for every five-digit county FIPS. See the placement methodology.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 51137. Population: 36,254.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Orange County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 2 active (designated) HPSAs in Orange County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI – Rappahannock/Rapidan Mhca | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Orange County | dental | 12.0 |
Light-burden reading for Orange County
Peak severity leads this reading: Orange County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Orange County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 16.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Dental care reads 12.0 of 26. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Orange County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Orange County carries 2 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 10% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.
Orange County falls in the lower half of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 102 of 133. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Light-volume FTE gap for Orange County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Orange County's active designations: about 7.2 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Orange County's mental score of 16.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI – Rappahannock/Rapidan MHCA”).
Randolph County, NC
16.0 mental score · 144,171 pop.
Wayne County, OH
16.0 mental score · 116,894 pop.
Laramie County, WY
16.0 mental score · 100,512 pop.
Cullman County, AL
16.0 mental score · 87,866 pop.
St. Lucie County, FL
16.0 mental score · 329,226 pop.
Deschutes County, OR
16.0 mental score · 198,253 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Orange County's peak score of 16.0?
- "LI – Rappahannock/Rapidan MHCA" leads the active set (score 16.0; mental health; 35,773 people in the service area; ~2.4 FTE still needed on the record; designated 08/19/2025). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 2 active rows: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Why is Orange County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Orange County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which other active designations sit under Orange County's severity reading?
- After "LI – Rappahannock/Rapidan MHCA", the next active names on this release are "LI – Rappahannock/Rapidan MHCA" and "Orange County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~7.2 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 51137. This county’s designations come from 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 51137 (Orange County, VA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 2; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.