VA · Healthcare shortage profile
Richmond City County, VA
Peak severity leads this reading: Richmond City County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 226,610.
- Active HPSAs
- 12
- Population
- 226,610
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 58.7
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Richmond City County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 12 active HPSA designations, more than 85% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 12
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 15%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Richmond City County
Richmond City County intersects 17 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
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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Richmond City 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.
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Peak HPSA score 25.0 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 Richmond City County's active designations would take about 29 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 9.1 primary care, 3.3 mental health, 16 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Richmond City County's 12 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 12).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Richmond City County carries 12 active designations, above 85% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Richmond City County sits among the top three county rank positions in VA, at rank 2 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: 51760. Population: 226,610.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity 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 12 active (designated) HPSAs in Richmond City County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Planet, Incorporated | dental | 25.0 |
| Capital Area Health Network | dental | 25.0 |
| Capital Area Health Network | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Daily Planet, Incorporated | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Capital Area Health Network | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Daily Planet, Incorporated | mental_health | 19.0 |
| LI - Richmond City | dental | 17.0 |
| Mid-Atlantic Service Unit | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI-Richmond City | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Mid-Atlantic Service Unit | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI-Richmond City | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Mid-Atlantic Service Unit | dental | 15.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Richmond City County
Peak severity leads this reading: Richmond City County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Richmond City County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 20.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Richmond City County above 85% of real US counties (12 active designations: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 25.0. The table on this page lists the highest-severity records first so a reader can see which named facilities, geographies, or population groups drive that burden without treating the county total as a personal appointment forecast.
Richmond City County sits among the top three county rank positions in VA, at rank 2 of 133. Heavy-burden counties are where NHSC placement, Community Health Center grant geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the county boundary alone.
Richmond City 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
4 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
4 designations
- Dental
Dental
4 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Richmond City County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Richmond City County's active designations: about 29 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 Richmond City County, VA · 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 a heavy-burden county
Richmond City County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Richmond City County's 12 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 VA before you draw conclusions from a single score. VA 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.
Counties With a Similar Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Richmond City County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Wayne County, MI and Travis County, TX.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Richmond City County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “DAILY PLANET, INCORPORATED”).
Wayne County, MI
25.0 dental score · 1,793,561 pop.
Travis County, TX
25.0 dental score · 1,290,188 pop.
Wake County, NC
25.0 dental score · 1,129,410 pop.
Capitol County, CT
25.0 dental score · 977,165 pop.
Macomb County, MI
25.0 dental score · 881,217 pop.
San Diego County, CA
25.0 dental score · 3,298,634 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Richmond City County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Richmond City County carries an MUA designation (index 58.7; 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 Richmond City County's peak score of 25.0?
- "DAILY PLANET, INCORPORATED" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 130,118 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 12 active rows: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Richmond City County's severity reading?
- After "DAILY PLANET, INCORPORATED", the next active names on this release are "DAILY PLANET, INCORPORATED", "CAPITAL AREA HEALTH NETWORK", "CAPITAL AREA HEALTH NETWORK" and "DAILY PLANET, INCORPORATED". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~29 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Richmond City County's high-severity geography?
- Richmond City County's 12 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 "DAILY PLANET, INCORPORATED".
- How does Richmond City County's peak severity sit inside VA?
- Richmond City County holds 12 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Richmond City County sits among the top three county rank positions in VA, at rank 2 of 133. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Wayne County, MI and Travis County, TX.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 51760. 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 51760 (Richmond City County, VA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 12; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.