Medically Underserved Area Two high-priority disciplines

PR · Healthcare shortage profile

Barceloneta County, PR

Peak severity leads this reading: Barceloneta County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 22,657.

Active HPSAs
4
Population
22,657
Peak shortage score
25.0
MUA Index
0.0
PR state overview → About this data

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Barceloneta County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 4 active HPSA designations, more than 44% of the 3,289 real US counties, with dental the deepest gap.

4
Active HPSA designations
2
Dental shortages
25
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 56%
US counties by volume

Few Census ZCTAs touch Barceloneta County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 3 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Barceloneta County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

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 Barceloneta County, PR 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.

  1. 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.

  2. Closing Barceloneta County's active designations would take about 3.5 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 50% of Barceloneta County's 4 active designations are dental.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 4).

Barceloneta County vs. every real US county

Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none

4 Top 56% higher than 44% of 3,289 real US counties

0–20: 3,115 real US counties (95%). This entry sits in this band. 20–40: 128 real US counties (4%). Above this entry. 40–60: 32 real US counties (1%). Above this entry. 60–80: 7 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 80–100: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 100–120: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 120–140: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 140–160: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 160–180: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 180–200: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 200–220: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 220–240: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 240–260: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 260–280: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. This county 0 280 every real US county, bucketed by value

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. Barceloneta County falls in the upper quarter of PR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 78. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.

Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 72017. Population: 22,657.

2
Dental HPSAs
1
Mental Health HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 0.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 13.0
Mental Health 21.0
Dental 25.0

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 4 active (designated) HPSAs in Barceloneta County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Servicios DE Salud Primarios DE Barceloneta Inc dental 25.0
LI - Barceloneta Municipio dental 24.0
Servicios DE Salud Primarios DE Barceloneta Inc mental_health 21.0
Servicios DE Salud Primarios DE Barceloneta Inc primary_care 13.0

Moderate-burden reading for Barceloneta County

Peak severity leads this reading: Barceloneta County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Barceloneta 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 13.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 0.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Barceloneta County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 44% of counties) with 4 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (1/1/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.

Barceloneta County falls in the upper quarter of PR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 78. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.

Barceloneta County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Barceloneta County, PR · 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 Barceloneta County's designations

Barceloneta County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Barceloneta County's 4 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 dental burden compares with the rest of PR before you draw conclusions from a single score. PR 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 dental score peers

Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Barceloneta County's 25.0. Open Cook County, IL or Riverside County, CA next.

Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Cook County, IL

25.0 score 5,275,541 pop.

Riverside County, CA

25.0 score 2,418,185 pop.

Broward County, FL

25.0 score 1,944,375 pop.

Counties near Barceloneta 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 “SERVICIOS DE SALUD PRIMARIOS DE BARCELONETA INC”).

Cook County, IL

25.0 dental score · 5,275,541 pop.

Riverside County, CA

25.0 dental score · 2,418,185 pop.

Broward County, FL

25.0 dental score · 1,944,375 pop.

Bronx County, NY

25.0 dental score · 1,472,654 pop.

Salt Lake County, UT

25.0 dental score · 1,185,238 pop.

Fresno County, CA

25.0 dental score · 1,008,654 pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Barceloneta County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Barceloneta County carries an MUA designation (index 0.0; 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 Barceloneta County's peak score of 25.0?
"SERVICIOS DE SALUD PRIMARIOS DE BARCELONETA INC" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 36,313 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 4 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Barceloneta County's severity reading?
After "SERVICIOS DE SALUD PRIMARIOS DE BARCELONETA INC", the next active names on this release are "SERVICIOS DE SALUD PRIMARIOS DE BARCELONETA INC", "LI - Barceloneta Municipio", "SERVICIOS DE SALUD PRIMARIOS DE BARCELONETA INC" and "SERVICIOS DE SALUD PRIMARIOS DE BARCELONETA INC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.5 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Barceloneta County's high-severity geography?
Barceloneta County's 4 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 "SERVICIOS DE SALUD PRIMARIOS DE BARCELONETA INC".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 72017. 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 72017 (Barceloneta County, PR), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 4; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.