Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

PR · Healthcare shortage profile

Maricao County, PR

Peak severity leads this reading: Maricao County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 4,755.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
4,755
Peak shortage score
26.0
MUA Index
0.0
PR state overview → About this data

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Maricao County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

3
Active HPSA designations
1
Dental shortages
26
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 80%
US counties by volume

Few Census ZCTAs touch Maricao County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 2 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Maricao 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 Maricao 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 26.0 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 Maricao County's active designations would take about 3.6 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.8 primary care, 0.4 mental health, 1.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Maricao County's 3 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 3).

Corpus placement

Active-designation volume placement

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Maricao County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Maricao County falls in the upper half of PR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 21 of 78. 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: 72093. Population: 4,755.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 0.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 23.0
Mental Health 17.0
Dental 26.0

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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Maricao County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI - Maricao Municipio dental 26.0
LI - Maricao Municipio primary_care 23.0
LI - Maricao Municipio mental_health 17.0

Light-burden reading for Maricao County

Peak severity leads this reading: Maricao County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Maricao County's deepest shortage reading, 26.0 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 23.0 of 25; Mental health reads 17.0 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.

Maricao County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% 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.

Maricao County falls in the upper half of PR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 21 of 78. 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 Maricao County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Maricao County's active designations: about 3.6 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 Maricao 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 Maricao County's designations

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

  • Maricao County's 3 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 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.

Counties near Maricao County's dental score of 26.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 26.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Maricao Municipio”).

Tulare County, CA

26.0 dental score · 473,117 pop.

Frederick County, MD

26.0 dental score · 271,717 pop.

Hampshire County, MA

26.0 dental score · 162,308 pop.

Berkeley County, WV

26.0 dental score · 122,076 pop.

Klamath County, OR

26.0 dental score · 69,413 pop.

Marion County, IN

26.0 dental score · 977,203 pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Maricao County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Maricao 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 Maricao County's peak score of 26.0?
"LI - Maricao Municipio" leads the active set (score 26.0; dental; 5,473 people in the service area; ~1.4 FTE still needed on the record; designated 11/07/2023). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Maricao County's severity reading?
After "LI - Maricao Municipio", the next active names on this release are "LI - Maricao Municipio", "LI - Maricao Municipio" and "LI - Maricao Municipio". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.6 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 72093. 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 72093 (Maricao County, PR), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 26.0; signature peak score 26.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.