MA · Healthcare shortage profile
Franklin County, MA
Peak severity leads this reading: Franklin County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 71,029.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 71,029
- Peak shortage score
- 22.0
- MUA Index
- 59.5
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Franklin 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
- Dental shortages
- 22
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Franklin County
Franklin County intersects 33 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
21 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 Franklin County, MA 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 22.0 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 Franklin County's active designations would take about 4.3 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.1 primary care, 2.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Franklin County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Franklin County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Franklin County falls in the lower half of MA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 of 14. 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: 25011. Population: 71,029.
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 Franklin County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Community Health Center OF Franklin County Inc | dental | 22.0 |
| Community Health Center OF Franklin County Inc | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Community Health Center OF Franklin County Inc | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI - Greenfield | dental | 16.0 |
| North Quabbin | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Greenfield/Charlemont | primary_care | 8.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Franklin County
Peak severity leads this reading: Franklin County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Franklin County's deepest shortage reading, 22.0 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 18.0 of 25; Mental health reads 17.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 59.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Franklin 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 (3/1/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Franklin County falls in the lower half of MA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 of 14. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Franklin 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
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
- Mental health 1
Mental health
1 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Franklin County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Franklin County's active designations: about 4.3 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 Franklin County, MA · 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 Franklin County's designations
Franklin County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Franklin 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 MA before you draw conclusions from a single score. MA 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 Franklin County's 22.0. Open Washington County, OR or Anchorage County, AK next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Franklin County's dental score of 22.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 22.0 (severity lead on this page is “COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OF FRANKLIN COUNTY INC”).
Washington County, OR
22.0 dental score · 600,372 pop.
Anchorage County, AK
22.0 dental score · 291,247 pop.
Kings County, CA
22.0 dental score · 152,486 pop.
Cattaraugus County, NY
22.0 dental score · 77,042 pop.
Lyon County, NV
22.0 dental score · 59,235 pop.
Williams County, ND
22.0 dental score · 40,950 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Franklin County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Franklin County carries an MUA designation (index 59.5; 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 Franklin County's peak score of 22.0?
- "COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OF FRANKLIN COUNTY INC" leads the active set (score 22.0; dental; 17,138 people in the service area; designated 08/26/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 3 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Franklin County's severity reading?
- After "COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OF FRANKLIN COUNTY INC", the next active names on this release are "COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OF FRANKLIN COUNTY INC", "COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OF FRANKLIN COUNTY INC", "COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OF FRANKLIN COUNTY INC" and "LI - Greenfield". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Franklin County's high-severity geography?
- Franklin 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 "COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OF FRANKLIN COUNTY INC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 25011. 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 25011 (Franklin County, MA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 22.0; signature peak score 22.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.