MA · Healthcare shortage profile
Middlesex County, MA
Peak severity leads this reading: Middlesex County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 1,632,002.
- Active HPSAs
- 8
- Population
- 1,632,002
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 59.9
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Middlesex County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 8 active HPSA designations, more than 73% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 8
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Mental-health shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 27%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Middlesex County
Middlesex County intersects 83 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
71 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 Middlesex 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 21.0 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 Middlesex County's active designations would take about 20 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 14 primary care, 5 mental health, 1.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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37.5% of Middlesex County's 8 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 8).
Middlesex County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
8 Top 27% higher than 73% of 3,289 real US counties
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. Middlesex County falls in the lower half of MA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 14. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 25017. Population: 1,632,002.
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 8 active (designated) HPSAs in Middlesex County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lowell Community Health Center, Inc. | mental_health | 21.0 |
| LI - Chelsea/Everett/Revere | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Chelsea/Everett/Revere | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI - Lowell City | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Souza Baranowski Correctional Center | dental | 12.0 |
| Lowell Community Health Center, Inc. | dental | 10.0 |
| Lowell Community Health Center, Inc. | primary_care | 9.0 |
| Souza Baranowski Correctional Center | primary_care | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Middlesex County
Peak severity leads this reading: Middlesex County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Middlesex County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 21.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 17.0 of 25; Dental care reads 12.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 59.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Middlesex County above 73% of real US counties (8 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 21.0. 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.
Middlesex County falls in the lower half of MA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 14. 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.
Middlesex 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
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Middlesex County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Middlesex County's active designations: about 20 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 Middlesex 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 a heavy-burden county
Middlesex County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Middlesex County's 8 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.
Counties With a Similar Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Middlesex County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Knox County, TN and Madison County, AL.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Middlesex County's mental score of 21.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “LOWELL COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.”).
Knox County, TN
21.0 mental score · 478,971 pop.
Madison County, AL
21.0 mental score · 388,153 pop.
St. Louis City County, MO
21.0 mental score · 301,578 pop.
Webb County, TX
21.0 mental score · 267,114 pop.
Wake County, NC
21.0 mental score · 1,129,410 pop.
Multnomah County, OR
21.0 mental score · 815,428 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Middlesex County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Middlesex County carries an MUA designation (index 59.9; 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 Middlesex County's peak score of 21.0?
- "LOWELL COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC." leads the active set (score 21.0; mental health; 35,689 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 8 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Middlesex County's severity reading?
- After "LOWELL COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.", the next active names on this release are "LOWELL COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.", "LI - Chelsea/Everett/Revere", "Chelsea/Everett/Revere" and "LI - Lowell City". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~20 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Middlesex County's high-severity geography?
- Middlesex County's 8 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 "LOWELL COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.".
- How does Middlesex County's peak severity sit inside MA?
- Middlesex County holds 8 active HPSA rows with peak 21.0. Middlesex County falls in the lower half of MA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 14. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Knox County, TN and Madison County, AL.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 25017. 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 25017 (Middlesex County, MA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 8; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.