Medically Underserved Area Mono-discipline · mental health

NJ · Healthcare shortage profile

Sussex County, NJ

Peak severity leads this reading: Sussex County's highest active HPSA score is 13.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 144,221.

Active HPSAs
1
Population
144,221
Peak shortage score
13.0
MUA Index
61.1

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Sussex County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 1 active HPSA designation, more than 2% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.

1
Active HPSA designations
1
Mental-health shortages
13
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 98%
US counties by volume

Dense ZCTA lattice over Sussex County

Sussex County intersects 22 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

10 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 Sussex County, NJ 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. Closing Sussex County's active designations would take about 6.2 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 6.2 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 100% of Sussex County's 1 active designations are mental health.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 1).

  3. Peak HPSA score 13.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.

    Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.

Corpus placement

Designated volume without a high-priority score

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Sussex County carries 1 active designation, above 2% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.

State peer position. Sussex County falls in the lower half of NJ counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 20. 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: 34037. Population: 144,221.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 61.1

Active HPSA scores

Mental Health 13.0

Current designated records only · mental health only on this FIPS. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?

Highest-severity HPSA designations

All 1 active (designated) HPSAs in Sussex County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Sussex County mental_health 13.0

Light-burden reading for Sussex County

Peak severity leads this reading: Sussex County's highest active HPSA score is 13.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Sussex County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 13.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Sussex County carries 1 active designation and sits below the national mid-pack (above 2% 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.

Sussex County falls in the lower half of NJ counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 20. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.

Counties near Sussex County's mental score of 13.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 13.0 (severity lead on this page is “Sussex County”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Sussex County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Sussex County carries an MUA designation (index 61.1; 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 Sussex County's peak score of 13.0?
"Sussex County" leads the active set (score 13.0; mental health; 30,000 people in the service area; ~6.2 FTE still needed on the record; designated 12/29/2022). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 1 active rows: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental.
What provider types does Sussex County's severity cover?
Active rows break down 0 primary care / 1 mental health / 0 dental. Closing published gaps would take about 6.2 additional clinician FTEs on this release.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 34037. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — 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 34037 (Sussex County, NJ), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 1; peak score 13.0; signature peak score 13.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.