NJ · Healthcare shortage profile
Ocean County, NJ
Peak severity leads this reading: Ocean County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 637,229.
- Active HPSAs
- 7
- Population
- 637,229
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 59.3
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Ocean County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 7 active HPSA designations, more than 70% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 7
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Mental-health shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 30%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Ocean County
Ocean County intersects 30 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
18 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 Ocean 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.
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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 Ocean County's active designations would take about 2.2 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.2 primary care. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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42.9% of Ocean County's 7 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 7).
Ocean County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
7 Top 30% higher than 70% 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. Ocean County falls in the upper half of NJ counties by active-designation volume, at rank 7 of 20. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 34029. Population: 637,229.
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 7 active (designated) HPSAs in Ocean County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lakewood Resource & Referral Center | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Lakewood Resource & Referral Center | dental | 20.0 |
| Ocean Health Initiatives, Inc | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Ocean Health Initiatives, Inc | dental | 16.0 |
| Lakewood Resource & Referral Center | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Lakewood SA | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Ocean Health Initiatives, Inc | primary_care | 8.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Ocean County
Peak severity leads this reading: Ocean County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Ocean 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 13.0 of 25; Dental care reads 20.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 59.3, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Ocean County above 70% of real US counties (7 active designations: 3 primary care, 2 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.
Ocean County falls in the upper half of NJ counties by active-designation volume, at rank 7 of 20. 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.
Ocean County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Ocean County, NJ · 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
Ocean County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Ocean County's 7 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 NJ before you draw conclusions from a single score. NJ 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 Ocean County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Merced County, CA and King County, WA.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Ocean 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 “LAKEWOOD RESOURCE & REFERRAL CENTER”).
Merced County, CA
21.0 mental score · 281,202 pop.
King County, WA
21.0 mental score · 2,269,675 pop.
Westchester County, NY
21.0 mental score · 1,004,457 pop.
Lake County, IL
21.0 mental score · 714,342 pop.
Summit County, OH
21.0 mental score · 540,428 pop.
Sarasota County, FL
21.0 mental score · 434,006 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Ocean County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Ocean County carries an MUA designation (index 59.3; 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 Ocean County's peak score of 21.0?
- "LAKEWOOD RESOURCE & REFERRAL CENTER" leads the active set (score 21.0; mental health; 72,250 people in the service area; designated 01/07/2009). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 7 active rows: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Ocean County's severity reading?
- After "LAKEWOOD RESOURCE & REFERRAL CENTER", the next active names on this release are "LAKEWOOD RESOURCE & REFERRAL CENTER", "LAKEWOOD RESOURCE & REFERRAL CENTER", "OCEAN HEALTH INITIATIVES, INC" and "OCEAN HEALTH INITIATIVES, INC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2.2 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Ocean County's high-severity geography?
- Ocean County's 7 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 "LAKEWOOD RESOURCE & REFERRAL CENTER".
- How does Ocean County's peak severity sit inside NJ?
- Ocean County holds 7 active HPSA rows with peak 21.0. Ocean County falls in the upper half of NJ counties by active-designation volume, at rank 7 of 20. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Merced County, CA and King County, WA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 34029. 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 34029 (Ocean County, NJ), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 7; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.