NY · Healthcare shortage profile
St. Lawrence County, NY
Peak severity leads this reading: St. Lawrence County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 108,505.
- Active HPSAs
- 12
- Population
- 108,505
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 57.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, St. Lawrence County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 12 active HPSA designations, more than 85% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 12
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 15%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over St. Lawrence County
St. Lawrence County intersects 54 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
42 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 St. Lawrence County, NY 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 25.0 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 St. Lawrence County's active designations would take about 18 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 8.1 primary care, 2.4 mental health, 8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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41.7% of St. Lawrence County's 12 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 5 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 12).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, St. Lawrence County carries 12 active designations, above 85% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. St. Lawrence County falls in the upper quarter of NY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 of 62. 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: 36089. Population: 108,505.
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 12 active (designated) HPSAs in St. Lawrence County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| United Cerebral Palsy Association OF The North Country, Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| United Cerebral Palsy Association OF The North Country, Inc. | mental_health | 22.0 |
| United Cerebral Palsy Association OF The North Country, Inc. | primary_care | 21.0 |
| ME - St. Lawrence County | dental | 18.0 |
| Edwards Health Center | primary_care | 17.0 |
| ME - St. Lawrence County | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Edwards Health Center | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Edwards Health Center | dental | 17.0 |
| ME - St. Lawrence County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Gouverneur Correctional Facility | dental | 12.0 |
| Gouverneur Correctional Facility | mental_health | 6.0 |
| Riverview Correctional Facility | mental_health | 6.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for St. Lawrence County
Peak severity leads this reading: St. Lawrence County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries St. Lawrence County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 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 21.0 of 25; Mental health reads 22.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places St. Lawrence County above 85% of real US counties (12 active designations: 3 primary care, 5 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 25.0. 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.
St. Lawrence County falls in the upper quarter of NY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 of 62. 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.
St. Lawrence 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
5 designations
- Dental
Dental
4 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in St. Lawrence County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for St. Lawrence County's active designations: about 18 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 St. Lawrence County, NY · 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
St. Lawrence County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- St. Lawrence County's 12 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 mental health burden compares with the rest of NY before you draw conclusions from a single score. NY 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 Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to St. Lawrence County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Fulton County, GA and Erie County, NY.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near St. Lawrence County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY ASSOCIATION OF THE NORTH COUNTRY, INC.”).
Fulton County, GA
25.0 dental score · 1,066,710 pop.
Erie County, NY
25.0 dental score · 954,236 pop.
El Paso County, TX
25.0 dental score · 865,657 pop.
Miami-Dade County, FL
25.0 dental score · 2,701,767 pop.
Tarrant County, TX
25.0 dental score · 2,110,640 pop.
Philadelphia County, PA
25.0 dental score · 1,603,797 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does St. Lawrence County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - St. Lawrence County carries an MUA designation (index 57.0; 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 St. Lawrence County's peak score of 25.0?
- "UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY ASSOCIATION OF THE NORTH COUNTRY, INC." leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 30,438 people in the service area; designated 02/17/2006). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 12 active rows: 3 primary care, 5 mental health, 4 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under St. Lawrence County's severity reading?
- After "UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY ASSOCIATION OF THE NORTH COUNTRY, INC.", the next active names on this release are "UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY ASSOCIATION OF THE NORTH COUNTRY, INC.", "UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY ASSOCIATION OF THE NORTH COUNTRY, INC.", "UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY ASSOCIATION OF THE NORTH COUNTRY, INC." and "ME - St. Lawrence County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~18 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow St. Lawrence County's high-severity geography?
- St. Lawrence County's 12 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 "UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY ASSOCIATION OF THE NORTH COUNTRY, INC.".
- How does St. Lawrence County's peak severity sit inside NY?
- St. Lawrence County holds 12 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. St. Lawrence County falls in the upper quarter of NY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 of 62. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Fulton County, GA and Erie County, NY.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 36089. 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 36089 (St. Lawrence County, NY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 12; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.