PA · Healthcare shortage profile
Erie County, PA
Designation volume is the standout signal for Erie County: 16 active HPSA records, above 92% of real US counties. Population 270,876.
- Active HPSAs
- 16
- Population
- 270,876
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- 55.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Erie County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 16 active HPSA designations, more than 92% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 16
- Active HPSA designations
- 6
- Dental shortages
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 8%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Erie County, PA 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 23.0 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 Erie County's active designations would take about 11 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.8 primary care, 8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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37.5% of Erie County's 16 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 6 primary care, 4 mental health, 6 dental (denominator 16).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Erie County
Erie County intersects 35 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
23 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.
Erie County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
16 Top 8% higher than 92% 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. Erie County falls in the upper quarter of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 67. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 42049. Population: 270,876.
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 16 active (designated) HPSAs in Erie County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Cultural Health Evaluation Delivery System, Inc. | dental | 23.0 |
| Multi-Cultural Health Evaluation Delivery System, Inc. | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Community Health Net | dental | 21.0 |
| Corry Memorial Hospital Rural Health Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Corry Memorial Hospital Rural Health Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| Multi-Cultural Health Evaluation Delivery System, Inc. | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Corry Memorial Hospital Rural Health Clinic | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Community Health Net | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Community Health Net | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Union City Rural Health Clinic | mental_health | 12.0 |
| CF-State Correctional Institution - Albion | dental | 12.0 |
| LI - Erie County | dental | 12.0 |
| Union City Rural Health Clinic | dental | 11.0 |
| Union City Rural Health Clinic | primary_care | 10.0 |
| LI-Erie County | primary_care | 10.0 |
| CF-State Correctional Institution - Albion | primary_care | 6.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Erie County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Erie County: 16 active HPSA records, above 92% of real US counties. Dental care carries Erie County's deepest shortage reading, 23.0 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 14.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 55.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Erie County above 92% of real US counties (16 active designations: 6 primary care, 4 mental health, 6 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 23.0. 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.
Erie County falls in the upper quarter of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 67. 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.
Erie County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Dental
Dental
6 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
4 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Erie County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Erie County's active designations: about 11 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 Erie County, PA · 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
Erie County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Erie County's 16 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 PA before you draw conclusions from a single score. PA 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 Erie County's 23.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Spartanburg County, SC and Cumberland County, PA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Erie County (16 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 16 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Erie County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Erie County carries an MUA designation (index 55.0; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- What makes up Erie County's 16 active HPSA designations?
- 16 Designated rows (6 primary care, 4 mental health, 6 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "MULTI-CULTURAL HEALTH EVALUATION DELIVERY SYSTEM, INC." (score 23.0; dental; 30,760 people in the service area; designated 08/18/2019). Also active: "MULTI-CULTURAL HEALTH EVALUATION DELIVERY SYSTEM, INC.", "COMMUNITY HEALTH NET", "CORRY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL RURAL HEALTH CLINIC". Above 92% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Erie County?
- Peak active score 23.0 in dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 16 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Erie County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 11 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "MULTI-CULTURAL HEALTH EVALUATION DELIVERY SYSTEM, INC." is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Erie County's designation volume?
- 16 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
- How does Erie County's volume compare inside PA?
- 16 active HPSA rows · peak 23.0. Erie County falls in the upper quarter of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 67. Score-nearest counties on this release include Spartanburg County, SC and Cumberland County, PA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 42049. 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 42049 (Erie County, PA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 16; peak score 23.0; signature 16 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.