PA · Healthcare shortage profile
Union County, PA
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Union County's active designations would take about 19 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 42,681.
- Active HPSAs
- 7
- Population
- 42,681
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- -
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Union 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 dental the deepest gap.
- 7
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 30%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Union 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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Closing Union County's active designations would take about 19 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 7.3 primary care, 4.4 mental health, 7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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42.9% of Union County's 7 active designations are dental.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 7).
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Peak HPSA score 16.0 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.
Union County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
14 Census ZCTAs intersect Union County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
6 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.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Union County carries 7 active designations, above 70% 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. Union County falls in the upper half of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 67. 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: 42119. Population: 42,681.
Below high-priority line
Union County is designated, but no active score clears 17
7 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental), and the peak severity is 16.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.
Peak severity scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Union County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. 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 Union County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-Mifflinburg | dental | 16.0 |
| Fcc - Allenwood | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Usp - Lewisburg | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Usp - Lewisburg | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Fcc - Allenwood | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Usp - Lewisburg | dental | 12.0 |
| Fcc - Allenwood | dental | 12.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Union County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Union County's active designations would take about 19 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Dental care carries Union County's deepest shortage reading, 16.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 12.0 of 25; Mental health reads 12.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Union County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Volume places Union County above 70% of real US counties (7 active designations: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 16.0. 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.
Union County falls in the upper half of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 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.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Union County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 19 FTE across Union County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Counties with a matching designation count to Union County's 7
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 7 - the inventory behind the ~19 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Union County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~19 FTE, with primary care the largest slice (7.3). "LI-Mifflinburg" is the highest-scored active row (score 16.0; dental; 3,001 people in the service area; ~0.8 FTE still needed on the record; designated 04/17/2026). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Why is Union County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Union County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which named designations drive Union County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "LI-Mifflinburg", "FCC - Allenwood", "USP - Lewisburg" and "USP - Lewisburg". Discipline counts: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental across 7 designated rows.
- Do Union County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
- Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
- How does Union County's FTE burden compare inside PA?
- 7 active designations and ~19 FTE published need. Union County falls in the upper half of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 67. Score-nearest counties on this release include Somerset County, NJ and Schuylkill County, PA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 42119. 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 42119 (Union County, PA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 7; peak score 16.0; signature 19 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.