Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

PA · Healthcare shortage profile

Bradford County, PA

Peak severity leads this reading: Bradford County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 59,967.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
59,967
Peak shortage score
16.0
MUA Index
60.0

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bradford County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

3
Active HPSA designations
1
Mental-health shortages
16
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 80%
US counties by volume
A-
Healthcare Access Score
80/100
Bradford County, PA

Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.

Primary care A-
13.0 of 25
Primary care shortage severity (HPSA score)
Mental health B+
16.0 of 25
Mental health shortage severity (HPSA score)
Dental A-
14.0 of 26
Dental shortage severity (HPSA score)
Underserved status A-
IMU 60.0
Index of Medical Underservice (designated MUA)
Provider gap A-
1.0 per 10K
Unmet provider need (HRSA-estimated) per 10,000 residents

Dense ZCTA lattice over Bradford County

Bradford County intersects 28 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

16 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 Bradford 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.

  1. Closing Bradford County's active designations would take about 5.9 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.9 primary care, 1.3 mental health, 2.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 33.3% of Bradford County's 3 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 3).

  3. 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.

Corpus placement

Designated volume without a high-priority score

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bradford County carries 3 active designations, above 20% 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. Bradford County falls in the lower half of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 37 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: 42015. Population: 59,967.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 60.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 13.0 Below priority line
Mental Health 16.0 Below priority line
Dental 14.0 Below priority line

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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Bradford County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI - Bradford County mental_health 16.0
LI-Bradford County dental 14.0
LI Canton primary_care 13.0

Light-burden reading for Bradford County

Peak severity leads this reading: Bradford County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Bradford County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 16.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 13.0 of 25; Dental care reads 14.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Bradford County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% 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.

Bradford County falls in the lower half of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 37 of 67. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.

Light-volume FTE gap for Bradford County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Bradford County's active designations: about 5.9 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Counties near Bradford County's mental score of 16.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Bradford County”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Bradford County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Bradford County carries an MUA designation (index 60.0; 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 Bradford County's peak score of 16.0?
"LI - Bradford County" leads the active set (score 16.0; mental health; 19,591 people in the service area; ~1.3 FTE still needed on the record; designated 12/23/2021). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Bradford County's severity reading?
After "LI - Bradford County", the next active names on this release are "LI - Bradford County", "LI-Bradford County" and "LI Canton". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~5.9 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 42015. 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 42015 (Bradford County, PA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.