DE · Healthcare shortage profile
New Castle County, DE
Peak severity leads this reading: New Castle County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 570,719.
- Active HPSAs
- 22
- Population
- 570,719
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 57.2
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, New Castle County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 22 active HPSA designations, more than 96% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 22
- Active HPSA designations
- 7
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 4%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for New Castle County, DE 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 New Castle County's active designations would take about 75 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 30 primary care, 14 mental health, 31 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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36.4% of New Castle County's 22 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 7 primary care, 8 mental health, 7 dental (denominator 22).
Dense ZCTA lattice over New Castle County
New Castle County intersects 32 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
20 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.
New Castle County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
22 Top 4% higher than 96% 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. New Castle County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 3 real counties in DE. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 10003. Population: 570,719.
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 22 active (designated) HPSAs in New Castle County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Westside Family Healthcare Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| Southbridge Medical Advisory Council, Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| Westside Family Healthcare Inc | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Southbridge Medical Advisory Council, Inc. | primary_care | 20.0 |
| LI - Wilmington/Stanton/Newark | dental | 17.0 |
| LI - Wilmington/Stanton/Newark | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI - Wilmington/Stanton/Newark | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Westside Family Healthcare Inc | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Southbridge Medical Advisory Council, Inc. | mental_health | 15.0 |
| CF-James T. Vaughn Correctional Center | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Baylor Women's Correctional Institution | mental_health | 6.0 |
| James T. Vaughn Correctional Center | mental_health | 6.0 |
| CF-Howard Young Correctional Institution | mental_health | 6.0 |
| CF-Howard R. Young Correctional Institution | mental_health | 6.0 |
| CF-Howard Young Correctional Institution | dental | 6.0 |
| Baylor Women's Correctional Institution | dental | 6.0 |
| James T. Vaughn Correctional Center | dental | 6.0 |
| CF-Howard R. Young Correctional Institution | dental | 6.0 |
| James T. Vaughn Correctional Center | primary_care | 3.0 |
| CF-Howard R. Young Correctional Institution | primary_care | 3.0 |
| Baylor Women's Correctional Institution | primary_care | 3.0 |
| CF-Howard R. Young Correctional Institution | primary_care | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for New Castle County
Peak severity leads this reading: New Castle County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries New Castle 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 16.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places New Castle County above 96% of real US counties (22 active designations: 7 primary care, 8 mental health, 7 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.
New Castle County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 3 real counties in DE. 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.
New Castle County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
7 designations
- Dental
Dental
7 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in New Castle County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for New Castle County's active designations: about 75 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 New Castle County, DE · 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
New Castle County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- New Castle County's 22 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 DE before you draw conclusions from a single score. DE 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 New Castle 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 New Castle 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 “WESTSIDE FAMILY HEALTHCARE 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 New Castle County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - New Castle County carries an MUA designation (index 57.2; 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 New Castle County's peak score of 25.0?
- "WESTSIDE FAMILY HEALTHCARE INC" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 107,467 people in the service area; designated 11/21/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 22 active rows: 7 primary care, 8 mental health, 7 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under New Castle County's severity reading?
- After "WESTSIDE FAMILY HEALTHCARE INC", the next active names on this release are "WESTSIDE FAMILY HEALTHCARE INC", "SOUTHBRIDGE MEDICAL ADVISORY COUNCIL, INC.", "WESTSIDE FAMILY HEALTHCARE INC" and "SOUTHBRIDGE MEDICAL ADVISORY COUNCIL, INC.". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~75 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow New Castle County's high-severity geography?
- New Castle County's 22 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 "WESTSIDE FAMILY HEALTHCARE INC".
- How does New Castle County's peak severity sit inside DE?
- New Castle County holds 22 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. New Castle County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 3 real counties in DE. 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: 10003. 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 10003 (New Castle County, DE), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 22; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.