MD · Healthcare shortage profile
Baltimore City County, MD
Peak severity leads this reading: Baltimore City County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 585,708.
- Active HPSAs
- 38
- Population
- 585,708
- Peak shortage score
- 26.0
- MUA Index
- 38.6
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Baltimore City County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 38 active HPSA designations, more than 98% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 38
- Active HPSA designations
- 8
- Dental shortages
- 26
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 2%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Baltimore City County, MD 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 26.0 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 Baltimore City County's active designations would take about 150 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 98 primary care, 21 mental health, 30 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Baltimore City County's 38 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 19 primary care, 11 mental health, 8 dental (denominator 38).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Baltimore City County
Baltimore City County intersects 33 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
21 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
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Baltimore City County carries 38 active designations, above 98% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Baltimore City County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 23 real counties in MD. 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: 24510. Population: 585,708.
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 38 active (designated) HPSAs in Baltimore City County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Total Health Care, Inc. | dental | 26.0 |
| Health Care For Homeless Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| Baltimore Medical System, Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| Chase Brexton Health Services Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| Park West Health Systems, Incorporated | dental | 25.0 |
| Health Care For Homeless Inc | primary_care | 24.0 |
| Total Health Care, Inc. | primary_care | 23.0 |
| Park West Health Systems, Incorporated | primary_care | 23.0 |
| Baltimore Medical System, Inc. | primary_care | 23.0 |
| LI - Southern Baltimore City | primary_care | 22.0 |
| Chase Brexton Health Services Inc. | primary_care | 22.0 |
| LI - North Central Baltimore City | primary_care | 22.0 |
| Baltimore Medical System, Inc. | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Total Health Care, Inc. | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Park West Health Systems, Incorporated | mental_health | 22.0 |
| LI - East & Southeast Baltimore City | primary_care | 21.0 |
| LI - Pimlico/Park Heights/Falstaff | primary_care | 21.0 |
| LI - Greater Charles Village/Lower Guilford | primary_care | 21.0 |
| LI - East Central Baltimore City | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Chase Brexton Health Services Inc. | mental_health | 21.0 |
| ME-West Baltimore City | primary_care | 19.0 |
| LI - East Baltimore City | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Health Care For Homeless Inc | mental_health | 19.0 |
| LI - Southeastern Baltimore City | mental_health | 19.0 |
| LI - West Central Baltimore City | dental | 19.0 |
| LI - Northwest Baltimore City | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI - West Central Baltimore City | mental_health | 18.0 |
| HN - West Central Baltimore City | primary_care | 17.0 |
| ME-Harford SA | primary_care | 17.0 |
| HN - West Baltimore City | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI - South Baltimore City | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI - East Baltimore City | dental | 17.0 |
| ME-Glen-Falstaff | primary_care | 16.0 |
| North Baltimore | primary_care | 14.0 |
| ME - Southeast Baltimore City | dental | 11.0 |
| ME-Southern Park Heights | primary_care | 9.0 |
| CF-Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center | primary_care | 6.0 |
| CF-Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center | mental_health | 6.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Baltimore City County
Peak severity leads this reading: Baltimore City County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Baltimore City County's deepest shortage reading, 26.0 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 24.0 of 25; Mental health reads 22.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 38.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Baltimore City County above 98% of real US counties (38 active designations: 19 primary care, 11 mental health, 8 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 26.0. 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.
Baltimore City County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 23 real counties in MD. 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.
Baltimore City 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
19 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
11 designations
- Dental
Dental
8 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Baltimore City County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Baltimore City County's active designations: about 150 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 Baltimore City County, MD · 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
Baltimore City County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Baltimore City County's 38 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 MD before you draw conclusions from a single score. MD 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 Baltimore City County's 26.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Guam County, GU and Van Buren County, MI.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Baltimore City County's dental score of 26.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 26.0 (severity lead on this page is “TOTAL HEALTH CARE, INC.”).
Guam County, GU
26.0 dental score · 153,836 pop.
Van Buren County, MI
26.0 dental score · 75,587 pop.
Hancock County, ME
26.0 dental score · 55,478 pop.
Pinellas County, FL
26.0 dental score · 959,107 pop.
Passaic County, NJ
26.0 dental score · 524,118 pop.
Rockland County, NY
26.0 dental score · 338,329 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Baltimore City County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Baltimore City County carries an MUA designation (index 38.6; 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 Baltimore City County's peak score of 26.0?
- "TOTAL HEALTH CARE, INC." leads the active set (score 26.0; dental; 203,742 people in the service area; designated 11/25/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 38 active rows: 19 primary care, 11 mental health, 8 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Baltimore City County's severity reading?
- After "TOTAL HEALTH CARE, INC.", the next active names on this release are "TOTAL HEALTH CARE, INC.", "HEALTH CARE FOR HOMELESS INC", "BALTIMORE MEDICAL SYSTEM, INC." and "CHASE BREXTON HEALTH SERVICES INC.". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~150 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Baltimore City County's high-severity geography?
- Baltimore City County's 38 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 "TOTAL HEALTH CARE, INC.".
- How does Baltimore City County's peak severity sit inside MD?
- Baltimore City County holds 38 active HPSA rows with peak 26.0. Baltimore City County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 23 real counties in MD. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Guam County, GU and Van Buren County, MI.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 24510. 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 24510 (Baltimore City County, MD), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 38; peak score 26.0; signature peak score 26.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.