MD · Healthcare shortage profile
Caroline County, MD
Peak severity leads this reading: Caroline County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 33,293.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 33,293
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- 60.5
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Caroline County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 5
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Caroline 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 24.0 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 Caroline County's active designations would take about 4.7 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.9 primary care, 0.8 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Caroline County's 5 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 5).
Caroline County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
10 Census ZCTAs intersect Caroline 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
2 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, Caroline County carries 5 active designations, above 47% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Caroline County falls in the upper half of MD counties by active-designation volume, at rank 9 of 23. 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: 24011. Population: 33,293.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA 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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Caroline County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Choptank Community Health System, Inc. | dental | 24.0 |
| Choptank Community Health System, Inc. | mental_health | 23.0 |
| Choptank Community Health System, Inc. | primary_care | 20.0 |
| LI - Caroline County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI - Caroline County | mental_health | 16.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Caroline County
Peak severity leads this reading: Caroline County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Caroline County's deepest shortage reading, 24.0 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 23.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Caroline County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Caroline County falls in the upper half of MD counties by active-designation volume, at rank 9 of 23. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Caroline 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
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
1 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Caroline County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Caroline County's active designations: about 4.7 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 Caroline 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 Caroline County's designations
Caroline County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Caroline County's 5 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.
Nearby dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Caroline County's 24.0. Open Camuy County, PR or Aguas Buenas County, PR next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Caroline County's dental score of 24.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 24.0 (severity lead on this page is “CHOPTANK COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEM, INC.”).
Camuy County, PR
24.0 dental score · 32,827 pop.
Aguas Buenas County, PR
24.0 dental score · 24,223 pop.
Arroyo County, PR
24.0 dental score · 15,843 pop.
Atlantic County, NJ
24.0 dental score · 274,534 pop.
Sheboygan County, WI
24.0 dental score · 118,034 pop.
Apache County, AZ
24.0 dental score · 66,021 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Caroline County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Caroline County carries an MUA designation (index 60.5; 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 Caroline County's peak score of 24.0?
- "CHOPTANK COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEM, INC." leads the active set (score 24.0; dental; 26,347 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 5 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Caroline County's severity reading?
- After "CHOPTANK COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEM, INC.", the next active names on this release are "CHOPTANK COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEM, INC.", "CHOPTANK COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEM, INC.", "CHOPTANK COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEM, INC." and "LI - Caroline County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4.7 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Caroline County's high-severity geography?
- Caroline County's 5 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 "CHOPTANK COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEM, INC.".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 24011. 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 24011 (Caroline County, MD), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 24.0; signature peak score 24.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.