MD · Healthcare shortage profile
Somerset County, MD
Peak severity leads this reading: Somerset County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 24,620.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 24,620
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- 58.5
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Somerset 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
- Primary-care shortages
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Somerset 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 20.0 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 Somerset County's active designations would take about 4.9 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.6 primary care, 1.3 mental health, 1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Somerset 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).
Somerset County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 Census ZCTAs intersect Somerset 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
3 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.
Somerset County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
3 Top 80% higher than 20% 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. Somerset County falls in the lower half of MD counties by active-designation volume, at rank 13 of 23. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 24039. Population: 24,620.
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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Somerset County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Somerset County | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Somerset County | mental_health | 18.0 |
| ME-Somerset County | dental | 16.0 |
Light-burden reading for Somerset County
Peak severity leads this reading: Somerset County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Somerset County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 20.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 18.0 of 25; Dental care reads 16.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Somerset 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.
Somerset County falls in the lower half of MD counties by active-designation volume, at rank 13 of 23. 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 Somerset County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Somerset County's active designations: about 4.9 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 Somerset 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 Somerset County's designations
Somerset County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Somerset County's 3 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 near Somerset County's primary score of 20.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 20.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Somerset County”).
Humboldt County, CA
20.0 primary score · 136,463 pop.
Franklin County, OH
20.0 primary score · 1,323,807 pop.
Multnomah County, OR
20.0 primary score · 815,428 pop.
Sedgwick County, KS
20.0 primary score · 523,824 pop.
Horry County, SC
20.0 primary score · 351,029 pop.
Gaston County, NC
20.0 primary score · 227,943 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Somerset County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Somerset County carries an MUA designation (index 58.5; 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 Somerset County's peak score of 20.0?
- "LI - Somerset County" leads the active set (score 20.0; primary care; 7,924 people in the service area; ~2.6 FTE still needed on the record; designated 01/27/2026). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Somerset County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Somerset County", the next active names on this release are "LI - Somerset County", "Somerset County" and "ME-Somerset County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4.9 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 24039. 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 24039 (Somerset County, MD), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 20.0; signature peak score 20.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.