VA · Healthcare shortage profile
Arlington County, VA
Peak severity leads this reading: Arlington County's highest active HPSA score is 13.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 238,643.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 238,643
- Peak shortage score
- 13.0
- MUA Index
- MUA
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Arlington 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
- 13
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- US counties by volume
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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Arlington County, VA 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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Closing Arlington County's active designations would take about 9.3 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 5.4 primary care, 1.2 mental health, 2.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Arlington 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).
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Peak HPSA score 13.0 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.
Arlington County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 Census ZCTAs intersect Arlington 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
4 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
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Arlington 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. Arlington County falls in the upper half of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 55 of 133. 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: 51013. Population: 238,643.
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 Arlington County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Fairfax/Alexandria/Arlington Junction | primary_care | 13.0 |
| ME - Arlington County Mhca | mental_health | 13.0 |
| LI - Fairfax/Alexandria/Arlington Junction | dental | 9.0 |
Light-burden reading for Arlington County
Peak severity leads this reading: Arlington County's highest active HPSA score is 13.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Arlington County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health: both scored 13.0 by HRSA, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Dental care reads 9.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, a separate HRSA designation from the HPSA records above.
Arlington 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.
Arlington County falls in the upper half of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 55 of 133. 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 Arlington County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Arlington County's active designations: about 9.3 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Arlington County's primary score of 13.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 13.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Fairfax/Alexandria/Arlington Junction”).
Cache County, UT
13.0 primary score · 133,154 pop.
Burke County, NC
13.0 primary score · 87,570 pop.
Aroostook County, ME
13.0 primary score · 67,105 pop.
Coffee County, AL
13.0 primary score · 53,465 pop.
Clinton County, PA
13.0 primary score · 37,450 pop.
Ocean County, NJ
13.0 primary score · 637,229 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Arlington County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Arlington County carries an MUA designation in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Which record sets Arlington County's peak score of 13.0?
- "LI - Fairfax/Alexandria/Arlington Junction" leads the active set (score 13.0; primary care; 19,094 people in the service area; ~5.4 FTE still needed on the record; designated 08/07/2025). 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 Arlington County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Fairfax/Alexandria/Arlington Junction", the next active names on this release are "LI - Fairfax/Alexandria/Arlington Junction" and "ME - Arlington County MHCA". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~9.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 51013. 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 51013 (Arlington County, VA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 13.0; signature peak score 13.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.