Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

VA · Healthcare shortage profile

Alexandria City County, VA

Peak severity leads this reading: Alexandria City County's highest active HPSA score is 13.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 159,467.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
159,467
Peak shortage score
13.0
MUA Index
61.0

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Alexandria City 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
A
Healthcare Access Score
88/100
Alexandria City County, VA

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.

Primary care A-
13.0 of 25
Primary care shortage severity (HPSA score)
Mental health A+
13.0 of 25
Mental health shortage severity (HPSA score)
Dental A+
9.0 of 26
Dental shortage severity (HPSA score)
Underserved status A+
IMU 61.0
Index of Medical Underservice (designated MUA)
Provider gap A
0.6 per 10K
Unmet provider need (HRSA-estimated) per 10,000 residents

Few Census ZCTAs touch Alexandria City County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Alexandria City County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

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.

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Alexandria City 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.

  1. Closing Alexandria City 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.

  2. 33.3% of Alexandria City 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).

  3. 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.

Corpus placement

Designated volume without a high-priority score

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Alexandria City 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. Alexandria City 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: 51510. Population: 159,467.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 61.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 13.0 Below priority line
Mental Health 13.0 Below priority line
Dental 9.0 Below priority line

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 Alexandria City County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI - Fairfax/Alexandria/Arlington Junction primary_care 13.0
ME - Alexandria City Mhca mental_health 13.0
LI - Fairfax/Alexandria/Arlington Junction dental 9.0

Light-burden reading for Alexandria City County

Peak severity leads this reading: Alexandria City County's highest active HPSA score is 13.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Alexandria City 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, indexed at 61.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Alexandria City 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.

Alexandria City 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 Alexandria City County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Alexandria City County's active designations: about 9.3 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Counties near Alexandria City 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”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Alexandria City County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Alexandria City County carries an MUA designation (index 61.0; 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 Alexandria City 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 Alexandria City 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 - Alexandria City MHCA". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~9.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 51510. 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 51510 (Alexandria City 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.