VA · Healthcare shortage profile
Caroline County, VA
Peak severity leads this reading: Caroline County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 30,887.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 30,887
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- 61.0
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
- 2
- Primary-care shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- 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 Caroline 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.
-
Closing Caroline County's active designations would take about 11 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 6.7 primary care, 3.7 mental health, 0.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
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).
-
Peak HPSA score 16.0 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.
Caroline County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 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
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.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Caroline County carries 5 active designations, above 47% 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. Caroline County falls in the upper half of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 48 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: 51033. Population: 30,887.
Below high-priority line
Caroline County is designated, but no active score clears 17
5 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental), and the peak severity is 16.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Caroline County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI - Rappahannock Area Mhca | mental_health | 15.0 |
| CF-Caroline Detention Facility | mental_health | 12.0 |
| CF-Caroline Detention Facility | dental | 12.0 |
| Caroline Detention Center | primary_care | 9.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Caroline County
Peak severity leads this reading: Caroline County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Caroline County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 16.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Mental health reads 15.0 of 25; Dental care reads 12.0 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.
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 VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 48 of 133. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Caroline County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Caroline County's active designations: about 11 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Caroline County's primary score of 16.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “Caroline County”).
Madera County, CA
16.0 primary score · 156,255 pop.
Hardin County, KY
16.0 primary score · 110,702 pop.
Garland County, AR
16.0 primary score · 100,180 pop.
San Francisco County, CA
16.0 primary score · 873,965 pop.
Clackamas County, OR
16.0 primary score · 421,401 pop.
Norfolk City County, VA
16.0 primary score · 238,005 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Caroline County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Caroline 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 Caroline County's peak score of 16.0?
- "Caroline County" leads the active set (score 16.0; primary care; 7,088 people in the service area; ~6.6 FTE still needed on the record; designated 06/07/1978). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. 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 "Caroline County", the next active names on this release are "Caroline County", "LI - Rappahannock Area MHCA", "CF-Caroline Detention Facility" and "Caroline Detention Center". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~11 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 "Caroline County".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 51033. 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 51033 (Caroline County, VA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.