NC · Healthcare shortage profile
Orange County, NC
Peak severity leads this reading: Orange County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 148,696.
- Active HPSAs
- 4
- Population
- 148,696
- Peak shortage score
- 26.0
- MUA Index
- 58.6
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Orange County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 4 active HPSA designations, more than 44% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 4
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 26
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 56%
- 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 Orange County, NC 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 26.0 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 Orange County's active designations would take about 0.9 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.9 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Orange County's 4 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 4).
Orange County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
15 Census ZCTAs intersect Orange 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
7 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, Orange County carries 4 active designations, above 44% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Orange County falls in the lower half of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 65 of 100. 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: 37135. Population: 148,696.
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 4 active (designated) HPSAs in Orange County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Piedmont Health Services Inc | dental | 26.0 |
| Piedmont Health Services Inc | mental_health | 23.0 |
| Piedmont Health Services Inc | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI-Orange Southeast | mental_health | 15.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Orange County
Peak severity leads this reading: Orange County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Orange County's deepest shortage reading, 26.0 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 18.0 of 25; Mental health reads 23.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Orange County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 44% of counties) with 4 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (1/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Orange County falls in the lower half of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 65 of 100. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Orange County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
1 designations
- Dental
Dental
1 designations
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Orange County, NC · 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 Orange County's designations
Orange County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Orange County's 4 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 mental health burden compares with the rest of NC before you draw conclusions from a single score. NC 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 Orange County's 26.0. Open Orange County, FL or Lee County, FL next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Orange County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Orange County carries an MUA designation (index 58.6; 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 Orange County's peak score of 26.0?
- "PIEDMONT HEALTH SERVICES INC" leads the active set (score 26.0; dental; 157,996 people in the service area; designated 08/18/2019). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 4 active rows: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Orange County's severity reading?
- After "PIEDMONT HEALTH SERVICES INC", the next active names on this release are "PIEDMONT HEALTH SERVICES INC" and "LI-Orange Southeast". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~0.9 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Orange County's high-severity geography?
- Orange County's 4 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 "PIEDMONT HEALTH SERVICES INC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 37135. 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 37135 (Orange County, NC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 4; peak score 26.0; signature peak score 26.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.