SC · Healthcare shortage profile
Bamberg County, SC
Peak severity leads this reading: Bamberg County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 13,311.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 13,311
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- 55.8
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bamberg County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Primary-care shortages
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Bamberg County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Bamberg 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 Bamberg County, SC 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 19.0 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 Bamberg County's active designations would take about 13 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2 primary care, 4.2 mental health, 6.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Bamberg County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bamberg County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Bamberg County falls in the upper half of SC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 46. 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: 45009. Population: 13,311.
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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Bamberg County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| F Marion Dwight MD PA | primary_care | 19.0 |
| F Marion Dwight MD PA | dental | 19.0 |
| F Marion Dwight MD PA | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Bamberg County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Orangeburg SA | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Bamberg/Calhoun/Orangeburg Counties | dental | 10.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Bamberg County
Peak severity leads this reading: Bamberg County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Bamberg County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and dental care: both scored 19.0 by HRSA, 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. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 55.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Bamberg County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Bamberg County falls in the upper half of SC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 46. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Bamberg County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Bamberg County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Bamberg County's active designations: about 13 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 Bamberg County, SC · 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 Bamberg County's designations
Bamberg County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Bamberg County's 6 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 SC before you draw conclusions from a single score. SC 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 primary-care score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Bamberg County's 19.0. Open Lancaster County, NE or Sacramento County, CA next.
Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Bamberg County's primary score of 19.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 19.0 (severity lead on this page is “F MARION DWIGHT MD PA”).
Lancaster County, NE
19.0 primary score · 322,608 pop.
Sacramento County, CA
19.0 primary score · 1,585,055 pop.
Salt Lake County, UT
19.0 primary score · 1,185,238 pop.
San Joaquin County, CA
19.0 primary score · 779,233 pop.
South Central Connecticut County, CT
19.0 primary score · 571,298 pop.
Washoe County, NV
19.0 primary score · 486,492 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Bamberg County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Bamberg County carries an MUA designation (index 55.8; 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 Bamberg County's peak score of 19.0?
- "F MARION DWIGHT MD PA" leads the active set (score 19.0; primary care; 58,040 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Bamberg County's severity reading?
- After "F MARION DWIGHT MD PA", the next active names on this release are "F MARION DWIGHT MD PA", "F MARION DWIGHT MD PA", "F MARION DWIGHT MD PA" and "Bamberg County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~13 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Bamberg County's high-severity geography?
- Bamberg County's 6 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 "F MARION DWIGHT MD PA".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 45009. 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 45009 (Bamberg County, SC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 19.0; signature peak score 19.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.