SC · Healthcare shortage profile
Lexington County, SC
Peak severity leads this reading: Lexington County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 293,991.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 293,991
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- 57.8
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lexington County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Mental-health shortages
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Lexington County
Lexington County intersects 18 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.
Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county
6 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 Lexington 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 24.0 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 Lexington County's active designations would take about 15 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.4 primary care, 12 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Lexington County's 6 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 6).
Lexington County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
6 Top 46% higher than 54% of 3,289 real US counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026
State peer position. Lexington County falls in the upper half of SC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 46. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 45063. Population: 293,991.
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 Lexington County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Eau Claire Cooperative Health Center | mental_health | 24.0 |
| Eau Claire Cooperative Health Center | dental | 23.0 |
| South Lexington | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Eau Claire Cooperative Health Center | primary_care | 15.0 |
| North Lexington County | mental_health | 13.0 |
| LI-Lexington County | primary_care | 9.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Lexington County
Peak severity leads this reading: Lexington County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Lexington County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 24.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 15.0 of 25; Dental care reads 23.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Lexington 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 (2/3/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Lexington 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.
Lexington 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
3 designations
- Dental 1
Dental
1 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Lexington County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Lexington County's active designations: about 15 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 Lexington 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 Lexington County's designations
Lexington County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Lexington 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 mental health 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 mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Lexington County's 24.0. Open Gaston County, NC or Darlington County, SC next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Lexington County's mental score of 24.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 24.0 (severity lead on this page is “EAU CLAIRE COOPERATIVE HEALTH CENTER”).
Gaston County, NC
24.0 mental score · 227,943 pop.
Darlington County, SC
24.0 mental score · 62,905 pop.
Madison County, FL
24.0 mental score · 17,968 pop.
Santa Clara County, CA
23.0 mental score · 1,936,259 pop.
Hamilton County, OH
23.0 mental score · 830,639 pop.
Mobile County, AL
23.0 mental score · 414,809 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Lexington County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Lexington County carries an MUA designation (index 57.8; 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 Lexington County's peak score of 24.0?
- "EAU CLAIRE COOPERATIVE HEALTH CENTER" leads the active set (score 24.0; mental health; 184,009 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, 3 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Lexington County's severity reading?
- After "EAU CLAIRE COOPERATIVE HEALTH CENTER", the next active names on this release are "EAU CLAIRE COOPERATIVE HEALTH CENTER", "EAU CLAIRE COOPERATIVE HEALTH CENTER", "South Lexington" and "EAU CLAIRE COOPERATIVE HEALTH CENTER". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~15 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Lexington County's high-severity geography?
- Lexington 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 "EAU CLAIRE COOPERATIVE HEALTH CENTER".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 45063. 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 45063 (Lexington County, SC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 24.0; signature peak score 24.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.