SC · Healthcare shortage profile
Sumter County, SC
Peak severity leads this reading: Sumter County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 105,556.
- Active HPSAs
- 8
- Population
- 105,556
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- 60.9
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Sumter County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 8 active HPSA designations, more than 73% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 8
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Dental shortages
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 27%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Sumter 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 23.0 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 Sumter County's active designations would take about 19 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.5 primary care, 11 mental health, 6.1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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37.5% of Sumter County's 8 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 8).
Sumter County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
15 Census ZCTAs intersect Sumter 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.
Sumter County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
8 Top 27% higher than 73% 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. Sumter County falls in the upper half of SC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 46. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 45085. Population: 105,556.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity 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 8 active (designated) HPSAs in Sumter County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Tandem Health SC | dental | 23.0 |
| Tandem Health SC | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Wateree Correctional Institution | mental_health | 21.0 |
| LI - Sumter County | dental | 17.0 |
| Mhca Santee/Wateree | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Tandem Health SC | primary_care | 14.0 |
| LI - Sumter County | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Wateree River Correctional Institution | primary_care | 12.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Sumter County
Peak severity leads this reading: Sumter County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Sumter County's deepest shortage reading, 23.0 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 14.0 of 25; Mental health reads 22.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Sumter County above 73% of real US counties (8 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 23.0. The table on this page lists the highest-severity records first so a reader can see which named facilities, geographies, or population groups drive that burden without treating the county total as a personal appointment forecast.
Sumter County falls in the upper half of SC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 46. Heavy-burden counties are where NHSC placement, Community Health Center grant geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the county boundary alone.
Sumter 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
Dental
2 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Sumter County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Sumter County's active designations: about 19 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 Sumter 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 a heavy-burden county
Sumter County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Sumter County's 8 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.
Counties With a Similar Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Sumter County's 23.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Spartanburg County, SC and McLennan County, TX.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Sumter County's dental score of 23.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 23.0 (severity lead on this page is “TANDEM HEALTH SC”).
Spartanburg County, SC
23.0 dental score · 327,997 pop.
McLennan County, TX
23.0 dental score · 260,579 pop.
Beaufort County, SC
23.0 dental score · 187,117 pop.
Portage County, OH
23.0 dental score · 161,791 pop.
Caguas County, PR
23.0 dental score · 127,244 pop.
Kent County, MI
23.0 dental score · 657,974 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Sumter County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Sumter County carries an MUA designation (index 60.9; 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 Sumter County's peak score of 23.0?
- "TANDEM HEALTH SC" leads the active set (score 23.0; dental; 35,168 people in the service area; designated 09/30/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 8 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Sumter County's severity reading?
- After "TANDEM HEALTH SC", the next active names on this release are "TANDEM HEALTH SC", "TANDEM HEALTH SC", "Wateree Correctional Institution" and "LI - Sumter County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~19 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Sumter County's high-severity geography?
- Sumter County's 8 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 "TANDEM HEALTH SC".
- How does Sumter County's peak severity sit inside SC?
- Sumter County holds 8 active HPSA rows with peak 23.0. Sumter County falls in the upper half of SC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 46. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Spartanburg County, SC and McLennan County, TX.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 45085. 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 45085 (Sumter County, SC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 8; peak score 23.0; signature peak score 23.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.