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
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.
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.
-
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.
-
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.
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", "South Lexington", "North Lexington County" and "LI-Lexington County". 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.