SC · Healthcare shortage profile
Richland County, SC
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Richland County's active designations would take about 33 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 416,147.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 416,147
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 47.2
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Richland County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with dental the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Mental-health shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Richland County
Richland County intersects 25 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
13 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 Richland 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 17.0 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 Richland County's active designations would take about 33 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.5 primary care, 8.3 mental health, 21 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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44.4% of Richland County's 9 active designations are dental.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 9).
Richland County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
9 Top 25% higher than 75% 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. Richland County falls in the upper quarter of SC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 46. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 45079. Population: 416,147.
Single high-priority discipline
Richland County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 3 active mental health designations to Richland County , with a peak score of 17.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the mental health records.
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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Richland County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-Columbia SA | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI-Richland County | dental | 15.0 |
| LI-Richland County | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center | dental | 12.0 |
| Broad River Correctional Institution | dental | 12.0 |
| Graham (Camille Griffin) Correctional Institution | dental | 6.0 |
| Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center CF | primary_care | 3.0 |
| CF-Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution | mental_health | 3.0 |
| CF-Broad River Correctional Institution | mental_health | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Richland County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Richland County's active designations would take about 33 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Richland County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 17.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 12.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 47.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Richland County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 17.0. 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.
Richland County falls in the upper quarter of SC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 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.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Richland County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 33 FTE across Richland County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Acting on Richland County's high-priority mental health
Richland County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Richland County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of SC before drawing conclusions from a single score. SC overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Richland County's 17.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Bastrop County, TX and Dane County, WI.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Richland County's 9
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 9 - the inventory behind the ~33 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Richland County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Richland County carries an MUA designation (index 47.2; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Richland County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~33 FTE, with dental the largest slice (21). "LI-Columbia SA" is the highest-scored active row (score 17.0; mental health; 26,608 people in the service area; ~8.2 FTE still needed on the record; designated 04/23/2019). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Richland County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "LI-Columbia SA", "LI-Richland County", "LI-Richland County" and "Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center". Discipline counts: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 4 dental across 9 designated rows.
- Do Richland County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
- Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
- How does Richland County's FTE burden compare inside SC?
- 9 active designations and ~33 FTE published need. Richland County falls in the upper quarter of SC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 46. Score-nearest counties on this release include Bastrop County, TX and Dane County, WI.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 45079. 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 45079 (Richland County, SC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 17.0; signature 33 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.