SC · Healthcare shortage profile
Laurens County, SC
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Laurens County's active designations would take about 19 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 67,539.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 67,539
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 60.6
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Laurens 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
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Laurens County
Laurens County intersects 16 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
4 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 Laurens 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 Laurens 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): 4.9 primary care, 10 mental health, 3.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Laurens 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).
Laurens 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. Laurens 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: 45059. Population: 67,539.
Single high-priority discipline
Laurens County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is primary care
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active primary care designations to Laurens 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 primary care records.
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 Laurens County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-Laurens County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Piedmont Pediatrics | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Piedmont Pediatrics | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Beckman SA | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Piedmont Pediatrics | dental | 13.0 |
| Laurens County | dental | 10.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Laurens County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Laurens County's active designations would take about 19 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Primary care is where Laurens County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 17.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 16.0 of 25; Dental care reads 13.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Laurens 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.
Laurens 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.
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Laurens County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 19 FTE across Laurens County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Acting on Laurens County's high-priority primary care
Laurens County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Laurens County's high-priority primary care designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's primary care 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.
Nearby primary-care score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Laurens County's 17.0. Open Black Hawk County, IA or Providence County, RI next.
Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Laurens County's 6
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 6 - the inventory behind the ~19 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Laurens County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Laurens County carries an MUA designation (index 60.6; 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 Laurens County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~19 FTE, with mental health the largest slice (10). "LI-Laurens County" is the highest-scored active row (score 17.0; primary care; 10,843 people in the service area; ~4.9 FTE still needed on the record; designated 12/15/1999). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Laurens County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "LI-Laurens County", "PIEDMONT PEDIATRICS", "PIEDMONT PEDIATRICS" and "Beckman SA". Discipline counts: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental across 6 designated rows.
- Do Laurens 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.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 45059. 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 45059 (Laurens County, SC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 17.0; signature 19 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.