SC · Healthcare shortage profile
Berkeley County, SC
Peak severity leads this reading: Berkeley County's highest active HPSA score is 12.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 229,861.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 229,861
- Peak shortage score
- 12.0
- MUA Index
- 56.3
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Berkeley County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 3
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Primary-care shortages
- 12
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Berkeley County
Berkeley 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 Berkeley 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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Closing Berkeley County's active designations would take about 2.1 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2 primary care, 0.1 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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66.7% of Berkeley County's 3 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 3).
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Peak HPSA score 12.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Berkeley County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.
State peer position. Berkeley County falls in the lower half of SC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 36 of 46. Ties share a rank.
Computed from current designated HPSA rows for every five-digit county FIPS. See the placement methodology.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 45015. Population: 229,861.
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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Berkeley County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| MacDougall Correctional Institution | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Berkeley County | primary_care | 9.0 |
| MacDougall Correctional Institution | mental_health | 3.0 |
Light-burden reading for Berkeley County
Peak severity leads this reading: Berkeley County's highest active HPSA score is 12.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Berkeley County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 12.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Mental health reads 3.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 56.3, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Berkeley County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.
Berkeley County falls in the lower half of SC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 36 of 46. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Light-volume FTE gap for Berkeley County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Berkeley County's active designations: about 2.1 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Berkeley County's primary score of 12.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 12.0 (severity lead on this page is “MacDougall Correctional Institution”).
Hardin County, TX
12.0 primary score · 56,231 pop.
Burlington County, NJ
12.0 primary score · 461,860 pop.
Union County, NC
12.0 primary score · 238,267 pop.
Catawba County, NC
12.0 primary score · 160,610 pop.
Schuylkill County, PA
12.0 primary score · 143,049 pop.
Cape May County, NJ
12.0 primary score · 95,263 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Berkeley County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Berkeley County carries an MUA designation (index 56.3; 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 Berkeley County's peak score of 12.0?
- "MacDougall Correctional Institution" leads the active set (score 12.0; primary care; 553 people in the service area; ~0.6 FTE still needed on the record; designated 03/06/2009). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Berkeley County's severity reading?
- After "MacDougall Correctional Institution", the next active names on this release are "MacDougall Correctional Institution", "Berkeley County" and "MacDougall Correctional Institution". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2.1 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 45015. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — 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 45015 (Berkeley County, SC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 12.0; signature peak score 12.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.