SC · Healthcare shortage profile
Colleton County, SC
Peak severity leads this reading: Colleton County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 38,604.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 38,604
- Peak shortage score
- 15.0
- MUA Index
- 60.8
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Colleton 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
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 15
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- 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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Colleton 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 Colleton County's active designations would take about 14 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.6 primary care, 11 mental health, 2.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Colleton County's 3 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 3).
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Peak HPSA score 15.0 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.
Colleton County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
14 Census ZCTAs intersect Colleton 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
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.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Colleton 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. Colleton 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: 45029. Population: 38,604.
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 Colleton County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Empire Mhc | mental_health | 15.0 |
| LI - Colleton County | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Colleton County | dental | 10.0 |
Light-burden reading for Colleton County
Peak severity leads this reading: Colleton County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Colleton County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 15.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 13.0 of 25; Dental care reads 10.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Colleton 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.
Colleton 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 Colleton County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Colleton County's active designations: about 14 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Colleton County's mental score of 15.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 15.0 (severity lead on this page is “Coastal Empire MHC”).
Chambers County, TX
15.0 mental score · 46,571 pop.
Travis County, TX
15.0 mental score · 1,290,188 pop.
Anoka County, MN
15.0 mental score · 363,887 pop.
Delaware County, OH
15.0 mental score · 214,124 pop.
Cache County, UT
15.0 mental score · 133,154 pop.
Wise County, TX
15.0 mental score · 68,632 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Colleton County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Colleton County carries an MUA designation (index 60.8; 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 Colleton County's peak score of 15.0?
- "Coastal Empire MHC" leads the active set (score 15.0; mental health; 154,500 people in the service area; ~11 FTE still needed on the record; designated 10/30/2025). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Colleton County's severity reading?
- After "Coastal Empire MHC", the next active names on this release are "Coastal Empire MHC", "LI - Colleton County" and "Colleton County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~14 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 45029. 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 45029 (Colleton County, SC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 15.0; signature peak score 15.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.