SC · Healthcare shortage profile
Lancaster County, SC
Peak severity leads this reading: Lancaster County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 96,016.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 96,016
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 49.3
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lancaster 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 primary care the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Lancaster 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 25.0 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 Lancaster County's active designations would take about 13 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.9 primary care, 5.9 mental health, 4.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Lancaster County's 9 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Lancaster County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Lancaster County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Lancaster 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. Lancaster 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: 45057. Population: 96,016.
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 Lancaster County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Care Net OF Lancaster | dental | 25.0 |
| Care Net OF Lancaster | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Lancaster County | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI-Lancaster County | dental | 17.0 |
| Care Net OF Lancaster | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Kershaw Correctional Institution and Re-entry Center | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Kershaw Correctional Institution and Re-entry Center | dental | 12.0 |
| Lower Lancaster | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Kershaw Correctional Institution and Re-entry Center | mental_health | 6.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Lancaster County
Peak severity leads this reading: Lancaster County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Lancaster County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 14.0 of 25; Mental health reads 22.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 49.3, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Lancaster County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 25.0. 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.
Lancaster 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.
Lancaster 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
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Lancaster County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Lancaster County's active designations: about 13 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 Lancaster 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 a heavy-burden county
Lancaster County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Lancaster County's 9 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 primary care 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.
Counties With a Similar Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Lancaster County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Cook County, IL and Riverside County, CA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Lancaster County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “CARE NET OF LANCASTER”).
Cook County, IL
25.0 dental score · 5,275,541 pop.
Riverside County, CA
25.0 dental score · 2,418,185 pop.
Broward County, FL
25.0 dental score · 1,944,375 pop.
Bronx County, NY
25.0 dental score · 1,472,654 pop.
Salt Lake County, UT
25.0 dental score · 1,185,238 pop.
Fresno County, CA
25.0 dental score · 1,008,654 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Lancaster County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Lancaster County carries an MUA designation (index 49.3; 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 Lancaster County's peak score of 25.0?
- "CARE NET OF LANCASTER" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 23,596 people in the service area; designated 12/31/2011). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 9 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Lancaster County's severity reading?
- After "CARE NET OF LANCASTER", the next active names on this release are "CARE NET OF LANCASTER", "CARE NET OF LANCASTER", "Lancaster County" and "LI-Lancaster County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~13 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Lancaster County's high-severity geography?
- Lancaster County's 9 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 "CARE NET OF LANCASTER".
- How does Lancaster County's peak severity sit inside SC?
- Lancaster County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Lancaster County falls in the upper quarter of SC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 46. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Cook County, IL and Riverside County, CA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 45057. 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 45057 (Lancaster County, SC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.