FL · Healthcare shortage profile
Leon County, FL
Peak severity leads this reading: Leon County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 292,198.
- Active HPSAs
- 20
- Population
- 292,198
- Peak shortage score
- 26.0
- MUA Index
- 59.5
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Leon County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 20 active HPSA designations, more than 95% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 20
- Active HPSA designations
- 6
- Dental shortages
- 26
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 5%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Leon County, FL 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 26.0 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 Leon County's active designations would take about 19 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 12 primary care, 5.6 mental health, 0.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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35% of Leon County's 20 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 7 primary care, 7 mental health, 6 dental (denominator 20).
Leon County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
14 Census ZCTAs intersect Leon 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
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Leon County carries 20 active designations, above 95% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Leon County falls in the upper quarter of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 67. 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: 12073. Population: 292,198.
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 20 active (designated) HPSAs in Leon County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Florida Department OF Health | dental | 26.0 |
| Neighborhood Medical Center Inc. | dental | 26.0 |
| North Florida Medical Centers, Inc. | dental | 26.0 |
| Florida Department OF Health | mental_health | 25.0 |
| Bond Community Health Center, Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| Bond Community Health Center, Inc. | primary_care | 24.0 |
| North Florida Medical Centers, Inc. | mental_health | 24.0 |
| Bond Community Health Center, Inc. | mental_health | 23.0 |
| Neighborhood Medical Center Inc. | primary_care | 22.0 |
| Florida Department OF Health | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Florida Department OF Health | dental | 22.0 |
| North Florida Medical Centers, Inc. | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Neighborhood Medical Center Inc. | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Florida Department OF Health | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI - Leon County | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Florida Department OF Health | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI - Leon County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Fci - Tallahassee | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Federal Correctional Institution - Tallahassee | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Fci - Tallahassee | dental | 12.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Leon County
Peak severity leads this reading: Leon County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Leon County's deepest shortage reading, 26.0 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 24.0 of 25; Mental health reads 25.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 59.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Leon County above 95% of real US counties (20 active designations: 7 primary care, 7 mental health, 6 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 26.0. 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.
Leon County falls in the upper quarter of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 67. 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.
Leon County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
7 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
7 designations
- Dental
Dental
6 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Leon County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Leon County's active designations: about 19 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 Leon County, FL · 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
Leon County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Leon County's 20 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 FL before you draw conclusions from a single score. FL 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 Leon County's 26.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Orange County, FL and Lee County, FL.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Leon County's dental score of 26.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 26.0 (severity lead on this page is “FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH”).
Orange County, FL
26.0 dental score · 1,429,908 pop.
Lee County, FL
26.0 dental score · 760,822 pop.
Sonoma County, CA
26.0 dental score · 488,863 pop.
Albany County, NY
26.0 dental score · 314,848 pop.
Yellowstone County, MT
26.0 dental score · 164,731 pop.
Chautauqua County, NY
26.0 dental score · 127,657 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Leon County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Leon County carries an MUA designation (index 59.5; 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 Leon County's peak score of 26.0?
- "FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH" leads the active set (score 26.0; dental; 15,319 people in the service area; designated 06/01/2012). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 20 active rows: 7 primary care, 7 mental health, 6 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Leon County's severity reading?
- After "FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH", the next active names on this release are "FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH", "NEIGHBORHOOD MEDICAL CENTER INC.", "NORTH FLORIDA MEDICAL CENTERS, INC." and "FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~19 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Leon County's high-severity geography?
- Leon County's 20 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 "FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH".
- How does Leon County's peak severity sit inside FL?
- Leon County holds 20 active HPSA rows with peak 26.0. Leon County falls in the upper quarter of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 67. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Orange County, FL and Lee County, FL.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 12073. 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 12073 (Leon County, FL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 20; peak score 26.0; signature peak score 26.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.