Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

FL · Healthcare shortage profile

Broward County, FL

Peak severity leads this reading: Broward County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 1,944,375.

Active HPSAs
11
Population
1,944,375
Peak shortage score
25.0
MUA Index
37.0

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Broward County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 11 active HPSA designations, more than 84% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

11
Active HPSA designations
3
Dental shortages
25
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 16%
US counties by volume

Dense ZCTA lattice over Broward County

Broward County intersects 55 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

43 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 Broward 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.

  1. 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.

  2. Closing Broward County's active designations would take about 41 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 12 primary care, 30 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 36.4% of Broward County's 11 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 11).

Corpus placement

Active-designation volume placement

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Broward County carries 11 active designations, above 84% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Broward County falls in the upper half of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 22 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: 12011. Population: 1,944,375.

3
Dental HPSAs
4
Primary Care HPSAs
4
Mental Health HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 37.0

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 22.0
Mental Health 22.0
Dental 25.0

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 11 active (designated) HPSAs in Broward County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Broward Community And Family Health Centers, Inc. dental 25.0
North Broward Hospital District dental 25.0
Broward Community And Family Health Centers, Inc. primary_care 22.0
North Broward Hospital District primary_care 22.0
North Broward Hospital District mental_health 22.0
Hollywood Health Center primary_care 19.0
Broward Community And Family Health Centers, Inc. mental_health 19.0
Hollywood Health Center dental 19.0
Hollywood Health Center mental_health 18.0
LI- Mcta Broward Behavioral Health MHCA-Circuit 17 mental_health 16.0
LI-Hollywood/Dania Beach primary_care 15.0

Heavy-burden reading for Broward County

Peak severity leads this reading: Broward County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Broward 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 22.0 of 25; Mental health reads 22.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 37.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Broward County above 84% of real US counties (11 active designations: 4 primary care, 4 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.

Broward County falls in the upper half of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 22 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.

Broward County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Heavy-volume FTE gap in Broward County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Broward County's active designations: about 41 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 Broward 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

Broward County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Broward County's 11 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 Broward 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 Broward 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 “BROWARD COMMUNITY AND FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS, INC.”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Broward County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Broward County carries an MUA designation (index 37.0; 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 Broward County's peak score of 25.0?
"BROWARD COMMUNITY AND FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS, INC." leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 313,688 people in the service area; designated 11/12/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 11 active rows: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Broward County's severity reading?
After "BROWARD COMMUNITY AND FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS, INC.", the next active names on this release are "BROWARD COMMUNITY AND FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS, INC.", "NORTH BROWARD HOSPITAL DISTRICT", "BROWARD COMMUNITY AND FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS, INC." and "NORTH BROWARD HOSPITAL DISTRICT". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~41 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Broward County's high-severity geography?
Broward County's 11 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 "BROWARD COMMUNITY AND FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS, INC.".
How does Broward County's peak severity sit inside FL?
Broward County holds 11 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Broward County falls in the upper half of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 22 of 67. 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: 12011. 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 12011 (Broward County, FL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 11; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.