FL · Healthcare shortage profile
Marion County, FL
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Marion County's active designations would take about 72 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 375,908.
- Active HPSAs
- 32
- Population
- 375,908
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- 50.9
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Marion County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 32 active HPSA designations, more than 98% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 32
- Active HPSA designations
- 10
- Dental shortages
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 2%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Marion 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.
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Peak HPSA score 20.0 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 Marion County's active designations would take about 72 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 42 primary care, 27 mental health, 2.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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34.4% of Marion County's 32 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 11 primary care, 11 mental health, 10 dental (denominator 32).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Marion County
Marion County intersects 34 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
22 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, Marion County carries 32 active designations, above 98% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Marion County sits among the top three county rank positions in FL, at rank 2 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: 12083. Population: 375,908.
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 32 active (designated) HPSAs in Marion County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Heart OF Florida Health Center | dental | 20.0 |
| Heart OF Florida Health Center | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Heart OF Florida Health Center | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Forest Family Health | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Premier Pediatrics Forest | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Premier Pediatrics LLC | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Kids Health Alliance PA | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Kids Health Alliance PA | dental | 17.0 |
| Premier Pediatrics LLC | dental | 17.0 |
| Premier Pediatrics LLC | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI - Marion County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Kids Health Alliance PA | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Premier Pediatrics Forest | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI-Lutheran Services Florida-Circuit 5 Mhca | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Premier Pediatrics LLC | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Forest Family Health | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Deven Medical Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Premier Pediatrics Forest | dental | 15.0 |
| Premier Pediatrics LLC | dental | 15.0 |
| Forest Family Health | dental | 15.0 |
| Deven Medical Center | dental | 15.0 |
| Premier Pediatrics LLC | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Deven Medical Center | primary_care | 14.0 |
| CF-Marion Correctional Institution/Work Camp | mental_health | 12.0 |
| CF-Lowell Correctional Institution/Annex/Work Camp | mental_health | 12.0 |
| CF-Lowell Correctional Institution/Annex/Work Camp | primary_care | 6.0 |
| CF-Marion Correctional Institution/Work Camp | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Florida Women's Reception Center | primary_care | 3.0 |
| Florida Women's Reception Center | mental_health | 3.0 |
| CF-Marion Correctional Institution/Work Camp | dental | 3.0 |
| Florida Women's Reception Center | dental | 3.0 |
| CF-Lowell Correctional Institution/Annex/Work Camp | dental | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Marion County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Marion County's active designations would take about 72 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Dental care carries Marion County's deepest shortage reading, 20.0 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 18.0 of 25; Mental health reads 19.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 50.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Marion County above 98% of real US counties (32 active designations: 11 primary care, 11 mental health, 10 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 20.0. 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.
Marion County sits among the top three county rank positions in FL, at rank 2 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.
Marion 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
11 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
11 designations
- Dental
Dental
10 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Marion County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 72 FTE across Marion County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Marion 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
Marion County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Marion County's 32 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 Marion County's 20.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Isabella County, MI and Carroll County, NH.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Marion County's 32
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 32 - the inventory behind the ~72 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Marion County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Marion County carries an MUA designation (index 50.9; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Marion County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~72 FTE, with primary care the largest slice (42). "HEART OF FLORIDA HEALTH CENTER" is the highest-scored active row (score 20.0; dental; 100,035 people in the service area; designated 03/01/2009). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Marion County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "HEART OF FLORIDA HEALTH CENTER", "HEART OF FLORIDA HEALTH CENTER", "HEART OF FLORIDA HEALTH CENTER" and "FOREST FAMILY HEALTH". Discipline counts: 11 primary care, 11 mental health, 10 dental across 32 designated rows.
- Do Marion County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
- Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
- How does Marion County's FTE burden compare inside FL?
- 32 active designations and ~72 FTE published need. Marion County sits among the top three county rank positions in FL, at rank 2 of 67. Score-nearest counties on this release include Isabella County, MI and Carroll County, NH.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 12083. 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 12083 (Marion County, FL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 32; peak score 20.0; signature 72 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.