Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

TN · Healthcare shortage profile

Marion County, TN

Peak severity leads this reading: Marion County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 28,837.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
28,837
Peak shortage score
17.0
MUA Index
55.0
TN state overview → About this data

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Marion 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
Primary-care shortages
17
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 80%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Marion County, TN 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 17.0 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 Marion County's active designations would take about 7.7 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.5 primary care, 3 mental health, 2.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Marion 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).

Marion County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

12 Census ZCTAs intersect Marion 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

4 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 3 active designations, above 20% 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 falls in the upper half of TN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 41 of 95. 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: 47115. Population: 28,837.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 55.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 17.0
Mental Health 17.0
Dental 17.0

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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Marion County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI - Marion County primary_care 17.0
LI-Mhca 12 mental_health 17.0
LI-Marion County dental 17.0

Light-burden reading for Marion County

Peak severity leads this reading: Marion County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Marion County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health and dental care: both scored 17.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 55.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Marion 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.

Marion County falls in the upper half of TN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 41 of 95. 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 Marion County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Marion County's active designations: about 7.7 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 Marion County, TN · 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 Marion County's designations

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

  • Marion County's 3 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 TN before you draw conclusions from a single score. TN 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 near Marion County's primary score of 17.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 17.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Marion County”).

Bell County, TX

17.0 primary score · 370,647 pop.

Dauphin County, PA

17.0 primary score · 286,401 pop.

Butte County, CA

17.0 primary score · 211,632 pop.

Kootenai County, ID

17.0 primary score · 171,362 pop.

Johnson County, IA

17.0 primary score · 152,854 pop.

Middlesex County, MA

17.0 primary score · 1,632,002 pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Marion County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Marion County carries an MUA designation (index 55.0; 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 Marion County's peak score of 17.0?
"LI - Marion County" leads the active set (score 17.0; primary care; 3,870 people in the service area; ~2.5 FTE still needed on the record; designated 11/16/2016). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Marion County's severity reading?
After "LI - Marion County", the next active names on this release are "LI - Marion County", "LI-MHCA 12" and "LI-Marion County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~7.7 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 47115. 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 47115 (Marion County, TN), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 17.0; signature peak score 17.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.