Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

OH · Healthcare shortage profile

Fairfield County, OH

Peak severity leads this reading: Fairfield County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 158,921.

Active HPSAs
9
Population
158,921
Peak shortage score
23.0
MUA Index
MUA

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Fairfield 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
2
Dental shortages
23
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 25%
US counties by volume

Dense ZCTA lattice over Fairfield County

Fairfield County intersects 19 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

7 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 Fairfield County, OH 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 23.0 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 Fairfield County's active designations would take about 9.5 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, 7 mental health, 0.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 44.4% of Fairfield County's 9 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 9).

Corpus placement

Active-designation volume placement

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Fairfield County carries 9 active designations, above 75% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Fairfield County falls in the upper quarter of OH counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 88. 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: 39045. Population: 158,921.

2
Dental HPSAs
4
Primary Care HPSAs
3
Mental Health HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 18.0
Mental Health 21.0
Dental 23.0

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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Fairfield County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Fairfield Community Health Center dental 23.0
CF-Southeastern Correctional Institution mental_health 21.0
Fairfield Community Health Center mental_health 20.0
Fairfield Community Health Center primary_care 18.0
LI-Baltimore primary_care 14.0
Fairfield County Mhca mental_health 14.0
LI-Lancaster primary_care 13.0
CF-Southeastern Correctional Institution primary_care 3.0
CF-Southeastern Correctional Institution dental 3.0

Heavy-burden reading for Fairfield County

Peak severity leads this reading: Fairfield County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Fairfield County's deepest shortage reading, 23.0 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 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, a separate HRSA designation from the HPSA records above.

Volume places Fairfield County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 4 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 23.0. 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.

Fairfield County falls in the upper quarter of OH counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 88. 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.

Fairfield 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 Fairfield County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Fairfield County's active designations: about 9.5 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 Fairfield County, OH · 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

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

  • Fairfield 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 OH before you draw conclusions from a single score. OH 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 Fairfield County's 23.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Kern County, CA and Prince William County, VA.

Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Counties near Fairfield County's dental score of 23.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 23.0 (severity lead on this page is “FAIRFIELD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Fairfield County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Fairfield County carries an MUA designation in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
Which record sets Fairfield County's peak score of 23.0?
"FAIRFIELD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER" leads the active set (score 23.0; dental; 20,992 people in the service area; designated 04/24/2007). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 9 active rows: 4 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Fairfield County's severity reading?
After "FAIRFIELD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER", the next active names on this release are "FAIRFIELD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER", "CF-Southeastern Correctional Institution", "FAIRFIELD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER" and "FAIRFIELD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~9.5 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Fairfield County's high-severity geography?
Fairfield 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 "FAIRFIELD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER".
How does Fairfield County's peak severity sit inside OH?
Fairfield County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 23.0. Fairfield County falls in the upper quarter of OH counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 88. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Kern County, CA and Prince William County, VA.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 39045. 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 39045 (Fairfield County, OH), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 23.0; signature peak score 23.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.