OH · Healthcare shortage profile
Lorain County, OH
Designation volume is the standout signal for Lorain County: 11 active HPSA records, above 84% of real US counties. Population 312,964.
- Active HPSAs
- 11
- Population
- 312,964
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 55.6
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lorain 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
- 4
- Dental shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 16%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Lorain County
Lorain County intersects 24 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
12 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 Lorain 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 21.0 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.
-
Closing Lorain County's active designations would take about 20 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 15 primary care, 1.7 mental health, 3.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
45.5% of Lorain County's 11 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 5 primary care, 2 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 11).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lorain 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. Lorain County falls in the upper quarter of OH counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 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: 39093. Population: 312,964.
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 11 active (designated) HPSAs in Lorain County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lorain County Health & Dentistry | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Lorain County Health & Dentistry | dental | 21.0 |
| Lorain County Health & Dentistry | primary_care | 20.0 |
| LI-Elyria | primary_care | 19.0 |
| LI-Lorain | primary_care | 19.0 |
| LI-Lorain | dental | 11.0 |
| Grafton Correctional Institution | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Lorain Correctional Institution | mental_health | 6.0 |
| Grafton Correctional Institution | dental | 6.0 |
| Lorain Correctional Institution | dental | 6.0 |
| Lorain Correctional Institution | primary_care | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Lorain County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Lorain County: 11 active HPSA records, above 84% of real US counties. Lorain County's shortage runs equally deep in mental health and dental care: both scored 21.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 20.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 55.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Lorain County above 84% of real US counties (11 active designations: 5 primary care, 2 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 21.0. 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.
Lorain County falls in the upper quarter of OH counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 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.
Lorain 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
5 designations
- Dental
Dental
4 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Lorain County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Lorain County's active designations: about 20 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 Lorain 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
Lorain County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Lorain 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 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 Lorain County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Forrest County, MS and Bonner County, ID.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Lorain County (11 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 11 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Lorain County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Lorain County carries an MUA designation (index 55.6; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- What makes up Lorain County's 11 active HPSA designations?
- 11 Designated rows (5 primary care, 2 mental health, 4 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "LORAIN COUNTY HEALTH & DENTISTRY" (score 21.0; mental health; 55,956 people in the service area; designated 10/02/2002). Also active: "LORAIN COUNTY HEALTH & DENTISTRY", "LORAIN COUNTY HEALTH & DENTISTRY", "LI-Elyria". Above 84% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Lorain County?
- Peak active score 21.0 in mental health and dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 11 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Lorain County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 20 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "LORAIN COUNTY HEALTH & DENTISTRY" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Lorain County's designation volume?
- 11 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
- How does Lorain County's volume compare inside OH?
- 11 active HPSA rows · peak 21.0. Lorain County falls in the upper quarter of OH counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 88. Score-nearest counties on this release include Forrest County, MS and Bonner County, ID.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 39093. 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 39093 (Lorain County, OH), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 11; peak score 21.0; signature 11 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.