OH · Healthcare shortage profile
Stark County, OH
Peak severity leads this reading: Stark County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 374,853.
- Active HPSAs
- 13
- Population
- 374,853
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 51.2
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Stark County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 13 active HPSA designations, more than 89% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 13
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 11%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Stark County
Stark County intersects 43 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
31 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 Stark 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.
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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.
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Closing Stark County's active designations would take about 44 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 17 primary care, 9.6 mental health, 17 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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38.5% of Stark County's 13 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 5 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 13).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Stark County carries 13 active designations, above 89% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Stark County falls in the upper quarter of OH counties by active-designation volume, at rank 7 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: 39151. Population: 374,853.
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 13 active (designated) HPSAs in Stark County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lifecare Family Health & Dental Center Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| MY Community Health Center | dental | 23.0 |
| Lifecare Family Health & Dental Center Inc | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Lifecare Family Health & Dental Center Inc | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Alliance Family Health Center, Inc | dental | 19.0 |
| MY Community Health Center | primary_care | 18.0 |
| MY Community Health Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Alliance Family Health Center, Inc | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Alliance Family Health Center, Inc | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI - Stark County | dental | 15.0 |
| LI-Stark County | primary_care | 14.0 |
| MHCA-Stark County | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Heartland Behavioral Healthcare | mental_health | 12.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Stark County
Peak severity leads this reading: Stark County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Stark 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 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 19.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 51.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Stark County above 89% of real US counties (13 active designations: 4 primary care, 5 mental health, 4 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.
Stark County falls in the upper quarter of OH counties by active-designation volume, at rank 7 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.
Stark County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
5 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
4 designations
- Dental
Dental
4 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Stark County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Stark County's active designations: about 44 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 Stark 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
Stark County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Stark County's 13 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 mental health 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 Stark County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Fulton County, GA and Erie County, NY.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Stark 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 “LIFECARE FAMILY HEALTH & DENTAL CENTER INC”).
Fulton County, GA
25.0 dental score · 1,066,710 pop.
Erie County, NY
25.0 dental score · 954,236 pop.
El Paso County, TX
25.0 dental score · 865,657 pop.
Miami-Dade County, FL
25.0 dental score · 2,701,767 pop.
Tarrant County, TX
25.0 dental score · 2,110,640 pop.
Philadelphia County, PA
25.0 dental score · 1,603,797 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Stark County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Stark County carries an MUA designation (index 51.2; 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 Stark County's peak score of 25.0?
- "LIFECARE FAMILY HEALTH & DENTAL CENTER INC" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 64,095 people in the service area; designated 02/28/2006). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 13 active rows: 4 primary care, 5 mental health, 4 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Stark County's severity reading?
- After "LIFECARE FAMILY HEALTH & DENTAL CENTER INC", the next active names on this release are "LIFECARE FAMILY HEALTH & DENTAL CENTER INC", "MY COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER", "LIFECARE FAMILY HEALTH & DENTAL CENTER INC" and "LIFECARE FAMILY HEALTH & DENTAL CENTER INC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~44 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Stark County's high-severity geography?
- Stark County's 13 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 "LIFECARE FAMILY HEALTH & DENTAL CENTER INC".
- How does Stark County's peak severity sit inside OH?
- Stark County holds 13 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Stark County falls in the upper quarter of OH counties by active-designation volume, at rank 7 of 88. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Fulton County, GA and Erie County, NY.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 39151. 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 39151 (Stark County, OH), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 13; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.