LA · Healthcare shortage profile
St. Mary County, LA
Peak severity leads this reading: St. Mary County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 49,406.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 49,406
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- 58.1
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, St. Mary 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
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for St. Mary County, LA 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 24.0 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 St. Mary County's active designations would take about 7.2 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.3 primary care, 1.2 mental health, 3.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of St. Mary County's 9 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
Few Census ZCTAs touch St. Mary County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting St. Mary County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
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.
St. Mary County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
9 Top 25% higher than 75% of 3,289 real US counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026
State peer position. St. Mary County falls in the upper half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 64. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 22101. Population: 49,406.
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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in St. Mary County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Teche Action Board | dental | 24.0 |
| Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana Health Clinic | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana Health Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| LI - St. Mary Parish | dental | 20.0 |
| Teche Action Board | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI - St Mary Parish | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Teche Action Board | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana Health Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| St. Mary Parish | mental_health | 13.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for St. Mary County
Peak severity leads this reading: St. Mary County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries St. Mary County's deepest shortage reading, 24.0 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 16.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places St. Mary County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 24.0. 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.
St. Mary County falls in the upper half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 64. 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.
St. Mary 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
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in St. Mary County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for St. Mary County's active designations: about 7.2 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 St. Mary County, LA · 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
St. Mary County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- St. Mary 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 LA before you draw conclusions from a single score. LA 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 St. Mary County's 24.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Camuy County, PR and Aguas Buenas County, PR.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near St. Mary County's dental score of 24.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 24.0 (severity lead on this page is “TECHE ACTION BOARD”).
Camuy County, PR
24.0 dental score · 32,827 pop.
Aguas Buenas County, PR
24.0 dental score · 24,223 pop.
Arroyo County, PR
24.0 dental score · 15,843 pop.
Atlantic County, NJ
24.0 dental score · 274,534 pop.
Sheboygan County, WI
24.0 dental score · 118,034 pop.
Apache County, AZ
24.0 dental score · 66,021 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does St. Mary County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - St. Mary County carries an MUA designation (index 58.1; 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 St. Mary County's peak score of 24.0?
- "TECHE ACTION BOARD" leads the active set (score 24.0; dental; 71,252 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 9 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under St. Mary County's severity reading?
- After "TECHE ACTION BOARD", the next active names on this release are "TECHE ACTION BOARD", "Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana Health Clinic", "Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana Health Clinic" and "LI - St. Mary Parish". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~7.2 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow St. Mary County's high-severity geography?
- St. Mary 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 "TECHE ACTION BOARD".
- How does St. Mary County's peak severity sit inside LA?
- St. Mary County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 24.0. St. Mary County falls in the upper half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 64. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Camuy County, PR and Aguas Buenas County, PR.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 22101. 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 22101 (St. Mary County, LA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 24.0; signature peak score 24.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.