AR · Healthcare shortage profile
Arkansas County, AR
Peak severity leads this reading: Arkansas County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 17,149.
- Active HPSAs
- 4
- Population
- 17,149
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- 58.1
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Arkansas County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 4 active HPSA designations, more than 44% of the 3,289 real US counties, with dental the deepest gap.
- 4
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 18
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 56%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Arkansas County, AR 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 18.0 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 Arkansas County's active designations would take about 0.8 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Arkansas County's 4 active designations are dental.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 4).
Arkansas County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
13 Census ZCTAs intersect Arkansas 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
5 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.
Arkansas County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
4 Top 56% higher than 44% 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. Arkansas County falls in the lower half of AR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 48 of 75. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 05001. Population: 17,149.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA 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 4 active (designated) HPSAs in Arkansas County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Ferguson Rural Health Clinic | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Ferguson Rural Health Clinic | dental | 17.0 |
| Ferguson Rural Health Clinic | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI - Arkansas County | dental | 13.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Arkansas County
Peak severity leads this reading: Arkansas County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Arkansas County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 18.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 16.0 of 25; Dental care reads 17.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Arkansas County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 44% of counties) with 4 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (1/1/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Arkansas County falls in the lower half of AR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 48 of 75. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Arkansas County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
1 designations
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Arkansas County, AR · 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 Arkansas County's designations
Arkansas County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Arkansas County's 4 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 dental burden compares with the rest of AR before you draw conclusions from a single score. AR 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.
Nearby mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Arkansas County's 18.0. Open Caguas County, PR or Cuyahoga County, OH next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Arkansas County's mental score of 18.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 18.0 (severity lead on this page is “FERGUSON RURAL HEALTH CLINIC”).
Caguas County, PR
18.0 mental score · 127,244 pop.
Cuyahoga County, OH
18.0 mental score · 1,264,817 pop.
Adams County, CO
18.0 mental score · 519,572 pop.
Cumberland County, NC
18.0 mental score · 334,728 pop.
Clay County, FL
18.0 mental score · 218,245 pop.
Indian River County, FL
18.0 mental score · 159,788 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Arkansas County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Arkansas 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 Arkansas County's peak score of 18.0?
- "FERGUSON RURAL HEALTH CLINIC" leads the active set (score 18.0; mental health; 19,010 people in the service area; designated 11/24/2025). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 4 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Arkansas County's severity reading?
- After "FERGUSON RURAL HEALTH CLINIC", the next active names on this release are "FERGUSON RURAL HEALTH CLINIC", "FERGUSON RURAL HEALTH CLINIC", "FERGUSON RURAL HEALTH CLINIC" and "LI - Arkansas County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~0.8 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Arkansas County's high-severity geography?
- Arkansas County's 4 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 "FERGUSON RURAL HEALTH CLINIC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 05001. 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 05001 (Arkansas County, AR), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 4; peak score 18.0; signature peak score 18.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.