Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

AR · Healthcare shortage profile

Columbia County, AR

Peak severity leads this reading: Columbia County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 22,801.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
22,801
Peak shortage score
22.0
MUA Index
58.4
AR state overview → About this data

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Columbia County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

3
Active HPSA designations
1
Dental shortages
22
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 80%
US counties by volume

Few Census ZCTAs touch Columbia County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Columbia County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

2 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 Columbia 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.

  1. Peak HPSA score 22.0 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 Columbia County's active designations would take about 7.8 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.6 primary care, 4.6 mental health, 0.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Columbia County's 3 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 3).

Corpus placement

Active-designation volume placement

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Columbia County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Columbia County falls in the lower half of AR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 50 of 75. 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: 05027. Population: 22,801.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 58.4

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 19.0
Mental Health 18.0
Dental 22.0

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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Columbia County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI-Columbia dental 22.0
LI - Columbia County primary_care 19.0
El Dorado Catchment Area mental_health 18.0

Light-burden reading for Columbia County

Peak severity leads this reading: Columbia County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Columbia County's deepest shortage reading, 22.0 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 18.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.4, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Columbia County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.

Columbia County falls in the lower half of AR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 50 of 75. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.

Light-volume FTE gap for Columbia County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Columbia County's active designations: about 7.8 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 Columbia 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 Columbia County's designations

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

  • Columbia County's 3 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 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.

Counties near Columbia County's dental score of 22.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 22.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI-Columbia”).

Richland County, OH

22.0 dental score · 124,936 pop.

Toa Baja County, PR

22.0 dental score · 75,293 pop.

Tuolumne County, CA

22.0 dental score · 55,620 pop.

Shawano County, WI

22.0 dental score · 40,881 pop.

Silver Bow County, MT

22.0 dental score · 35,133 pop.

East Baton Rouge County, LA

22.0 dental score · 456,781 pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Columbia County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Columbia County carries an MUA designation (index 58.4; 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 Columbia County's peak score of 22.0?
"LI-Columbia" leads the active set (score 22.0; dental; 1,160 people in the service area; ~0.7 FTE still needed on the record; designated 05/14/2026). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Columbia County's severity reading?
After "LI-Columbia", the next active names on this release are "LI-Columbia", "LI - Columbia County" and "El Dorado Catchment Area". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~7.8 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 05027. 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 05027 (Columbia County, AR), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 22.0; signature peak score 22.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.