AR · Healthcare shortage profile
Lincoln County, AR
Peak severity leads this reading: Lincoln County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 12,941.
- Active HPSAs
- 8
- Population
- 12,941
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 54.6
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lincoln County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 8 active HPSA designations, more than 73% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 8
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Primary-care shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 27%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Lincoln 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.
-
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.
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Closing Lincoln County's active designations would take about 13 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 4.7 primary care, 3.5 mental health, 4.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
37.5% of Lincoln County's 8 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 8).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Lincoln County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Lincoln 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lincoln County carries 8 active designations, above 73% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Lincoln County falls in the upper quarter of AR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 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: 05079. Population: 12,941.
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 8 active (designated) HPSAs in Lincoln County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| CF Varner/Varner Supermax Unit | primary_care | 21.0 |
| CF Cummins Unit | mental_health | 18.0 |
| CF Varner Supermax Unit | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI - Lincoln County | dental | 17.0 |
| Lincoln County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Cummins Unit | primary_care | 15.0 |
| CF Varner/Varner Supermax Unit | dental | 6.0 |
| CF Cummins Unit | dental | 6.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Lincoln County
Peak severity leads this reading: Lincoln County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Lincoln County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 21.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 18.0 of 25; Dental care reads 17.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 54.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Lincoln County above 73% of real US counties (8 active designations: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 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.
Lincoln County falls in the upper quarter of AR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 75. 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.
Lincoln 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
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Lincoln County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Lincoln County's active designations: about 13 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 Lincoln 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 a heavy-burden county
Lincoln County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Lincoln County's 8 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 With a Similar Primary Care Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA primary-care HPSA score is closest to Lincoln County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Honolulu County, HI and Montgomery County, TX.
Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Lincoln County's primary score of 21.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “CF Varner/Varner Supermax Unit”).
Honolulu County, HI
21.0 primary score · 1,016,508 pop.
Montgomery County, TX
21.0 primary score · 620,443 pop.
Pinal County, AZ
21.0 primary score · 425,264 pop.
Southeastern Connecticut County, CT
21.0 primary score · 280,293 pop.
Harrison County, MS
21.0 primary score · 208,621 pop.
Los Angeles County, CA
21.0 primary score · 10,014,009 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Lincoln County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Lincoln County carries an MUA designation (index 54.6; 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 Lincoln County's peak score of 21.0?
- "CF Varner/Varner Supermax Unit" leads the active set (score 21.0; primary care; 2,160 people in the service area; ~2.2 FTE still needed on the record; designated 07/27/2009). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 8 active rows: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Lincoln County's severity reading?
- After "CF Varner/Varner Supermax Unit", the next active names on this release are "CF Varner/Varner Supermax Unit", "CF Cummins Unit", "CF Varner Supermax Unit" and "LI - Lincoln County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~13 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Lincoln County's high-severity geography?
- Lincoln County's 8 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 "CF Varner/Varner Supermax Unit".
- How does Lincoln County's peak severity sit inside AR?
- Lincoln County holds 8 active HPSA rows with peak 21.0. Lincoln County falls in the upper quarter of AR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 75. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Honolulu County, HI and Montgomery County, TX.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 05079. 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 05079 (Lincoln County, AR), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 8; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.