Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

AR · Healthcare shortage profile

Searcy County, AR

Peak severity leads this reading: Searcy County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 7,828.

Active HPSAs
8
Population
7,828
Peak shortage score
26.0
MUA Index
39.7

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Searcy 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
Dental shortages
26
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 27%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Searcy 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 26.0 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 Searcy County's active designations would take about 1.4 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1 primary care, 0.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 37.5% of Searcy 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).

Searcy County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

12 Census ZCTAs intersect Searcy 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

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, Searcy 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. Searcy 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: 05129. Population: 7,828.

3
Dental HPSAs
3
Primary Care HPSAs
2
Mental Health HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 39.7

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 19.0
Mental Health 23.0
Dental 26.0

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 8 active (designated) HPSAs in Searcy County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Boston Mountain Rural Health Center, Inc dental 26.0
Boston Mountain Rural Health Center, Inc mental_health 23.0
Boston Mountain Rural Health Center, Inc primary_care 19.0
LI - Searcy County primary_care 18.0
Amc AR Rhc Marshall primary_care 17.0
Amc AR Rhc Marshall mental_health 17.0
Amc AR Rhc Marshall dental 17.0
LI - Searcy County dental 16.0

Heavy-burden reading for Searcy County

Peak severity leads this reading: Searcy County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Searcy County's deepest shortage reading, 26.0 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 23.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 39.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Searcy 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 26.0. 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.

Searcy 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.

Searcy County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Heavy-volume FTE gap in Searcy County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Searcy County's active designations: about 1.4 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 Searcy 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

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

  • Searcy 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 Dental Shortage Score

Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Searcy County's 26.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Tulare County, CA and Frederick County, MD.

Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Counties near Searcy County's dental score of 26.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 26.0 (severity lead on this page is “BOSTON MOUNTAIN RURAL HEALTH CENTER, INC”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Searcy County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Searcy County carries an MUA designation (index 39.7; 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 Searcy County's peak score of 26.0?
"BOSTON MOUNTAIN RURAL HEALTH CENTER, INC" leads the active set (score 26.0; dental; 41,074 people in the service area; designated 08/29/2003). 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 Searcy County's severity reading?
After "BOSTON MOUNTAIN RURAL HEALTH CENTER, INC", the next active names on this release are "BOSTON MOUNTAIN RURAL HEALTH CENTER, INC", "BOSTON MOUNTAIN RURAL HEALTH CENTER, INC", "BOSTON MOUNTAIN RURAL HEALTH CENTER, INC" and "LI - Searcy County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~1.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Searcy County's high-severity geography?
Searcy 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 "BOSTON MOUNTAIN RURAL HEALTH CENTER, INC".
How does Searcy County's peak severity sit inside AR?
Searcy County holds 8 active HPSA rows with peak 26.0. Searcy 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 Tulare County, CA and Frederick County, MD.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 05129. 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 05129 (Searcy County, AR), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 8; peak score 26.0; signature peak score 26.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.