CO · Healthcare shortage profile
Adams County, CO
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Adams County's active designations would take about 52 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 519,572.
- Active HPSAs
- 10
- Population
- 519,572
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- 57.1
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Adams County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 10 active HPSA designations, more than 83% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 10
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 17%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Adams County
Adams County intersects 35 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.
Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county
23 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 Adams County, CO 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 23.0 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 Adams County's active designations would take about 52 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 26 primary care, 7.6 mental health, 18 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Adams County's 10 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 5 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 10).
Adams County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
10 Top 17% higher than 83% 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. Adams County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 64. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 08001. Population: 519,572.
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 10 active (designated) HPSAs in Adams County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| The Regents OF The Univ. OF Colorado | dental | 23.0 |
| The Regents OF The Univ. OF Colorado | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI Mhca Community Reach | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI - Commerce City | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI - Aurora North | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI -Thornton/Westminster | primary_care | 15.0 |
| LI - Adams West | dental | 15.0 |
| The Regents OF The Univ. OF Colorado | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Strasburg Service Area | primary_care | 14.0 |
| LI - Northwest Aurora | dental | 13.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Adams County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Adams County's active designations would take about 52 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Dental care carries Adams County's deepest shortage reading, 23.0 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 16.0 of 25; Mental health reads 18.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Adams County above 83% of real US counties (10 active designations: 5 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 23.0. 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.
Adams County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 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.
Adams County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Adams County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 52 FTE across Adams County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Adams County, CO · 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
Adams County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Adams County's 10 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 CO before you draw conclusions from a single score. CO 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 Adams County's 23.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Peoria County, IL and Monroe County, MI.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Adams County's 10
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 10 - the inventory behind the ~52 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Adams County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Adams County carries an MUA designation (index 57.1; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Adams County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~52 FTE, with primary care the largest slice (26). "THE REGENTS OF THE UNIV. OF COLORADO" is the highest-scored active row (score 23.0; dental; 99,775 people in the service area; designated 06/01/2012). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Adams County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "THE REGENTS OF THE UNIV. OF COLORADO", "THE REGENTS OF THE UNIV. OF COLORADO", "LI MHCA Community Reach" and "LI - Commerce City". Discipline counts: 5 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental across 10 designated rows.
- Do Adams County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
- Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
- How does Adams County's FTE burden compare inside CO?
- 10 active designations and ~52 FTE published need. Adams County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 64. Score-nearest counties on this release include Peoria County, IL and Monroe County, MI.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 08001. 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 08001 (Adams County, CO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 10; peak score 23.0; signature 52 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.