CO · Healthcare shortage profile
El Paso County, CO
Peak severity leads this reading: El Paso County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 730,395.
- Active HPSAs
- 4
- Population
- 730,395
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- 59.9
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, El Paso County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 4 active HPSA designations, more than 44% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 4
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 56%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over El Paso County
El Paso County intersects 47 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
35 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 El Paso 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 24.0 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 El Paso County's active designations would take about 16 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.9 primary care, 13 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of El Paso County's 4 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 4).
El Paso 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. El Paso County falls in the lower half of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 37 of 64. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 08041. Population: 730,395.
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 El Paso County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Peak Vista Community Health Centers | dental | 24.0 |
| Peak Vista Community Health Centers | mental_health | 23.0 |
| LI Colorado Springs | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Diversus Health Mhca | mental_health | 9.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for El Paso County
Peak severity leads this reading: El Paso County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries El Paso County's deepest shortage reading, 24.0 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 12.0 of 25; Mental health reads 23.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 59.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
El Paso 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 (1/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
El Paso County falls in the lower half of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 37 of 64. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
El Paso County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
1 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for El Paso County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for El Paso County's active designations: about 16 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 El Paso 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 El Paso County's designations
El Paso County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- El Paso 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 mental health 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.
Nearby dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to El Paso County's 24.0. Open Dane County, WI or Minnehaha County, SD next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near El Paso County's dental score of 24.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 24.0 (severity lead on this page is “PEAK VISTA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS”).
Dane County, WI
24.0 dental score · 561,504 pop.
Minnehaha County, SD
24.0 dental score · 197,214 pop.
Cecil County, MD
24.0 dental score · 103,725 pop.
Crittenden County, AR
24.0 dental score · 48,163 pop.
Scotts Bluff County, NE
24.0 dental score · 36,084 pop.
Del Norte County, CA
24.0 dental score · 27,743 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does El Paso County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - El Paso County carries an MUA designation (index 59.9; 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 El Paso County's peak score of 24.0?
- "PEAK VISTA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS" leads the active set (score 24.0; dental; 125,769 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 4 active rows: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under El Paso County's severity reading?
- After "PEAK VISTA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS", the next active names on this release are "PEAK VISTA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS", "PEAK VISTA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS", "LI Colorado Springs" and "Diversus Health MHCA". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~16 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow El Paso County's high-severity geography?
- El Paso 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 "PEAK VISTA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 08041. 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 08041 (El Paso County, CO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 4; peak score 24.0; signature peak score 24.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.