CO · Healthcare shortage profile
Pitkin County, CO
Peak severity leads this reading: Pitkin County's highest active HPSA score is 14.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 17,358.
- Active HPSAs
- 1
- Population
- 17,358
- Peak shortage score
- 14.0
- MUA Index
- -
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Pitkin County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 1 active HPSA designation, more than 2% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 1
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 14
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 98%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Pitkin County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Pitkin County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
3 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 Pitkin 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.
-
Closing Pitkin County's active designations would take about 9.7 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 9.7 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
100% of Pitkin County's 1 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 1).
-
Peak HPSA score 14.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Pitkin County carries 1 active designation, above 2% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.
State peer position. Pitkin County falls in the lower half of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 60 of 64. 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: 08097. Population: 17,358.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only · mental health only on this FIPS. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Pitkin County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 1 active (designated) HPSAs in Pitkin County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado West Regional Mhca | mental_health | 14.0 |
Light-burden reading for Pitkin County
Peak severity leads this reading: Pitkin County's highest active HPSA score is 14.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Pitkin County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 14.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Pitkin County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Pitkin County carries 1 active designation and sits below the national mid-pack (above 2% 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.
Pitkin County falls in the lower half of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 60 of 64. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Counties near Pitkin County's mental score of 14.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 14.0 (severity lead on this page is “Colorado West Regional MHCA”).
Hood County, TX
14.0 mental score · 61,598 pop.
Jackson County, IN
14.0 mental score · 46,428 pop.
Preble County, OH
14.0 mental score · 40,999 pop.
Schoharie County, NY
14.0 mental score · 29,714 pop.
Lafayette County, LA
14.0 mental score · 241,753 pop.
Napa County, CA
14.0 mental score · 138,019 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Pitkin County's peak score of 14.0?
- "Colorado West Regional MHCA" leads the active set (score 14.0; mental health; 277,500 people in the service area; ~9.7 FTE still needed on the record; designated 10/15/2025). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 1 active rows: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental.
- Why is Pitkin County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Pitkin County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- What provider types does Pitkin County's severity cover?
- Active rows break down 0 primary care / 1 mental health / 0 dental. Closing published gaps would take about 9.7 additional clinician FTEs on this release.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 08097. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — 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 08097 (Pitkin County, CO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 1; peak score 14.0; signature peak score 14.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.