Medically Underserved Area High-priority · mental health only

IL · Healthcare shortage profile

Bureau County, IL

The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Bureau County's active designations would take about 43 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 33,244.

Active HPSAs
6
Population
33,244
Peak shortage score
18.0
MUA Index
56.0

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bureau County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

6
Active HPSA designations
2
Mental-health shortages
18
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 46%
US counties by volume

Dense ZCTA lattice over Bureau County

Bureau County intersects 31 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

19 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 Bureau County, IL 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 18.0 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 Bureau County's active designations would take about 43 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 5.4 primary care, 35 mental health, 2.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Bureau County's 6 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).

Bureau County vs. every real US county

Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none

6 Top 46% higher than 54% of 3,289 real US counties

0–20: 3,115 real US counties (95%). This entry sits in this band. 20–40: 128 real US counties (4%). Above this entry. 40–60: 32 real US counties (1%). Above this entry. 60–80: 7 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 80–100: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 100–120: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 120–140: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 140–160: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 160–180: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 180–200: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 200–220: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 220–240: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 240–260: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 260–280: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. This county 0 280 every real US county, bucketed by value

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. Bureau County falls in the upper half of IL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 35 of 102. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.

Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 17011. Population: 33,244.

Single high-priority discipline

Bureau County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health

Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active mental health designations to Bureau County , with a peak score of 18.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the mental health records.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 56.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 16.0
Mental Health 18.0
Dental 15.0

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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Bureau County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI Central Area Mhca mental_health 18.0
Osf Healthcare - Community Health primary_care 16.0
Osf Healthcare - Community Health mental_health 16.0
LI-Bureau County dental 15.0
Osf Healthcare - Community Health dental 15.0
Bureau/Putnam Counties primary_care 11.0

Moderate-burden reading for Bureau County

The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Bureau County's active designations would take about 43 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Bureau County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 18.0 of 25, 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; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 56.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Bureau County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.

Bureau County falls in the upper half of IL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 35 of 102. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.

Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Bureau County

Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 43 FTE across Bureau County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.

Acting on Bureau County's high-priority mental health

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

  • Bureau County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
  • See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of IL before drawing conclusions from a single score. IL overview
  • Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 mental-health score peers

Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Bureau County's 18.0. Open Caguas County, PR or Cuyahoga County, OH next.

Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Counties with a matching designation count to Bureau County's 6

One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 6 - the inventory behind the ~43 FTE published need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Bureau County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Bureau County carries an MUA designation (index 56.0; 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 Bureau County?
Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~43 FTE, with mental health the largest slice (35). "LI Central Area MHCA" is the highest-scored active row (score 18.0; mental health; 145,836 people in the service area; ~35 FTE still needed on the record; designated 02/18/2026). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Which named designations drive Bureau County's FTE reading?
Active names on this release include "LI Central Area MHCA", "OSF HEALTHCARE - COMMUNITY HEALTH", "OSF HEALTHCARE - COMMUNITY HEALTH" and "LI-Bureau County". Discipline counts: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental across 6 designated rows.
Do Bureau 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.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 17011. 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 17011 (Bureau County, IL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 18.0; signature 43 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.