IL · Healthcare shortage profile
Lee County, IL
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Lee County's active designations would take about 40 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 34,145.
- Active HPSAs
- 4
- Population
- 34,145
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 60.1
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lee County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 4 active HPSA designations, more than 44% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 4
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 56%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Lee County
Lee County intersects 24 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
12 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 Lee 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.
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Peak HPSA score 17.0 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 Lee County's active designations would take about 40 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, 36 mental health, 0.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Lee County's 4 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 4).
Lee 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. Lee County falls in the lower half of IL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 60 of 102. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 17103. Population: 34,145.
Single high-priority discipline
Lee County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 1 active mental health designation to Lee County , with a peak score of 17.0. 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
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 Lee County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-Northern IL Mhca | mental_health | 17.0 |
| CF-Dixon Correctional Center | primary_care | 12.0 |
| CF-Dixon Correctional Center | dental | 12.0 |
| Lee County | primary_care | 8.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Lee County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Lee County's active designations would take about 40 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Lee County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 17.0 of 25, 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; Dental care reads 12.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Lee 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 (2/1/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Lee County falls in the lower half of IL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 60 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 Lee County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 40 FTE across Lee County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Acting on Lee County's high-priority mental health
Lee County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Lee 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 Lee County's 17.0. Open Thurston County, WA or Boone County, MO next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Lee County's 4
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 4 - the inventory behind the ~40 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Lee County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Lee County carries an MUA designation (index 60.1; 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 Lee County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~40 FTE, with mental health the largest slice (36). "LI-Northern IL MHCA" is the highest-scored active row (score 17.0; mental health; 149,146 people in the service area; ~36 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 Lee County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "LI-Northern IL MHCA", "CF-Dixon Correctional Center", "CF-Dixon Correctional Center" and "Lee County". Discipline counts: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental across 4 designated rows.
- Do Lee 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: 17103. 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 17103 (Lee County, IL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 4; peak score 17.0; signature 40 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.