IL · Healthcare shortage profile
Union County, IL
Peak severity leads this reading: Union County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 17,244.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 17,244
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- 58.2
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Union County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Union 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.
-
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 Union County's active designations would take about 19 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.5 primary care, 17 mental health, 0.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Union County's 9 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
Union County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
13 Census ZCTAs intersect Union County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
5 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Union County carries 9 active designations, above 75% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Union County falls in the upper quarter of IL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 22 of 102. 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: 17181. Population: 17,244.
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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Union County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rural Health Inc | dental | 23.0 |
| Rural Health Inc | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Rural Health Inc | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Sih Medical Group Anna Primary Care | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI- Union County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Sih Medical Group Anna Primary Care | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Sih Medical Group Anna Primary Care | dental | 17.0 |
| Southern IL Mhca | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI - Union County | dental | 9.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Union County
Peak severity leads this reading: Union County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Union 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 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Union County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 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.
Union County falls in the upper quarter of IL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 22 of 102. 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.
Union County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
3 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Union County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Union County's active designations: about 19 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 Union County, IL · 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
Union County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Union County's 9 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 IL before you draw conclusions from a single score. IL 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 Union County's 23.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Kern County, CA and Prince William County, VA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Union County's dental score of 23.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 23.0 (severity lead on this page is “RURAL HEALTH INC”).
Kern County, CA
23.0 dental score · 909,235 pop.
Prince William County, VA
23.0 dental score · 482,204 pop.
Rutherford County, TN
23.0 dental score · 341,486 pop.
San Luis Obispo County, CA
23.0 dental score · 282,424 pop.
Calcasieu County, LA
23.0 dental score · 216,785 pop.
Kootenai County, ID
23.0 dental score · 171,362 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Union County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Union County carries an MUA designation (index 58.2; 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 Union County's peak score of 23.0?
- "RURAL HEALTH INC" leads the active set (score 23.0; dental; 37,191 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 9 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Union County's severity reading?
- After "RURAL HEALTH INC", the next active names on this release are "RURAL HEALTH INC", "RURAL HEALTH INC", "RURAL HEALTH INC" and "SIH MEDICAL GROUP ANNA PRIMARY CARE". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~19 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Union County's high-severity geography?
- Union County's 9 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 "RURAL HEALTH INC".
- How does Union County's peak severity sit inside IL?
- Union County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 23.0. Union County falls in the upper quarter of IL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 22 of 102. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Kern County, CA and Prince William County, VA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 17181. 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 17181 (Union County, IL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 23.0; signature peak score 23.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.