IN · Healthcare shortage profile
Blackford County, IN
Peak severity leads this reading: Blackford County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 12,112.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 12,112
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 56.5
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Blackford County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 3
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Primary-care shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- US counties by volume
Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.
Few Census ZCTAs touch Blackford County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Blackford County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
2 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 Blackford County, IN 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 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.
-
Closing Blackford County's active designations would take about 6.7 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, 3.9 mental health, 1.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Blackford County's 3 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 3).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Blackford County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Blackford County falls in the upper half of IN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 39 of 92. 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: 18009. Population: 12,112.
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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Blackford County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Blackford County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Mhca 11: Blackford/Grant | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI - Blackford County | dental | 17.0 |
Light-burden reading for Blackford County
Peak severity leads this reading: Blackford County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Blackford County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health and dental care: both scored 17.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 56.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Blackford County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% 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.
Blackford County falls in the upper half of IN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 39 of 92. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Light-volume FTE gap for Blackford County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Blackford County's active designations: about 6.7 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 Blackford County, IN · 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 Blackford County's designations
Blackford County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Blackford County's 3 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 IN before you draw conclusions from a single score. IN 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 near Blackford County's primary score of 17.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 17.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Blackford County”).
Bell County, TX
17.0 primary score · 370,647 pop.
Dauphin County, PA
17.0 primary score · 286,401 pop.
Butte County, CA
17.0 primary score · 211,632 pop.
Kootenai County, ID
17.0 primary score · 171,362 pop.
Johnson County, IA
17.0 primary score · 152,854 pop.
Middlesex County, MA
17.0 primary score · 1,632,002 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Blackford County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Blackford County carries an MUA designation (index 56.5; 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 Blackford County's peak score of 17.0?
- "LI - Blackford County" leads the active set (score 17.0; primary care; 1,019 people in the service area; ~1.5 FTE still needed on the record; designated 09/11/2025). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Blackford County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Blackford County", the next active names on this release are "LI - Blackford County" and "MHCA 11: Blackford/Grant". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~6.7 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 18009. 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 18009 (Blackford County, IN), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 17.0; signature peak score 17.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.