IA · Healthcare shortage profile
Black Hawk County, IA
Peak severity leads this reading: Black Hawk County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 131,144.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 131,144
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 52.2
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Black Hawk 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
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Black Hawk County
Black Hawk County intersects 18 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
6 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 Black Hawk County, IA 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 25.0 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 Black Hawk County's active designations would take about 17 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 5 primary care, 1.9 mental health, 9.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Black Hawk 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).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Black Hawk County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Black Hawk County falls in the upper half of IA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 99. 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: 19013. Population: 131,144.
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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Black Hawk County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Peoples Community Health Clinic, Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| Peoples Community Health Clinic, Inc. | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Peoples Community Health Clinic, Inc. | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI-Black Hawk County | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI-Black Hawk County | dental | 15.0 |
| LI - Black Hawk County | primary_care | 12.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Black Hawk County
Peak severity leads this reading: Black Hawk County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Black Hawk County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 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 17.0 of 25; Mental health reads 19.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 52.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Black Hawk 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.
Black Hawk County falls in the upper half of IA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 99. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Black Hawk 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
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Black Hawk County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Black Hawk County's active designations: about 17 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 Black Hawk County, IA · 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 Black Hawk County's designations
Black Hawk County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Black Hawk County's 6 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 IA before you draw conclusions from a single score. IA 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.
Nearby dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Black Hawk County's 25.0. Open Fulton County, GA or Erie County, NY next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Black Hawk County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “PEOPLES COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC, INC.”).
Fulton County, GA
25.0 dental score · 1,066,710 pop.
Erie County, NY
25.0 dental score · 954,236 pop.
El Paso County, TX
25.0 dental score · 865,657 pop.
Miami-Dade County, FL
25.0 dental score · 2,701,767 pop.
Tarrant County, TX
25.0 dental score · 2,110,640 pop.
Philadelphia County, PA
25.0 dental score · 1,603,797 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Black Hawk County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Black Hawk County carries an MUA designation (index 52.2; 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 Black Hawk County's peak score of 25.0?
- "PEOPLES COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC, INC." leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 37,541 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 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Black Hawk County's severity reading?
- After "PEOPLES COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC, INC.", the next active names on this release are "PEOPLES COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC, INC.", "PEOPLES COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC, INC.", "PEOPLES COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC, INC." and "LI-Black Hawk County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~17 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Black Hawk County's high-severity geography?
- Black Hawk County's 6 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 "PEOPLES COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC, INC.".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 19013. 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 19013 (Black Hawk County, IA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.