Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

IA · Healthcare shortage profile

Fayette County, IA

Peak severity leads this reading: Fayette County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 19,509.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
19,509
Peak shortage score
16.0
MUA Index
56.0

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Fayette 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
Mental-health shortages
16
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 80%
US counties by volume

Dense ZCTA lattice over Fayette County

Fayette 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 Fayette 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.

  1. Closing Fayette County's active designations would take about 6.4 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.9 primary care, 3.3 mental health, 1.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 33.3% of Fayette 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).

  3. Peak HPSA score 16.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.

    Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.

Corpus placement

Designated volume without a high-priority score

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Fayette County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.

State peer position. Fayette County falls in the lower half of IA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 53 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: 19065. Population: 19,509.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 56.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 15.0
Mental Health 16.0
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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Fayette County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Northeast Iowa Area mental_health 16.0
LI - Fayette County primary_care 15.0
LI - Fayette County dental 15.0

Light-burden reading for Fayette County

Peak severity leads this reading: Fayette County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Fayette County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 16.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 15.0 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.

Fayette 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.

Fayette County falls in the lower half of IA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 53 of 99. 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 Fayette County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Fayette County's active designations: about 6.4 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Counties near Fayette County's mental score of 16.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “Northeast Iowa Area”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Fayette County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Fayette 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.
Which record sets Fayette County's peak score of 16.0?
"Northeast Iowa Area" leads the active set (score 16.0; mental health; 68,250 people in the service area; ~3.3 FTE still needed on the record; designated 11/13/2024). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Fayette County's severity reading?
After "Northeast Iowa Area", the next active names on this release are "Northeast Iowa Area", "LI - Fayette County" and "LI - Fayette County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~6.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 19065. 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 19065 (Fayette County, IA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.