Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

KS · Healthcare shortage profile

Gray County, KS

Peak severity leads this reading: Gray County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 5,653.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
5,653
Peak shortage score
16.0
MUA Index
48.6

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Gray 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
C
Healthcare Access Score
55/100
Gray County, KS

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.

Primary care A-
13.0 of 25
Primary care shortage severity (HPSA score)
Mental health B+
16.0 of 25
Mental health shortage severity (HPSA score)
Dental A
13.0 of 26
Dental shortage severity (HPSA score)
Underserved status F
IMU 48.6
Index of Medical Underservice (designated MUA)
Provider gap F
12.3 per 10K
Unmet provider need (HRSA-estimated) per 10,000 residents

Few Census ZCTAs touch Gray County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Gray 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 Gray County, KS 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 Gray County's active designations would take about 7 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.6 primary care, 4.3 mental health, 1.1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 33.3% of Gray 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, Gray 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. Gray County falls in the lower half of KS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 54 of 105. 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: 20069. Population: 5,653.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 48.6

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 13.0 Below priority line
Mental Health 16.0 Below priority line
Dental 13.0 Below priority line

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 Gray County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Mhca 24 mental_health 16.0
Gray County primary_care 13.0
Gray County dental 13.0

Light-burden reading for Gray County

Peak severity leads this reading: Gray County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Gray 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 13.0 of 25; Dental care reads 13.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 48.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Gray 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.

Gray County falls in the lower half of KS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 54 of 105. 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 Gray County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Gray County's active designations: about 7 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Counties near Gray 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 “MHCA 24”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Gray County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Gray County carries an MUA designation (index 48.6; 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 Gray County's peak score of 16.0?
"MHCA 24" leads the active set (score 16.0; mental health; 30,000 people in the service area; ~4.3 FTE still needed on the record; designated 12/29/1980). 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 Gray County's severity reading?
After "MHCA 24", the next active names on this release are "MHCA 24" and "Gray County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~7 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 20069. 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 20069 (Gray County, KS), 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.