KS · Healthcare shortage profile
Pawnee County, KS
Peak severity leads this reading: Pawnee County's highest active HPSA score is 14.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 6,253.
- Active HPSAs
- 4
- Population
- 6,253
- Peak shortage score
- 14.0
- MUA Index
- 51.2
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Pawnee County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 4 active HPSA designations, more than 44% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 4
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Mental-health shortages
- 14
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 56%
- 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 Pawnee County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Pawnee County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
4 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 Pawnee 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.
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Closing Pawnee County's active designations would take about 1.3 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.3 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Pawnee County's 4 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 4).
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Peak HPSA score 14.0 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, Pawnee County carries 4 active designations, above 44% 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. Pawnee County falls in the upper half of KS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 47 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: 20145. Population: 6,253.
Below high-priority line
Pawnee County is designated, but no active score clears 17
4 active designations sit on this FIPS (1 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental), and the peak severity is 14.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.
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 4 active (designated) HPSAs in Pawnee County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Pawnee Valley Medical Associates | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Mhca-20 | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Pawnee Valley Medical Associates | dental | 13.0 |
| Pawnee Valley Medical Associates | mental_health | 12.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Pawnee County
Peak severity leads this reading: Pawnee County's highest active HPSA score is 14.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Pawnee County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health: both scored 14.0 by HRSA, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Dental care reads 13.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 51.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Pawnee County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 44% of counties) with 4 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (1/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Pawnee County falls in the upper half of KS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 47 of 105. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Counties near Pawnee County's mental score of 14.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 14.0 (severity lead on this page is “PAWNEE VALLEY MEDICAL ASSOCIATES”).
St. Clair County, MI
14.0 mental score · 160,383 pop.
Calvert County, MD
14.0 mental score · 92,783 pop.
Salem County, NJ
14.0 mental score · 64,837 pop.
Queen Anne's County, MD
14.0 mental score · 49,874 pop.
Tift County, GA
14.0 mental score · 41,344 pop.
Dorchester County, MD
14.0 mental score · 32,531 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Pawnee County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Pawnee County carries an MUA designation (index 51.2; 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 Pawnee County's peak score of 14.0?
- "PAWNEE VALLEY MEDICAL ASSOCIATES" leads the active set (score 14.0; primary care; 11,982 people in the service area; designated 02/11/2020). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 4 active rows: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Pawnee County's severity reading?
- After "PAWNEE VALLEY MEDICAL ASSOCIATES", the next active names on this release are "PAWNEE VALLEY MEDICAL ASSOCIATES", "MHCA-20", "PAWNEE VALLEY MEDICAL ASSOCIATES" and "PAWNEE VALLEY MEDICAL ASSOCIATES". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~1.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Pawnee County's high-severity geography?
- Pawnee County's 4 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 "PAWNEE VALLEY MEDICAL ASSOCIATES".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 20145. 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 20145 (Pawnee County, KS), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 4; peak score 14.0; signature peak score 14.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.