KS · Healthcare shortage profile
Smith County, KS
Peak severity leads this reading: Smith County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 3,570.
- Active HPSAs
- 1
- Population
- 3,570
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 56.7
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Smith County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 1 active HPSA designation, more than 2% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 1
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 98%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Smith 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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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.
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Closing Smith County's active designations would take about 3.3 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.3 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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100% of Smith County's 1 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 1).
Smith County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
10 Census ZCTAs intersect Smith County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
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.
Smith County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
1 Top 98% higher than 2% of 3,289 real US counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026
State peer position. Smith County falls in the lower half of KS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 79 of 105. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 20183. Population: 3,570.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only · mental health only on this FIPS. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 1 active (designated) HPSAs in Smith County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Mhca 23 | mental_health | 17.0 |
Light-burden reading for Smith County
Peak severity leads this reading: Smith County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Smith County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 17.0 of 25, 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 56.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Smith County carries 1 active designation and sits below the national mid-pack (above 2% 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.
Smith County falls in the lower half of KS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 79 of 105. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Acting on Smith County's high-priority mental health
Smith County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Smith County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of KS before drawing conclusions from a single score. KS overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 Smith County's mental score of 17.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 17.0 (severity lead on this page is “MHCA 23”).
Thurston County, WA
17.0 mental score · 294,793 pop.
Boone County, MO
17.0 mental score · 183,610 pop.
Hampton City County, VA
17.0 mental score · 137,148 pop.
Cowlitz County, WA
17.0 mental score · 110,730 pop.
Cleveland County, NC
17.0 mental score · 99,519 pop.
Cape May County, NJ
17.0 mental score · 95,263 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Smith County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Smith County carries an MUA designation (index 56.7; 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 Smith County's peak score of 17.0?
- "MHCA 23" leads the active set (score 17.0; mental health; 45,000 people in the service area; ~3.3 FTE still needed on the record; designated 12/29/1980). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 1 active rows: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental.
- What provider types does Smith County's severity cover?
- Active rows break down 0 primary care / 1 mental health / 0 dental. Closing published gaps would take about 3.3 additional clinician FTEs on this release.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 20183. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — 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 20183 (Smith County, KS), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 1; peak score 17.0; signature peak score 17.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.