KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Boone County, KY
Home to 135,968 residents, with 1 active HRSA shortage designation.
- Active HPSAs
- 1
- Population
- 135,968
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- -
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Boone County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 1 active HPSA designation, more than 2% of the 3,289 real US counties, with dental the deepest gap.
- 1
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 98%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Boone County, KY 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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100% of Boone County's 1 active designations are dental.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 0 primary care, 0 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 1).
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Closing Boone County's active designations would take about 1.8 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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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.
Boone 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. Boone County falls in the lower half of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 118 of 120. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 21015. Population: 135,968.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only · dental care only on this FIPS. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Boone County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. 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 Boone County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-Boone County SA | dental | 17.0 |
Light-burden reading for Boone County
Dental care carries Boone County's deepest shortage reading, 17.0 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. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Boone County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Boone 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.
Boone County falls in the lower half of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 118 of 120. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Acting on Boone County's high-priority dental care
Boone County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Boone County's high-priority dental care designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's dental care burden compares with the rest of KY before drawing conclusions from a single score. KY 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.
Nationwide counties with similar HRSA profiles
Two peer sets for Boone County: active designation volume and primary-care HPSA score, ranked across the national county corpus.
Similar designation volume
Nearest active designation count (1 here).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many healthcare shortage areas does Boone County have?
Boone County, KY has 1 Health Professional Shortage Area designation: 0 in primary care, 0 in mental health, and 1 in dental care, according to HRSA data.
Is Boone County a Medically Underserved Area?
Boone County does not currently have a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) designation from HRSA. However, the county may still have individual HPSA designations for specific provider types.
What does Boone County's HPSA score of 17.0 mean?
17.0 in dental care clears 17, HRSA's high-priority line, which is what makes providers here eligible for NHSC placement and enhanced reimbursement.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21015. This county’s designations come from 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.