KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Franklin County, KY
Peak severity leads this reading: Franklin County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 51,541.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 51,541
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- 58.0
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Franklin 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
- 18
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- 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 Franklin County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Franklin County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
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 Franklin 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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Peak HPSA score 18.0 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 Franklin County's active designations would take about 9.7 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 5 primary care, 1.1 mental health, 3.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Franklin 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).
Franklin County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
3 Top 80% higher than 20% 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. Franklin County falls in the lower half of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 68 of 120. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 21073. Population: 51,541.
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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Franklin County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-Franklin County | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI-Franklin County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI-Franklin County | dental | 15.0 |
Light-burden reading for Franklin County
Peak severity leads this reading: Franklin County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Franklin County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 18.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 17.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Franklin 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.
Franklin County falls in the lower half of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 68 of 120. 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 Franklin County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Franklin County's active designations: about 9.7 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Franklin County, KY · 2026 HRSA designation data updated quarterly; HPSA scores 0-25 (primary/mental) and 0-26 (dental); higher = greater shortage severity. Coverage tiers from U.S. Census ACS PUMS + KFF state tracker.
Acting on Franklin County's designations
Franklin County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Franklin County's 3 active designations make providers here eligible for National Health Service Corps loan repayment, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's primary care burden compares with the rest of KY before you draw conclusions from a single score. KY overview
- Check whether an area clears HRSA's 3,500:1 population-to-provider threshold with the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score. 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 Franklin County's mental score of 18.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 18.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI-Franklin County”).
Hendricks County, IN
18.0 mental score · 174,788 pop.
Berrien County, MI
18.0 mental score · 154,316 pop.
Skagit County, WA
18.0 mental score · 129,523 pop.
Northwest Hills County, CT
18.0 mental score · 112,696 pop.
Will County, IL
18.0 mental score · 696,355 pop.
Galveston County, TX
18.0 mental score · 350,682 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Franklin County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Franklin County carries an MUA designation (index 58.0; 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 Franklin County's peak score of 18.0?
- "LI-Franklin County" leads the active set (score 18.0; mental health; 15,836 people in the service area; ~1.1 FTE still needed on the record; designated 10/24/2025). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Franklin County's severity reading?
- After "LI-Franklin County", the next active names on this release are "LI-Franklin County", "LI-Franklin County" and "LI-Franklin County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~9.7 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21073. 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 21073 (Franklin County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 18.0; signature peak score 18.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.