KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Hancock County, KY
Peak severity leads this reading: Hancock County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 9,095.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 9,095
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 61.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Hancock County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Mental-health shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Hancock County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Hancock 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 Hancock 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 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 Hancock County's active designations would take about 3.4 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.5 primary care, 0.2 mental health, 0.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Hancock County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).
Hancock County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
6 Top 46% higher than 54% 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. Hancock County falls in the upper half of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 32 of 120. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 21091. Population: 9,095.
Single high-priority discipline
Hancock County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active mental health designations to Hancock County , with a peak score of 17.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the mental health records.
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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Hancock County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Family Health Care Associates 6, LLC | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Hancock County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Family Health Care Associates 6, LLC | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI - Hancock County | dental | 15.0 |
| Family Health Care Associates 6, LLC | dental | 15.0 |
| LI-Hancock County | mental_health | 13.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Hancock County
Peak severity leads this reading: Hancock County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Hancock 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. Primary care reads 16.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Hancock County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Hancock County falls in the upper half of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 32 of 120. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Hancock County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Hancock County's active designations: about 3.4 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Acting on Hancock County's high-priority mental health
Hancock County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Hancock 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 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.
Nearby mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Hancock County's 17.0. Open Kendall County, IL or Matanuska-Susitna County, AK next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Hancock 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 “FAMILY HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATES 6, LLC”).
Kendall County, IL
17.0 mental score · 131,869 pop.
Matanuska-Susitna County, AK
17.0 mental score · 107,081 pop.
Sevier County, TN
17.0 mental score · 98,380 pop.
Benton County, OR
17.0 mental score · 95,184 pop.
Lake County, FL
17.0 mental score · 383,956 pop.
Frederick County, MD
17.0 mental score · 271,717 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Hancock County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Hancock County carries an MUA designation (index 61.0; 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 Hancock County's peak score of 17.0?
- "FAMILY HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATES 6, LLC" leads the active set (score 17.0; mental health; 85,363 people in the service area; designated 11/05/2024). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Hancock County's severity reading?
- After "FAMILY HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATES 6, LLC", the next active names on this release are "FAMILY HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATES 6, LLC", "Hancock County", "FAMILY HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATES 6, LLC" and "LI - Hancock County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Hancock County's high-severity geography?
- Hancock County's 6 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 "FAMILY HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATES 6, LLC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21091. 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 21091 (Hancock County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 17.0; signature peak score 17.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.