Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

KY · Healthcare shortage profile

Leslie County, KY

Peak severity leads this reading: Leslie County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 10,513.

Active HPSAs
6
Population
10,513
Peak shortage score
19.0
MUA Index
47.0

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Leslie 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
Primary-care shortages
19
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 46%
US counties by volume

Dense ZCTA lattice over Leslie County

Leslie County intersects 23 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.

Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county

11 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 Leslie 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.

  1. Peak HPSA score 19.0 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.

  2. Closing Leslie County's active designations would take about 3.5 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.6 primary care, 0.7 mental health, 1.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Leslie 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).

Corpus placement

Active-designation volume placement

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Leslie County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Leslie County falls in the upper half of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 32 of 120. 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: 21131. Population: 10,513.

2
Primary Care HPSAs
2
Mental Health HPSAs
2
Dental HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 47.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 19.0
Mental Health 18.0
Dental 19.0

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 Leslie County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI - Leslie County primary_care 19.0
Hometown Clinic primary_care 19.0
LI-Leslie County dental 19.0
Hometown Clinic dental 19.0
Hometown Clinic mental_health 18.0
Leslie County mental_health 17.0

Moderate-burden reading for Leslie County

Peak severity leads this reading: Leslie County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Leslie County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and dental care: both scored 19.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 18.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 47.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Leslie 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.

Leslie 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.

Leslie County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Leslie County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Leslie County's active designations: about 3.5 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 Leslie 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 Leslie County's designations

Leslie County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Leslie County's 6 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.

Nearby primary-care score peers

Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Leslie County's 19.0. Open Kane County, IL or Solano County, CA next.

Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Counties near Leslie County's primary score of 19.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 19.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Leslie County”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Leslie County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Leslie County carries an MUA designation (index 47.0; 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 Leslie County's peak score of 19.0?
"LI - Leslie County" leads the active set (score 19.0; primary care; 4,843 people in the service area; ~1.6 FTE still needed on the record; designated 03/25/2022). 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 Leslie County's severity reading?
After "LI - Leslie County", the next active names on this release are "LI - Leslie County", "HOMETOWN CLINIC", "LI-Leslie County" and "HOMETOWN CLINIC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.5 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Leslie County's high-severity geography?
Leslie 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 "LI - Leslie County".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21131. 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 21131 (Leslie County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 19.0; signature peak score 19.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.