KY · Healthcare shortage profile
McCracken County, KY
Home to 67,875 residents, with 6 active HRSA shortage designations.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 67,875
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- 49.2
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, McCracken 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
- 18
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for McCracken 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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33.3% of McCracken 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).
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Closing McCracken County's active designations would take about 13 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 5.9 primary care, 1.5 mental health, 5.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, McCracken 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. McCracken 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: 21145. Population: 67,875.
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 McCracken County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-McCracken County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Emerald Healthcare Group Paducah | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Emerald Healthcare Group Paducah | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI-McCracken County | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Emerald Healthcare Group Paducah | dental | 17.0 |
| LI - McCracken County | dental | 17.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for McCracken County
Primary care is where McCracken County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 18.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 17.0 of 25; Dental care reads 17.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 49.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
McCracken 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.
McCracken 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.
McCracken County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Clinician FTE gap by care type
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for McCracken County's active designations: 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 McCracken 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 McCracken County's designations
McCracken County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- McCracken 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 McCracken County's 18.0. Open Utah County, UT or Chester County, PA next.
Showing 3 of 2934 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Nationwide counties with similar HRSA profiles
Two peer sets for McCracken County: active designation volume and primary-care HPSA score, ranked across the national county corpus.
Similar designation volume
Nearest active designation count (6 here).
Similar primary-care score
Nearest active primary-care HPSA score (18.0 here).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is McCracken County a Medically Underserved Area?
Yes, McCracken County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is 49.2. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.
How many healthcare shortage areas does McCracken County have?
McCracken County, KY has 6 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 2 in primary care, 2 in mental health, and 2 in dental care, according to HRSA data.
What does McCracken County's HPSA score of 18.0 mean?
18.0 in primary care clears 17, HRSA's high-priority line, which is what makes providers here eligible for NHSC placement and enhanced reimbursement.
What healthcare providers are needed in McCracken County?
Based on HRSA shortage designations, McCracken County needs additional providers in primary care (family physicians, internists, pediatricians), mental health (psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers), and dental care (dentists, dental hygienists). The National Health Service Corps offers loan repayment and scholarship programs for providers who serve in designated shortage areas.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21145. 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.