KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Marion County, KY
Peak severity leads this reading: Marion County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 19,581.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 19,581
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- 42.7
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Marion County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Mental-health shortages
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Marion 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 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.
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Closing Marion County's active designations would take about 5 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.8 primary care, 1.3 mental health, 1.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Marion County's 9 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
Marion County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 Census ZCTAs intersect Marion County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
3 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.
Marion County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
9 Top 25% higher than 75% 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. Marion County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 120. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 21155. Population: 19,581.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity 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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Marion County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Marion County | mental_health | 19.0 |
| LI-Marion County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI - Marion County | dental | 17.0 |
| Family & Internal Medicine Associates PLLC | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Kids Kare Pediatrics | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Family & Internal Medicine Associates PLLC | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Kids Kare Pediatrics | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Family & Internal Medicine Associates PLLC | dental | 15.0 |
| Kids Kare Pediatrics | dental | 15.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Marion County
Peak severity leads this reading: Marion County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Marion County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 19.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 18.0 of 25; Dental care reads 17.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 42.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Marion County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 19.0. The table on this page lists the highest-severity records first so a reader can see which named facilities, geographies, or population groups drive that burden without treating the county total as a personal appointment forecast.
Marion County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 120. Heavy-burden counties are where NHSC placement, Community Health Center grant geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the county boundary alone.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Marion County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Marion County's active designations: about 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 Marion 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 a heavy-burden county
Marion County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Marion County's 9 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 With a Similar Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Marion County's 19.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Lake County, IN and Hamilton County, IN.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Marion County's mental score of 19.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 19.0 (severity lead on this page is “Marion County”).
Lake County, IN
19.0 mental score · 498,700 pop.
Hamilton County, IN
19.0 mental score · 347,467 pop.
Calcasieu County, LA
19.0 mental score · 216,785 pop.
Saginaw County, MI
19.0 mental score · 190,124 pop.
Black Hawk County, IA
19.0 mental score · 131,144 pop.
Dubuque County, IA
19.0 mental score · 99,266 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Marion County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Marion County carries an MUA designation (index 42.7; 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 Marion County's peak score of 19.0?
- "Marion County" leads the active set (score 19.0; mental health; 18,792 people in the service area; ~1.3 FTE still needed on the record; designated 03/07/2022). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 9 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Marion County's severity reading?
- After "Marion County", the next active names on this release are "Marion County", "LI-Marion County", "LI - Marion County" and "FAMILY & INTERNAL MEDICINE ASSOCIATES PLLC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~5 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Marion County's high-severity geography?
- Marion County's 9 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 "Marion County".
- How does Marion County's peak severity sit inside KY?
- Marion County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 19.0. Marion County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 120. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Lake County, IN and Hamilton County, IN.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21155. 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 21155 (Marion County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 19.0; signature peak score 19.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.