Medically Underserved Area High-priority · dental care only

KY · Healthcare shortage profile

Owen County, KY

Peak severity leads this reading: Owen County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 11,278.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
11,278
Peak shortage score
17.0
MUA Index
57.7
KY state overview → About this data

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Owen 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
Dental shortages
17
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 80%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Owen 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 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.

  2. Closing Owen County's active designations would take about 2 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.2 primary care, 0.7 mental health, 1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Owen 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).

Owen County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

11 Census ZCTAs intersect Owen 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.

Owen 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

0–20: 3,115 real US counties (95%). This entry sits in this band. 20–40: 128 real US counties (4%). Above this entry. 40–60: 32 real US counties (1%). Above this entry. 60–80: 7 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 80–100: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 100–120: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 120–140: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 140–160: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 160–180: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 180–200: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 200–220: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 220–240: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 240–260: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 260–280: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. This county 0 280 every real US county, bucketed by value

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. Owen 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: 21187. Population: 11,278.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 57.7

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 7.0
Mental Health 15.0
Dental 17.0

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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Owen County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI-Owen County dental 17.0
Owen County mental_health 15.0
Owen County primary_care 7.0

Light-burden reading for Owen County

Peak severity leads this reading: Owen County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Owen County's deepest shortage reading, 17.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 7.0 of 25; Mental health reads 15.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Owen 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.

Owen 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 Owen County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Owen County's active designations: about 2 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Acting on Owen County's high-priority dental care

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

  • Owen County's high-priority dental care designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
  • See how the county's dental care 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.

Counties near Owen County's dental score of 17.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 17.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI-Owen County”).

Will County, IL

17.0 dental score · 696,355 pop.

Jackson County, MI

17.0 dental score · 160,366 pop.

Florence County, SC

17.0 dental score · 137,059 pop.

Calhoun County, AL

17.0 dental score · 116,441 pop.

Story County, IA

17.0 dental score · 98,537 pop.

Elmore County, AL

17.0 dental score · 87,977 pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Owen County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Owen County carries an MUA designation (index 57.7; 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 Owen County's peak score of 17.0?
"LI-Owen County" leads the active set (score 17.0; dental; 3,973 people in the service area; ~1 FTE still needed on the record; designated 03/03/2026). 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 Owen County's severity reading?
After "LI-Owen County", the next active names on this release are "LI-Owen County", "Owen County" and "Owen County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21187. 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 21187 (Owen County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 17.0; signature peak score 17.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.