KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Perry County, KY
Peak severity leads this reading: Perry County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 28,473.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 28,473
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- 45.2
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Perry 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
- Dental shortages
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Perry County
Perry County intersects 24 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
12 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 Perry 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 23.0 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 Perry County's active designations would take about 7.7 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 4.2 primary care, 0.9 mental health, 2.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Perry 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).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Perry County carries 9 active designations, above 75% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Perry County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 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: 21193. Population: 28,473.
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 Perry County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Mountain Health Alliance, Inc. | dental | 23.0 |
| Kentucky Mountain Health Alliance, Inc. | primary_care | 22.0 |
| Kentucky Mountain Health Alliance, Inc. | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Primary Care Centers OF Eastern KY - Hazard | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Primary Care Centers OF Eastern KY - Hazard | dental | 19.0 |
| LI-Perry County | dental | 19.0 |
| LI - Perry County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Primary Care Centers OF Eastern KY - Hazard | mental_health | 18.0 |
| ME-Perry County | mental_health | 18.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Perry County
Peak severity leads this reading: Perry County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Perry County's deepest shortage reading, 23.0 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 22.0 of 25; Mental health reads 22.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 45.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Perry 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 23.0. 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.
Perry 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.
Perry 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
3 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Perry County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Perry County's active designations: about 7.7 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 Perry 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
Perry County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Perry 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 Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Perry County's 23.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Kern County, CA and Prince William County, VA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Perry County's dental score of 23.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 23.0 (severity lead on this page is “Kentucky Mountain Health Alliance, Inc.”).
Kern County, CA
23.0 dental score · 909,235 pop.
Prince William County, VA
23.0 dental score · 482,204 pop.
Rutherford County, TN
23.0 dental score · 341,486 pop.
San Luis Obispo County, CA
23.0 dental score · 282,424 pop.
Calcasieu County, LA
23.0 dental score · 216,785 pop.
Kootenai County, ID
23.0 dental score · 171,362 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Perry County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Perry County carries an MUA designation (index 45.2; 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 Perry County's peak score of 23.0?
- "Kentucky Mountain Health Alliance, Inc." leads the active set (score 23.0; dental; 57,241 people in the service area; designated 01/12/2006). 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 Perry County's severity reading?
- After "Kentucky Mountain Health Alliance, Inc.", the next active names on this release are "Kentucky Mountain Health Alliance, Inc.", "Kentucky Mountain Health Alliance, Inc.", "Kentucky Mountain Health Alliance, Inc." and "PRIMARY CARE CENTERS OF EASTERN KY - HAZARD". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~7.7 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Perry County's high-severity geography?
- Perry 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 "Kentucky Mountain Health Alliance, Inc.".
- How does Perry County's peak severity sit inside KY?
- Perry County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 23.0. Perry 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 Kern County, CA and Prince William County, VA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21193. 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 21193 (Perry County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 23.0; signature peak score 23.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.