KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Powell County, KY
Peak severity leads this reading: Powell County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 13,129.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 13,129
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- 57.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Powell 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
- Dental shortages
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Powell County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Powell County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
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 Powell 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.
-
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.
-
Closing Powell County's active designations would take about 4 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.8 primary care, 0.8 mental health, 1.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Powell 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, Powell 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. Powell 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: 21197. Population: 13,129.
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 Powell County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Powell County | dental | 19.0 |
| LI-Powell County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Powell County | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Red River Pediatrics | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Red River Pediatrics | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Red River Pediatrics | dental | 17.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Powell County
Peak severity leads this reading: Powell County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Powell County's deepest shortage reading, 19.0 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 18.0 of 25; Mental health reads 18.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Powell 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.
Powell 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.
Powell 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
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Powell County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Powell County's active designations: about 4 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 Powell 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 Powell County's designations
Powell County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Powell 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 dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Powell County's 19.0. Open Laurel County, KY or Curry County, NM next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Powell County's dental score of 19.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 19.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Powell County”).
Laurel County, KY
19.0 dental score · 62,613 pop.
Curry County, NM
19.0 dental score · 48,430 pop.
Barren County, KY
19.0 dental score · 44,485 pop.
Escambia County, FL
19.0 dental score · 321,905 pop.
Kenton County, KY
19.0 dental score · 169,064 pop.
Lycoming County, PA
19.0 dental score · 114,188 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Powell County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Powell County carries an MUA designation (index 57.0; 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 Powell County's peak score of 19.0?
- "LI - Powell County" leads the active set (score 19.0; dental; 5,699 people in the service area; ~1.4 FTE still needed on the record; designated 09/06/2019). 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 Powell County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Powell County", the next active names on this release are "LI - Powell County", "LI-Powell County", "Powell County" and "RED RIVER PEDIATRICS". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Powell County's high-severity geography?
- Powell 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 - Powell County".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21197. 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 21197 (Powell 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.