Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

MS · Healthcare shortage profile

Alcorn County, MS

Peak severity leads this reading: Alcorn County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 34,740.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
34,740
Peak shortage score
20.0
MUA Index
44.3

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Alcorn 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
Primary-care shortages
20
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 80%
US counties by volume

Few Census ZCTAs touch Alcorn County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Alcorn 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 Alcorn County, MS 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 20.0 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 Alcorn County's active designations would take about 13 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 4.9 primary care, 5.5 mental health, 2.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Alcorn 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).

Corpus placement

Active-designation volume placement

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Alcorn County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Alcorn County falls in the lower half of MS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 45 of 82. 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: 28003. Population: 34,740.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 44.3

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 20.0
Mental Health 18.0
Dental 18.0

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 Alcorn County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI - Alcorn County primary_care 20.0
Mhca 4 mental_health 18.0
LI- Alcorn County dental 18.0

Light-burden reading for Alcorn County

Peak severity leads this reading: Alcorn County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Alcorn County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 20.0 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 18.0 of 25; Dental care reads 18.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 44.3, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Alcorn 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.

Alcorn County falls in the lower half of MS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 45 of 82. 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 Alcorn County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Alcorn County's active designations: about 13 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 Alcorn County, MS · 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 Alcorn County's designations

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

  • Alcorn County's 3 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 MS before you draw conclusions from a single score. MS 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 near Alcorn County's primary score of 20.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 20.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Alcorn County”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Alcorn County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Alcorn County carries an MUA designation (index 44.3; 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 Alcorn County's peak score of 20.0?
"LI - Alcorn County" leads the active set (score 20.0; primary care; 600 people in the service area; ~4.9 FTE still needed on the record; designated 07/21/2011). 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 Alcorn County's severity reading?
After "LI - Alcorn County", the next active names on this release are "LI - Alcorn County", "MHCA 4" and "LI- Alcorn County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~13 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 28003. 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 28003 (Alcorn County, MS), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 20.0; signature peak score 20.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.