0 Primary · mental · dental footprint

MO · Healthcare shortage profile

Adair County, MO

Peak severity leads this reading: Adair County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 25,314.

Active HPSAs
12
Population
25,314
Peak shortage score
25.0
MUA Index
-

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Adair County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 12 active HPSA designations, more than 85% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

12
Active HPSA designations
4
Dental shortages
25
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 15%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Adair County, MO 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 25.0 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 Adair County's active designations would take about 9.3 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.4 primary care, 2.4 mental health, 3.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Adair County's 12 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 12).

Few Census ZCTAs touch Adair County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Adair County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

4 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.

Corpus placement

Active-designation volume placement

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Adair County carries 12 active designations, above 85% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Adair County falls in the upper quarter of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 115. 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: 29001. Population: 25,314.

4
Dental HPSAs
4
Primary Care HPSAs
4
Mental Health HPSAs

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 20.0
Mental Health 22.0
Dental 25.0

Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Adair County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?

Highest-severity HPSA designations

All 12 active (designated) HPSAs in Adair County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Preferred Family Healthcare Inc dental 25.0
Northeast Missouri Health Council, Inc. dental 23.0
Northeast Missouri Health Council, Inc. mental_health 22.0
Northeast Missouri Health Council, Inc. primary_care 20.0
Preferred Family Healthcare Inc primary_care 20.0
LI-Adair and Knox Counties primary_care 18.0
Complete Family Medicine Kirksville Rhc mental_health 18.0
Complete Family Medicine Kirksville Rhc primary_care 17.0
LI - Region 14 Mhca mental_health 17.0
Preferred Family Healthcare Inc mental_health 17.0
Complete Family Medicine Kirksville Rhc dental 17.0
LI - Adair/Macon Counties dental 17.0

Heavy-burden reading for Adair County

Peak severity leads this reading: Adair County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Adair County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 22.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Adair County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.

Volume places Adair County above 85% of real US counties (12 active designations: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 25.0. 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.

Adair County falls in the upper quarter of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 115. 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.

Adair County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Heavy-volume FTE gap in Adair County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Adair County's active designations: about 9.3 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 Adair County, MO · 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

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

  • Adair County's 12 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 MO before you draw conclusions from a single score. MO 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 Adair County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Wayne County, MI and Travis County, TX.

Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Counties near Adair County's dental score of 25.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “PREFERRED FAMILY HEALTHCARE INC”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Which record sets Adair County's peak score of 25.0?
"PREFERRED FAMILY HEALTHCARE INC" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 33,350 people in the service area; designated 08/18/2019). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 12 active rows: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental.
Why is Adair County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
Adair County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
Which other active designations sit under Adair County's severity reading?
After "PREFERRED FAMILY HEALTHCARE INC", the next active names on this release are "PREFERRED FAMILY HEALTHCARE INC", "Northeast Missouri Health Council, Inc.", "Northeast Missouri Health Council, Inc." and "Northeast Missouri Health Council, Inc.". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~9.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Adair County's high-severity geography?
Adair County's 12 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 "PREFERRED FAMILY HEALTHCARE INC".
How does Adair County's peak severity sit inside MO?
Adair County holds 12 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Adair County falls in the upper quarter of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 115. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Wayne County, MI and Travis County, TX.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 29001. 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 29001 (Adair County, MO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 12; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.