MO · Healthcare shortage profile
Howell County, MO
Peak severity leads this reading: Howell County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 39,750.
- Active HPSAs
- 24
- Population
- 39,750
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 61.5
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Howell County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 24 active HPSA designations, more than 96% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 24
- Active HPSA designations
- 8
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 4%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Howell 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.
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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.
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Closing Howell County's active designations would take about 14 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 6.2 primary care, 3.6 mental health, 4.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Howell County's 24 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 8 primary care, 8 mental health, 8 dental (denominator 24).
Howell County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
13 Census ZCTAs intersect Howell 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
5 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, Howell County carries 24 active designations, above 96% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Howell County sits among the top three county rank positions in MO, at rank 2 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: 29091. Population: 39,750.
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 24 active (designated) HPSAs in Howell County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| The Rural Alliance For Better Family Health | dental | 25.0 |
| The Rural Alliance For Better Family Health | mental_health | 23.0 |
| The Rural Alliance For Better Family Health | primary_care | 21.0 |
| LI-Howell County | dental | 20.0 |
| Ozarks Medical Center Mountain View | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI-Howell County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Mercy Clinic Family Medicine-Mountain View | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Medical Clinic OF Willow Springs | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI - Region 18 Mhca | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Ozarks Medical Center Mountain View | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Burton Creek Medical Clinic | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Westwood Rural Health Clinic | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Mercy Clinic Family Medicine-Mountain View | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Ozarks Medical Center Pediatrics | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Medical Clinic OF Willow Springs | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Burton Creek Medical Clinic | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Ozarks Medical Center Pediatrics | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Westwood Rural Health Clinic | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Westwood Rural Health Clinic | dental | 17.0 |
| Mercy Clinic Family Medicine-Mountain View | dental | 17.0 |
| Ozarks Medical Center Pediatrics | dental | 17.0 |
| Ozarks Medical Center Mountain View | dental | 17.0 |
| Medical Clinic OF Willow Springs | dental | 17.0 |
| Burton Creek Medical Clinic | dental | 17.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Howell County
Peak severity leads this reading: Howell County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Howell 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 21.0 of 25; Mental health reads 23.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Howell County above 96% of real US counties (24 active designations: 8 primary care, 8 mental health, 8 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.
Howell County sits among the top three county rank positions in MO, at rank 2 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.
Howell 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
8 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
8 designations
- Dental
Dental
8 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Howell County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Howell County's active designations: about 14 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 Howell 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
Howell County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Howell County's 24 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 Howell County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Fulton County, GA and Erie County, NY.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Howell 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 “THE RURAL ALLIANCE FOR BETTER FAMILY HEALTH”).
Fulton County, GA
25.0 dental score · 1,066,710 pop.
Erie County, NY
25.0 dental score · 954,236 pop.
El Paso County, TX
25.0 dental score · 865,657 pop.
Miami-Dade County, FL
25.0 dental score · 2,701,767 pop.
Tarrant County, TX
25.0 dental score · 2,110,640 pop.
Philadelphia County, PA
25.0 dental score · 1,603,797 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Howell County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Howell County carries an MUA designation (index 61.5; 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 Howell County's peak score of 25.0?
- "THE RURAL ALLIANCE FOR BETTER FAMILY HEALTH" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 21,016 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 24 active rows: 8 primary care, 8 mental health, 8 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Howell County's severity reading?
- After "THE RURAL ALLIANCE FOR BETTER FAMILY HEALTH", the next active names on this release are "THE RURAL ALLIANCE FOR BETTER FAMILY HEALTH", "THE RURAL ALLIANCE FOR BETTER FAMILY HEALTH", "THE RURAL ALLIANCE FOR BETTER FAMILY HEALTH" and "LI-Howell County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~14 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Howell County's high-severity geography?
- Howell County's 24 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 "THE RURAL ALLIANCE FOR BETTER FAMILY HEALTH".
- How does Howell County's peak severity sit inside MO?
- Howell County holds 24 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Howell County sits among the top three county rank positions in MO, at rank 2 of 115. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Fulton County, GA and Erie County, NY.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 29091. 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 29091 (Howell County, MO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 24; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.