Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

MT · Healthcare shortage profile

Musselshell County, MT

Peak severity leads this reading: Musselshell County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 4,730.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
4,730
Peak shortage score
15.0
MUA Index
57.5

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Musselshell 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
15
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 80%
US counties by volume

Few Census ZCTAs touch Musselshell County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Musselshell 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 Musselshell County, MT 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. Closing Musselshell County's active designations would take about 1.3 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.6 primary care, 0.3 mental health, 0.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 33.3% of Musselshell 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).

  3. Peak HPSA score 15.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.

    Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.

Corpus placement

Designated volume without a high-priority score

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Musselshell County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.

State peer position. Musselshell County falls in the lower half of MT counties by active-designation volume, at rank 31 of 56. 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: 30065. Population: 4,730.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 57.5

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 15.0
Mental Health 15.0
Dental 12.0

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 Musselshell County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Musselshell County primary_care 15.0
Musselshell County mental_health 15.0
LI - Musselshell County dental 12.0

Light-burden reading for Musselshell County

Peak severity leads this reading: Musselshell County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Musselshell County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health: both scored 15.0 by HRSA, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Dental care reads 12.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Musselshell 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.

Musselshell County falls in the lower half of MT counties by active-designation volume, at rank 31 of 56. 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 Musselshell County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Musselshell County's active designations: about 1.3 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Counties near Musselshell County's primary score of 15.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 15.0 (severity lead on this page is “Musselshell County”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Musselshell County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Musselshell County carries an MUA designation (index 57.5; 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 Musselshell County's peak score of 15.0?
"Musselshell County" leads the active set (score 15.0; primary care; 2,800 people in the service area; ~0.6 FTE still needed on the record; designated 10/05/1978). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Musselshell County's severity reading?
After "Musselshell County", the next active names on this release are "Musselshell County", "Musselshell County" and "LI - Musselshell County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~1.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 30065. 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 30065 (Musselshell County, MT), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 15.0; signature peak score 15.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.