NE · Healthcare shortage profile
Cherry County, NE
Peak severity leads this reading: Cherry County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 5,455.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 5,455
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- -
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Cherry 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
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Cherry County
Cherry County intersects 19 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.
Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county
7 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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Cherry County, NE 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 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.
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Closing Cherry County's active designations would take about 7.4 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.4 primary care, 7.1 mental health, 0 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Cherry 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, Cherry 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. Cherry County falls in the upper quarter of NE counties by active-designation volume, at rank 21 of 92. 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: 31031. Population: 5,455.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Cherry 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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Cherry County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cherry County Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Cherry County Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Cherry County Clinic | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Catchment Area 4 | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI - Cherry County | primary_care | 13.0 |
| LI - Cherry County | dental | 8.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Cherry County
Peak severity leads this reading: Cherry County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Cherry County's deepest shortage reading, 20.0 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. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Cherry County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Cherry 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.
Cherry County falls in the upper quarter of NE counties by active-designation volume, at rank 21 of 92. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Cherry 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 Cherry County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Cherry County's active designations: about 7.4 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 Cherry County, NE · 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 Cherry County's designations
Cherry County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Cherry 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 NE before you draw conclusions from a single score. NE 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 Cherry County's 20.0. Open Snohomish County, WA or Marion County, FL next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Cherry County's dental score of 20.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 20.0 (severity lead on this page is “CHERRY COUNTY CLINIC”).
Snohomish County, WA
20.0 dental score · 827,957 pop.
Marion County, FL
20.0 dental score · 375,908 pop.
Clark County, OH
20.0 dental score · 136,001 pop.
Polk County, OR
20.0 dental score · 87,433 pop.
Lake County, CA
20.0 dental score · 68,163 pop.
Sampson County, NC
20.0 dental score · 59,036 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Cherry County's peak score of 20.0?
- "CHERRY COUNTY CLINIC" leads the active set (score 20.0; dental; 10,931 people in the service area; designated 09/18/2020). 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.
- Why is Cherry County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Cherry 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 Cherry County's severity reading?
- After "CHERRY COUNTY CLINIC", the next active names on this release are "CHERRY COUNTY CLINIC", "CHERRY COUNTY CLINIC", "CHERRY COUNTY CLINIC" and "Catchment Area 4". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~7.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Cherry County's high-severity geography?
- Cherry 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 "CHERRY COUNTY CLINIC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 31031. 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 31031 (Cherry County, NE), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 20.0; signature peak score 20.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.