NE · Healthcare shortage profile
Wheeler County, NE
Peak severity leads this reading: Wheeler County's highest active HPSA score is 12.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 774.
- Active HPSAs
- 2
- Population
- 774
- Peak shortage score
- 12.0
- MUA Index
- 56.3
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Wheeler County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 2 active HPSA designations, more than 10% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 2
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 12
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 90%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Wheeler County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 6 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Wheeler County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
1 additional ZCTA 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 Wheeler 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.
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Closing Wheeler County's active designations would take about 5.3 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.2 primary care, 5.1 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
50% of Wheeler County's 2 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 2).
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Peak HPSA score 12.0 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, Wheeler County carries 2 active designations, above 10% 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. Wheeler County falls in the lower half of NE counties by active-designation volume, at rank 56 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: 31183. Population: 774.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA 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 2 active (designated) HPSAs in Wheeler County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Mental Health Catchment Area 3 | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Wheeler County | primary_care | 5.0 |
Light-burden reading for Wheeler County
Peak severity leads this reading: Wheeler County's highest active HPSA score is 12.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Wheeler County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 12.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 5.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 56.3, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Wheeler County carries 2 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 10% 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.
Wheeler County falls in the lower half of NE counties by active-designation volume, at rank 56 of 92. 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 Wheeler County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Wheeler County's active designations: about 5.3 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Wheeler County's mental score of 12.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 12.0 (severity lead on this page is “Mental Health Catchment Area 3”).
Lapeer County, MI
12.0 mental score · 88,619 pop.
Worcester County, MD
12.0 mental score · 52,460 pop.
Wells County, IN
12.0 mental score · 28,180 pop.
Waseca County, MN
12.0 mental score · 18,968 pop.
Anne Arundel County, MD
12.0 mental score · 588,261 pop.
Ulster County, NY
12.0 mental score · 181,851 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Wheeler County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Wheeler County carries an MUA designation (index 56.3; 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 Wheeler County's peak score of 12.0?
- "Mental Health Catchment Area 3" leads the active set (score 12.0; mental health; 184,500 people in the service area; ~5.1 FTE still needed on the record; designated 02/18/2026). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 2 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Wheeler County's severity reading?
- After "Mental Health Catchment Area 3", the next active names on this release are "Mental Health Catchment Area 3" and "Wheeler County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~5.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 31183. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — 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 31183 (Wheeler County, NE), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 2; peak score 12.0; signature peak score 12.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.