PA · Healthcare shortage profile
Armstrong County, PA
Home to 65,558 residents, with 2 active HRSA shortage designations.
- Active HPSAs
- 2
- Population
- 65,558
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- 58.7
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Armstrong 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
- Primary-care shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 90%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Armstrong County, PA 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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50% of Armstrong County's 2 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 0 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 2).
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Closing Armstrong County's active designations would take about 5 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1 primary care, 4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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Peak HPSA score 16.0 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, Armstrong 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. Armstrong County falls in the lower half of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 46 of 67. 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: 42005. Population: 65,558.
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 Armstrong County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-St. Petersburg | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI - Armstrong County | dental | 16.0 |
Light-burden reading for Armstrong County
Armstrong County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and dental care: both scored 16.0 by HRSA, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Armstrong 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.
Armstrong County falls in the lower half of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 46 of 67. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Clinician FTE gap by care type
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Armstrong County's active designations: a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Nationwide counties with similar HRSA profiles
Two peer sets for Armstrong County: active designation volume and primary-care HPSA score, ranked across the national county corpus.
Similar designation volume
Nearest active designation count (2 here).
Similar primary-care score
Nearest active primary-care HPSA score (16.0 here).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Armstrong County a Medically Underserved Area?
Yes, Armstrong County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is 58.7. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.
How many healthcare shortage areas does Armstrong County have?
Armstrong County, PA has 2 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 1 in primary care, 0 in mental health, and 1 in dental care, according to HRSA data.
What does Armstrong County's HPSA score of 16.0 mean?
16.0 in primary care and dental care falls under 17, so the shortage is formally designated but outside HRSA's high-priority tier.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 42005. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) 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.