SD · Healthcare shortage profile
Hughes County, SD
Peak severity leads this reading: Hughes County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 17,765.
- Active HPSAs
- 8
- Population
- 17,765
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- -
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Hughes County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 8 active HPSA designations, more than 73% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 8
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Dental shortages
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 27%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Hughes County, SD 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 24.0 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.
-
Closing Hughes County's active designations would take about 3.3 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.8 primary care, 2.1 mental health, 0.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
37.5% of Hughes County's 8 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 8).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Hughes County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 3 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Hughes 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Hughes County carries 8 active designations, above 73% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Hughes County falls in the upper quarter of SD counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 66. 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: 46065. Population: 17,765.
Peak severity scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Hughes 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 8 active (designated) HPSAs in Hughes County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| South Dakota Urban Indian Health, Inc. | dental | 24.0 |
| South Dakota Women's Prison | mental_health | 21.0 |
| South Dakota Urban Indian Health, Inc. | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Capital Area Counseling Services Mhca | mental_health | 19.0 |
| South Dakota Urban Indian Health, Inc. | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Ai/an Hughes County | primary_care | 15.0 |
| AI/AN-Hughes County | dental | 9.0 |
| South Dakota Women's Prison | primary_care | 6.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Hughes County
Peak severity leads this reading: Hughes County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Hughes County's deepest shortage reading, 24.0 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Hughes County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Volume places Hughes County above 73% of real US counties (8 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 24.0. 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.
Hughes County falls in the upper quarter of SD counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 66. 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.
Hughes 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
3 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Hughes County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Hughes County's active designations: about 3.3 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 Hughes County, SD · 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
Hughes County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Hughes County's 8 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 SD before you draw conclusions from a single score. SD 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 Hughes County's 24.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Caroline County, MD and Aibonito County, PR.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Hughes County's dental score of 24.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 24.0 (severity lead on this page is “South Dakota Urban Indian Health, Inc.”).
Caroline County, MD
24.0 dental score · 33,293 pop.
Aibonito County, PR
24.0 dental score · 24,637 pop.
Arroyo County, PR
24.0 dental score · 15,843 pop.
Atlantic County, NJ
24.0 dental score · 274,534 pop.
Sheboygan County, WI
24.0 dental score · 118,034 pop.
Apache County, AZ
24.0 dental score · 66,021 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Hughes County's peak score of 24.0?
- "South Dakota Urban Indian Health, Inc." leads the active set (score 24.0; dental; 6,511 people in the service area; designated 08/18/2019). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 8 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental.
- Why is Hughes County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Hughes 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 Hughes County's severity reading?
- After "South Dakota Urban Indian Health, Inc.", the next active names on this release are "South Dakota Urban Indian Health, Inc.", "South Dakota Women's Prison", "South Dakota Urban Indian Health, Inc." and "Capital Area Counseling Services MHCA". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Hughes County's high-severity geography?
- Hughes County's 8 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 "South Dakota Urban Indian Health, Inc.".
- How does Hughes County's peak severity sit inside SD?
- Hughes County holds 8 active HPSA rows with peak 24.0. Hughes County falls in the upper quarter of SD counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 66. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Caroline County, MD and Aibonito County, PR.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 46065. 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 46065 (Hughes County, SD), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 8; peak score 24.0; signature peak score 24.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.