Medically Underserved Area Mono-discipline · dental care

TN · Healthcare shortage profile

Lauderdale County, TN

Peak severity leads this reading: Lauderdale County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 25,143.

Active HPSAs
1
Population
25,143
Peak shortage score
17.0
MUA Index
58.0
TN state overview → About this data

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lauderdale County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 1 active HPSA designation, more than 2% of the 3,289 real US counties, with dental the deepest gap.

1
Active HPSA designations
1
Dental shortages
17
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 98%
US counties by volume

Few Census ZCTAs touch Lauderdale County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Lauderdale 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 Lauderdale County, TN 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. Peak HPSA score 17.0 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.

  2. Closing Lauderdale County's active designations would take about 1.8 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 100% of Lauderdale County's 1 active designations are dental.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 0 primary care, 0 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 1).

Lauderdale County vs. every real US county

Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none

1 Top 98% higher than 2% of 3,289 real US counties

0–20: 3,115 real US counties (95%). This entry sits in this band. 20–40: 128 real US counties (4%). Above this entry. 40–60: 32 real US counties (1%). Above this entry. 60–80: 7 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 80–100: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 100–120: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 120–140: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 140–160: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 160–180: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 180–200: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 200–220: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 220–240: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 240–260: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 260–280: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. This county 0 280 every real US county, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026

State peer position. Lauderdale County falls in the lower half of TN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 87 of 95. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.

Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 47097. Population: 25,143.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 58.0

Active HPSA scores

Dental 17.0

Current designated records only · dental care only on this FIPS. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?

Highest-severity HPSA designations

All 1 active (designated) HPSAs in Lauderdale County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI-Lauderdale County dental 17.0

Light-burden reading for Lauderdale County

Peak severity leads this reading: Lauderdale County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Lauderdale County's deepest shortage reading, 17.0 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. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Lauderdale County carries 1 active designation and sits below the national mid-pack (above 2% 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.

Lauderdale County falls in the lower half of TN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 87 of 95. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.

Acting on Lauderdale County's high-priority dental care

Lauderdale County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Lauderdale County's high-priority dental care designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
  • See how the county's dental care burden compares with the rest of TN before drawing conclusions from a single score. TN overview
  • Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 near Lauderdale County's dental score of 17.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 17.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI-Lauderdale County”).

Bossier County, LA

17.0 dental score · 128,746 pop.

Woodbury County, IA

17.0 dental score · 105,941 pop.

Ashtabula County, OH

17.0 dental score · 97,574 pop.

Rockingham County, VA

17.0 dental score · 83,757 pop.

Lea County, NM

17.0 dental score · 74,455 pop.

Washington County, PA

17.0 dental score · 209,349 pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Lauderdale County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Lauderdale County carries an MUA designation (index 58.0; 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 Lauderdale County's peak score of 17.0?
"LI-Lauderdale County" leads the active set (score 17.0; dental; 2,720 people in the service area; ~1.8 FTE still needed on the record; designated 04/21/2022). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 1 active rows: 0 primary care, 0 mental health, 1 dental.
What provider types does Lauderdale County's severity cover?
Active rows break down 0 primary care / 0 mental health / 1 dental. Closing published gaps would take about 1.8 additional clinician FTEs on this release.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 47097. This county’s designations come from 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 47097 (Lauderdale County, TN), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 1; peak score 17.0; signature peak score 17.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.