Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

WV · Healthcare shortage profile

Jackson County, WV

Peak severity leads this reading: Jackson County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 27,791.

Active HPSAs
6
Population
27,791
Peak shortage score
18.0
MUA Index
61.0

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Jackson 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
Primary-care shortages
18
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 46%
US counties by volume

Dense ZCTA lattice over Jackson County

Jackson County intersects 16 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

4 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 Jackson County, WV 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 18.0 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 Jackson 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): 0 primary care, 2.3 mental health, 2.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Jackson 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, Jackson 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. Jackson County falls in the upper half of WV counties by active-designation volume, at rank 17 of 55. 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: 54035. Population: 27,791.

2
Primary Care HPSAs
2
Mental Health HPSAs
2
Dental HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 61.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 18.0
Mental Health 17.0
Dental 17.0

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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Jackson County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Ovp Health primary_care 18.0
Ovp Health mental_health 17.0
Ovp Health dental 17.0
LI-Jackson County dental 17.0
LI-Jackson County mental_health 16.0
Jackson County primary_care 10.0

Moderate-burden reading for Jackson County

Peak severity leads this reading: Jackson County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Jackson County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 18.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 17.0 of 25; Dental care reads 17.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Jackson 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.

Jackson County falls in the upper half of WV counties by active-designation volume, at rank 17 of 55. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.

Jackson County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Jackson County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Jackson County's active designations: about 5 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 Jackson County, WV · 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 Jackson County's designations

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

  • Jackson 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 WV before you draw conclusions from a single score. WV 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 primary-care score peers

Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Jackson County's 18.0. Open Placer County, CA or Boulder County, CO next.

Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Counties near Jackson County's primary score of 18.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 18.0 (severity lead on this page is “OVP HEALTH”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Jackson County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Jackson County carries an MUA designation (index 61.0; 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 Jackson County's peak score of 18.0?
"OVP HEALTH" leads the active set (score 18.0; primary care; 41,139 people in the service area; designated 12/16/2022). 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.
Which other active designations sit under Jackson County's severity reading?
After "OVP HEALTH", the next active names on this release are "OVP HEALTH", "OVP HEALTH", "OVP HEALTH" and "LI-Jackson County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~5 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Jackson County's high-severity geography?
Jackson 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 "OVP HEALTH".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 54035. 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 54035 (Jackson County, WV), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 18.0; signature peak score 18.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.