AS · Healthcare shortage profile
Western County, AS
Peak severity leads this reading: Western County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 31,819.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 31,819
- Peak shortage score
- 26.0
- MUA Index
- -
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Western 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
- Dental shortages
- 26
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Western County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 1 ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersecting Western 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 Western County, AS 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 26.0 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.
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Closing Western County's active designations would take about 43 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 17 primary care, 12 mental health, 14 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Western 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, Western 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. Western County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 5 real counties in AS. 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: 60050. Population: 31,819.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Western 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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Western County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Department OF Health | dental | 26.0 |
| American Samoa | dental | 26.0 |
| American Samoa | primary_care | 22.0 |
| Department OF Health | primary_care | 20.0 |
| American Samoa | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Department OF Health | mental_health | 18.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Western County
Peak severity leads this reading: Western County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Western County's deepest shortage reading, 26.0 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 22.0 of 25; Mental health reads 20.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Western County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Western 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.
Western County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 5 real counties in AS. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Western 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
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Western County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Western County's active designations: about 43 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 Western County, AS · 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 Western County's designations
Western County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Western 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 AS before you draw conclusions from a single score. AS 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 dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Western County's 26.0. Open Tulare County, CA or Frederick County, MD next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Western County's dental score of 26.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 26.0 (severity lead on this page is “DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH”).
Tulare County, CA
26.0 dental score · 473,117 pop.
Frederick County, MD
26.0 dental score · 271,717 pop.
Hampshire County, MA
26.0 dental score · 162,308 pop.
Berkeley County, WV
26.0 dental score · 122,076 pop.
Klamath County, OR
26.0 dental score · 69,413 pop.
Marion County, IN
26.0 dental score · 977,203 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Western County's peak score of 26.0?
- "DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH" leads the active set (score 26.0; dental; 43,971 people in the service area; designated 07/21/2003). 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.
- Why is Western County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Western 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 Western County's severity reading?
- After "DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH", the next active names on this release are "DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH", "American Samoa", "American Samoa" and "DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~43 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Western County's high-severity geography?
- Western 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 "DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 60050. 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 60050 (Western County, AS), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 26.0; signature peak score 26.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.