NY · Healthcare shortage profile
Ulster County, NY
Peak severity leads this reading: Ulster County's highest active HPSA score is 14.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 181,851.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 181,851
- Peak shortage score
- 14.0
- MUA Index
- 58.8
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Ulster County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Primary-care shortages
- 14
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Ulster County
Ulster County intersects 63 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
51 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 Ulster County, NY 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.
-
Closing Ulster County's active designations would take about 9.2 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 7.2 primary care, 2 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
66.7% of Ulster County's 6 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 4 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 6).
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Peak HPSA score 14.0 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, Ulster County carries 6 active designations, above 54% 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. Ulster County falls in the upper half of NY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 62. 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: 36111. Population: 181,851.
Below high-priority line
Ulster County is designated, but no active score clears 17
6 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 4 mental health, 0 dental), and the peak severity is 14.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.
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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Ulster County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| ME - Ulster County | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Eastern Correctional Facility | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Ulster Correctional Facility | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Wallkill Correctional Facility | mental_health | 6.0 |
| Shawangunk Correctional Facility | mental_health | 6.0 |
| Ulster Correctional Facility | primary_care | 3.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Ulster County
Peak severity leads this reading: Ulster County's highest active HPSA score is 14.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Ulster County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 14.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Mental health reads 12.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Ulster 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 (2/4/0) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Ulster County falls in the upper half of NY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 62. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Ulster County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Ulster County's active designations: about 9.2 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Ulster County's primary score of 14.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 14.0 (severity lead on this page is “ME - Ulster County”).
Shiawassee County, MI
14.0 primary score · 68,094 pop.
Barry County, MI
14.0 primary score · 62,423 pop.
Washington County, VA
14.0 primary score · 53,935 pop.
Anoka County, MN
14.0 primary score · 363,887 pop.
Harford County, MD
14.0 primary score · 260,924 pop.
Eaton County, MI
14.0 primary score · 109,175 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Ulster County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Ulster County carries an MUA designation (index 58.8; 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 Ulster County's peak score of 14.0?
- "ME - Ulster County" leads the active set (score 14.0; primary care; 24,205 people in the service area; ~7.1 FTE still needed on the record; designated 12/23/2020). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 4 mental health, 0 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Ulster County's severity reading?
- After "ME - Ulster County", the next active names on this release are "ME - Ulster County", "Eastern Correctional Facility", "Ulster Correctional Facility" and "Wallkill Correctional Facility". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~9.2 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Ulster County's high-severity geography?
- Ulster 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 "ME - Ulster County".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 36111. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — 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 36111 (Ulster County, NY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 14.0; signature peak score 14.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.