NY · Healthcare shortage profile
Niagara County, NY
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Niagara County's active designations would take about 25 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 212,666.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 212,666
- Peak shortage score
- 22.0
- MUA Index
- -
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Niagara County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 5
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Dental shortages
- 22
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Niagara County
Niagara County intersects 22 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
10 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 Niagara 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.
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Peak HPSA score 22.0 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 Niagara County's active designations would take about 25 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 11 primary care, 14 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Niagara County's 5 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 5).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Niagara County carries 5 active designations, above 47% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Niagara County falls in the upper half of NY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 31 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: 36063. Population: 212,666.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Niagara 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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Niagara County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lockport Service Unit | dental | 22.0 |
| Lockport Service Unit | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Lockport Service Unit | primary_care | 19.0 |
| LI-Niagara Falls/Love Canal/N Tonawanda SA | primary_care | 17.0 |
| ME-Niagara County | dental | 15.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Niagara County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Niagara County's active designations would take about 25 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Dental care carries Niagara County's deepest shortage reading, 22.0 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 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 20.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Niagara County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Niagara County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/1/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Niagara County falls in the upper half of NY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 31 of 62. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Niagara 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
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
1 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Niagara County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 25 FTE across Niagara County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Niagara County, NY · 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 Niagara County's designations
Niagara County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Niagara County's 5 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 NY before you draw conclusions from a single score. NY 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 Niagara County's 22.0. Open Rio Grande County, PR or Carlton County, MN next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Niagara County's 5
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 5 - the inventory behind the ~25 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Niagara County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~25 FTE, with dental the largest slice (14). "Lockport Service Unit" is the highest-scored active row (score 22.0; dental; 14,145 people in the service area; designated 08/18/2019). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Why is Niagara County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Niagara County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which named designations drive Niagara County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "Lockport Service Unit", "Lockport Service Unit", "Lockport Service Unit" and "LI-Niagara Falls/Love Canal/N Tonawanda SA". Discipline counts: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental across 5 designated rows.
- Do Niagara County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
- Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 36063. 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 36063 (Niagara County, NY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 22.0; signature 25 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.