Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

PA · Healthcare shortage profile

Armstrong County, PA

Peak severity leads this reading: Armstrong County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 65,558.

Active HPSAs
2
Population
65,558
Peak shortage score
16.0
MUA Index
58.7

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Armstrong County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 2 active HPSA designations, more than 10% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

2
Active HPSA designations
1
Primary-care shortages
16
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 90%
US counties by volume
B
Healthcare Access Score
74/100
Armstrong County, PA

Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.

Primary care C-
16.0 of 25
Primary care shortage severity (HPSA score)
Mental health A+
No active shortage
Mental health shortage severity (HPSA score)
Dental B-
16.0 of 26
Dental shortage severity (HPSA score)
Underserved status B
IMU 58.7
Index of Medical Underservice (designated MUA)
Provider gap A
0.8 per 10K
Unmet provider need (HRSA-estimated) per 10,000 residents

Dense ZCTA lattice over Armstrong County

Armstrong County intersects 37 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

25 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 Armstrong County, PA 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. Closing Armstrong 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): 1 primary care, 4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 50% of Armstrong County's 2 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 0 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 2).

  3. Peak HPSA score 16.0 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, Armstrong County carries 2 active designations, above 10% 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. Armstrong County falls in the lower half of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 46 of 67. 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: 42005. Population: 65,558.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 58.7

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 16.0 Below priority line
Dental 16.0 Below priority line

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 2 active (designated) HPSAs in Armstrong County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI-St. Petersburg primary_care 16.0
LI - Armstrong County dental 16.0

Light-burden reading for Armstrong County

Peak severity leads this reading: Armstrong County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Armstrong County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and dental care: both scored 16.0 by HRSA, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Armstrong County carries 2 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 10% 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.

Armstrong County falls in the lower half of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 46 of 67. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.

Light-volume FTE gap for Armstrong County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Armstrong County's active designations: about 5 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Counties near Armstrong County's primary score of 16.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI-St. Petersburg”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Armstrong County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Armstrong County carries an MUA designation (index 58.7; 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 Armstrong County's peak score of 16.0?
"LI-St. Petersburg" leads the active set (score 16.0; primary care; 2,958 people in the service area; ~1 FTE still needed on the record; designated 11/27/2013). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 2 active rows: 1 primary care, 0 mental health, 1 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Armstrong County's severity reading?
After "LI-St. Petersburg", the next active names on this release are "LI-St. Petersburg" and "LI - Armstrong County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~5 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 42005. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) 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 42005 (Armstrong County, PA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 2; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.