Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

WV · Healthcare shortage profile

Boone County, WV

Designation volume is the standout signal for Boone County: 15 active HPSA records, above 91% of real US counties. Population 21,809.

Active HPSAs
15
Population
21,809
Peak shortage score
20.0
MUA Index
61.4

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Boone County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 15 active HPSA designations, more than 91% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

15
Active HPSA designations
5
Primary-care shortages
20
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 9%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Boone 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 20.0 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 Boone County's active designations would take about 5.7 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.6 primary care, 1.7 mental health, 1.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Boone County's 15 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental (denominator 15).

Dense ZCTA lattice over Boone County

Boone County intersects 31 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

19 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.

Corpus placement

Active-designation volume placement

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Boone County carries 15 active designations, above 91% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Boone County sits among the top three county rank positions in WV, at rank 3 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: 54005. Population: 21,809.

5
Primary Care HPSAs
5
Mental Health HPSAs
5
Dental HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 61.4

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 20.0
Mental Health 18.0
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 15 active (designated) HPSAs in Boone County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Bmh Walk-IN Clinic primary_care 20.0
Boone Memorial Hospital Family Medical Center primary_care 20.0
LI-Boone County primary_care 20.0
Boone Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic primary_care 20.0
Boone Memorial Hospital Family Medical Center mental_health 18.0
Boone Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic mental_health 18.0
Bmh Walk-IN Clinic mental_health 17.0
Bmh Comfort Clinic mental_health 17.0
Boone Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic dental 17.0
Boone Memorial Hospital Family Medical Center dental 17.0
Bmh Walk-IN Clinic dental 17.0
Bmh Comfort Clinic dental 17.0
LI-Boone County dental 17.0
Bmh Comfort Clinic primary_care 16.0
LI-Boone County mental_health 16.0

Heavy-burden reading for Boone County

Designation volume is the standout signal for Boone County: 15 active HPSA records, above 91% of real US counties. Primary care is where Boone County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 20.0 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 18.0 of 25; Dental care reads 17.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.4, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Boone County above 91% of real US counties (15 active designations: 5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 20.0. The table on this page lists the highest-severity records first so a reader can see which named facilities, geographies, or population groups drive that burden without treating the county total as a personal appointment forecast.

Boone County sits among the top three county rank positions in WV, at rank 3 of 55. Heavy-burden counties are where NHSC placement, Community Health Center grant geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the county boundary alone.

Boone 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

Heavy-volume FTE gap in Boone County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Boone County's active designations: about 5.7 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 Boone 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 a heavy-burden county

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

  • Boone County's 15 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.

Counties With a Similar Primary Care Shortage Score

Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA primary-care HPSA score is closest to Boone County's 20.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Frederick County, MD and El Dorado County, CA.

Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

High-volume peers of Boone County (15 active)

One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 15 across the national corpus.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Boone County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Boone County carries an MUA designation (index 61.4; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
What makes up Boone County's 15 active HPSA designations?
15 Designated rows (5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "BMH WALK-IN CLINIC" (score 20.0; primary care; 34,489 people in the service area; designated 02/05/2024). Also active: "BOONE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL FAMILY MEDICAL CENTER", "LI-Boone County", "BOONE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL MEDICAL CLINIC". Above 91% of real US counties by volume.
What does volume-plus-score look like for Boone County?
Peak active score 20.0 in primary care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 15 rows.
What clinician need sits behind Boone County's designation volume?
Closing published gaps would take about 5.7 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "BMH WALK-IN CLINIC" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
Which federal programs follow Boone County's designation volume?
15 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
How does Boone County's volume compare inside WV?
15 active HPSA rows · peak 20.0. Boone County sits among the top three county rank positions in WV, at rank 3 of 55. Score-nearest counties on this release include Frederick County, MD and El Dorado County, CA.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 54005. 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 54005 (Boone County, WV), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 15; peak score 20.0; signature 15 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.