WV · Healthcare shortage profile
Ritchie County, WV
Peak severity leads this reading: Ritchie County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 8,444.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 8,444
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 62.4
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Ritchie 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
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Ritchie 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 21.0 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.
-
Closing Ritchie County's active designations would take about 2.4 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.2 primary care, 0.2 mental health, 0.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Ritchie 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).
Ritchie County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
14 Census ZCTAs intersect Ritchie County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
6 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, Ritchie 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. Ritchie County falls in the upper half of WV counties by active-designation volume, at rank 17 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: 54085. Population: 8,444.
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 Ritchie County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Ritchie County Primary Care Association | dental | 21.0 |
| Ritchie County Primary Care Association | mental_health | 20.0 |
| LI - Ritchie County | dental | 20.0 |
| Ritchie County Primary Care Association | primary_care | 19.0 |
| LI-Ritchie County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI-Ritchie County | mental_health | 14.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Ritchie County
Peak severity leads this reading: Ritchie County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Ritchie County's deepest shortage reading, 21.0 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. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 62.4, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Ritchie 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.
Ritchie County falls in the upper half of WV counties by active-designation volume, at rank 17 of 55. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Ritchie 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 Ritchie County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Ritchie County's active designations: about 2.4 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 Ritchie 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 Ritchie County's designations
Ritchie County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Ritchie 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 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.
Nearby dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Ritchie County's 21.0. Open Oconee County, SC or Duplin County, NC next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Ritchie County's dental score of 21.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “RITCHIE COUNTY PRIMARY CARE ASSOCIATION”).
Oconee County, SC
21.0 dental score · 78,607 pop.
Duplin County, NC
21.0 dental score · 48,715 pop.
Webster County, IA
21.0 dental score · 36,999 pop.
Lancaster County, PA
21.0 dental score · 552,984 pop.
Hamilton County, IN
21.0 dental score · 347,467 pop.
Calhoun County, MI
21.0 dental score · 134,310 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Ritchie County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Ritchie County carries an MUA designation (index 62.4; 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 Ritchie County's peak score of 21.0?
- "RITCHIE COUNTY PRIMARY CARE ASSOCIATION" leads the active set (score 21.0; dental; 22,596 people in the service area; designated 09/30/2003). 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.
- Which other active designations sit under Ritchie County's severity reading?
- After "RITCHIE COUNTY PRIMARY CARE ASSOCIATION", the next active names on this release are "RITCHIE COUNTY PRIMARY CARE ASSOCIATION", "RITCHIE COUNTY PRIMARY CARE ASSOCIATION", "LI - Ritchie County" and "RITCHIE COUNTY PRIMARY CARE ASSOCIATION". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Ritchie County's high-severity geography?
- Ritchie 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 "RITCHIE COUNTY PRIMARY CARE ASSOCIATION".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 54085. 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 54085 (Ritchie County, WV), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.