AL · Healthcare shortage profile
Blount County, AL
Peak severity leads this reading: Blount County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 59,134.
- Active HPSAs
- 2
- Population
- 59,134
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- 56.1
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Blount 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
- Dental shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 90%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Blount County
Blount County intersects 17 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
5 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 Blount County, AL 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 Blount County's active designations would take about 9.1 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 5.4 primary care, 3.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
50% of Blount 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).
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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, Blount 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. Blount County falls in the lower half of AL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 45 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: 01009. Population: 59,134.
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 2 active (designated) HPSAs in Blount County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Blount County | dental | 16.0 |
| Blount County | primary_care | 11.0 |
Light-burden reading for Blount County
Peak severity leads this reading: Blount County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Blount County's deepest shortage reading, 16.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 11.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 56.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Blount 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.
Blount County falls in the lower half of AL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 45 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 Blount County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Blount County's active designations: about 9.1 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Blount County's dental score of 16.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Blount County”).
Fulton County, NY
16.0 dental score · 53,324 pop.
Callaway County, MO
16.0 dental score · 44,283 pop.
Wharton County, TX
16.0 dental score · 41,570 pop.
Randolph County, NC
16.0 dental score · 144,171 pop.
Lenawee County, MI
16.0 dental score · 99,423 pop.
Franklin County, NC
16.0 dental score · 68,573 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Blount County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Blount County carries an MUA designation (index 56.1; 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 Blount County's peak score of 16.0?
- "LI - Blount County" leads the active set (score 16.0; dental; 4,813 people in the service area; ~3.7 FTE still needed on the record; designated 05/24/2023). 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 Blount County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Blount County", the next active names on this release are "LI - Blount County" and "Blount County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~9.1 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 01009. 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 01009 (Blount County, AL), 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.