AL · Healthcare shortage profile
Cullman County, AL
Peak severity leads this reading: Cullman County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 87,866.
- Active HPSAs
- 2
- Population
- 87,866
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- 51.7
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Cullman 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
- Mental-health shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 90%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Cullman County
Cullman County intersects 19 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
7 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 Cullman 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 Cullman County's active designations would take about 6 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.9 primary care, 2.1 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Cullman County's 2 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 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, Cullman 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. Cullman 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: 01043. Population: 87,866.
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 Cullman County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cullman County - Mhca 22 | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI - Cullman County | primary_care | 12.0 |
Light-burden reading for Cullman County
Peak severity leads this reading: Cullman County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Cullman County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 16.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 12.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 51.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Cullman 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.
Cullman 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 Cullman County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Cullman County's active designations: about 6 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Cullman County's mental score of 16.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “Cullman County - MHCA 22”).
Randolph County, NC
16.0 mental score · 144,171 pop.
Wayne County, OH
16.0 mental score · 116,894 pop.
Laramie County, WY
16.0 mental score · 100,512 pop.
Arecibo County, PR
16.0 mental score · 87,754 pop.
St. Lucie County, FL
16.0 mental score · 329,226 pop.
Deschutes County, OR
16.0 mental score · 198,253 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Cullman County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Cullman County carries an MUA designation (index 51.7; 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 Cullman County's peak score of 16.0?
- "Cullman County - MHCA 22" leads the active set (score 16.0; mental health; 31,409 people in the service area; ~2.1 FTE still needed on the record; designated 02/09/2022). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 2 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Cullman County's severity reading?
- After "Cullman County - MHCA 22", the next active names on this release are "Cullman County - MHCA 22" and "LI - Cullman County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~6 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 01043. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — 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 01043 (Cullman 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.