Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

MS · Healthcare shortage profile

Tippah County, MS

Peak severity leads this reading: Tippah County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 21,815.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
21,815
Peak shortage score
18.0
MUA Index
56.0

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Tippah County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

3
Active HPSA designations
1
Primary-care shortages
18
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 80%
US counties by volume

Few Census ZCTAs touch Tippah County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Tippah County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

4 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 Tippah County, MS 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 18.0 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 Tippah County's active designations would take about 11 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3 primary care, 5.5 mental health, 2.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

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

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 3).

Corpus placement

Active-designation volume placement

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Tippah County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Tippah County falls in the lower half of MS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 45 of 82. 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: 28139. Population: 21,815.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 56.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 18.0
Mental Health 18.0
Dental 18.0

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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Tippah County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI - Tippah County primary_care 18.0
Mhca 4 mental_health 18.0
LI - Tippah County dental 18.0

Light-burden reading for Tippah County

Peak severity leads this reading: Tippah County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Tippah County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health and dental care: both scored 18.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 56.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Tippah County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% 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.

Tippah County falls in the lower half of MS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 45 of 82. 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 Tippah County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Tippah County's active designations: about 11 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 Tippah County, MS · 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 Tippah County's designations

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

  • Tippah County's 3 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 MS before you draw conclusions from a single score. MS 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 near Tippah County's primary score of 18.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 18.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Tippah County”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Tippah County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Tippah County carries an MUA designation (index 56.0; 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 Tippah County's peak score of 18.0?
"LI - Tippah County" leads the active set (score 18.0; primary care; 600 people in the service area; ~3 FTE still needed on the record; designated 04/25/2022). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Tippah County's severity reading?
After "LI - Tippah County", the next active names on this release are "LI - Tippah County", "MHCA 4" and "LI - Tippah County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~11 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 28139. 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 28139 (Tippah County, MS), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 18.0; signature peak score 18.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.