KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Montgomery County, KY
Peak severity leads this reading: Montgomery County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 28,114.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 28,114
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 55.1
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Montgomery County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Mental-health shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Montgomery County, KY 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.
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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.
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Closing Montgomery County's active designations would take about 5.3 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.8 primary care, 0.7 mental health, 1.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Montgomery County's 9 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Montgomery County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Montgomery County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Montgomery County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
9 Top 25% higher than 75% of 3,289 real US counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026
State peer position. Montgomery County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 120. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 21173. Population: 28,114.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity 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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Montgomery County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Sterling Health Solutions, Inc. | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Sterling Health Solutions, Inc. | dental | 21.0 |
| Sterling Health Solutions, Inc. | primary_care | 19.0 |
| LI - Montgomery County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Mt Sterling Pediatrics, Psc | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Mt Sterling Pediatrics, Psc | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI-Montgomery County | dental | 17.0 |
| Mt Sterling Pediatrics, Psc | dental | 17.0 |
| LI-Montgomery County | mental_health | 16.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Montgomery County
Peak severity leads this reading: Montgomery County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Montgomery County's shortage runs equally deep in mental health and dental care: both scored 21.0 by HRSA, 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. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 55.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Montgomery County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 21.0. 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.
Montgomery County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 120. 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.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Montgomery County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Montgomery County's active designations: about 5.3 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 Montgomery County, KY · 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
Montgomery County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Montgomery County's 9 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 KY before you draw conclusions from a single score. KY 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 Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Montgomery County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Pinellas County, FL and Ocean County, NJ.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Montgomery County's mental score of 21.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “STERLING HEALTH SOLUTIONS, INC.”).
Pinellas County, FL
21.0 mental score · 959,107 pop.
Ocean County, NJ
21.0 mental score · 637,229 pop.
Greenville County, SC
21.0 mental score · 525,534 pop.
Pinal County, AZ
21.0 mental score · 425,264 pop.
Lancaster County, NE
21.0 mental score · 322,608 pop.
Erie County, PA
21.0 mental score · 270,876 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Montgomery County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Montgomery County carries an MUA designation (index 55.1; 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 Montgomery County's peak score of 21.0?
- "STERLING HEALTH SOLUTIONS, INC." leads the active set (score 21.0; mental health; 37,404 people in the service area; designated 06/01/2012). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 9 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Montgomery County's severity reading?
- After "STERLING HEALTH SOLUTIONS, INC.", the next active names on this release are "STERLING HEALTH SOLUTIONS, INC.", "STERLING HEALTH SOLUTIONS, INC.", "STERLING HEALTH SOLUTIONS, INC." and "LI - Montgomery County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~5.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Montgomery County's high-severity geography?
- Montgomery County's 9 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 "STERLING HEALTH SOLUTIONS, INC.".
- How does Montgomery County's peak severity sit inside KY?
- Montgomery County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 21.0. Montgomery County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 120. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Pinellas County, FL and Ocean County, NJ.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21173. 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 21173 (Montgomery County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.