KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Fayette County, KY
Peak severity leads this reading: Fayette County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 322,570.
- Active HPSAs
- 18
- Population
- 322,570
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 59.2
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Fayette County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 18 active HPSA designations, more than 94% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 18
- Active HPSA designations
- 6
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 6%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Fayette 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 25.0 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 Fayette County's active designations would take about 20 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.5 primary care, 5.4 mental health, 13 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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44.4% of Fayette County's 18 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 8 mental health, 6 dental (denominator 18).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Fayette County
Fayette 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Fayette County carries 18 active designations, above 94% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Fayette County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 120. 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: 21067. Population: 322,570.
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 18 active (designated) HPSAs in Fayette County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Health First Bluegrass | dental | 25.0 |
| Bluegrass Primary Health Care Center, Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| Health First Bluegrass | mental_health | 23.0 |
| University of Kentucky | dental | 23.0 |
| Health First Bluegrass | primary_care | 22.0 |
| University of Kentucky | mental_health | 22.0 |
| University of Kentucky | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Bluegrass Primary Health Care Center, Inc. | primary_care | 21.0 |
| LI-Fayette County 6 Downtown | dental | 21.0 |
| SMH-Eastern State Hospital | mental_health | 20.0 |
| LI - Fayette County 6 Downtown | mental_health | 19.0 |
| LI-Fayette County 3 Richmond | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Bluegrass Primary Health Care Center, Inc. | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI-Fayette County 3 Richmond | dental | 17.0 |
| FMC - Lexington | primary_care | 12.0 |
| FMC - Lexington | mental_health | 12.0 |
| FMC - Lexington | dental | 12.0 |
| Fayette County 5 - Nicholasville | mental_health | 10.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Fayette County
Peak severity leads this reading: Fayette County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Fayette County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 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 22.0 of 25; Mental health reads 23.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 59.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Fayette County above 94% of real US counties (18 active designations: 4 primary care, 8 mental health, 6 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 25.0. 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.
Fayette County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 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.
Fayette County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
8 designations
- Dental
Dental
6 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
4 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Fayette County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Fayette County's active designations: about 20 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 Fayette 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
Fayette County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Fayette County's 18 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 mental health 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 Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Fayette County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Wayne County, MI and Travis County, TX.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Fayette County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “HEALTH FIRST BLUEGRASS”).
Wayne County, MI
25.0 dental score · 1,793,561 pop.
Travis County, TX
25.0 dental score · 1,290,188 pop.
Wake County, NC
25.0 dental score · 1,129,410 pop.
Capitol County, CT
25.0 dental score · 977,165 pop.
Macomb County, MI
25.0 dental score · 881,217 pop.
San Diego County, CA
25.0 dental score · 3,298,634 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Fayette County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Fayette County carries an MUA designation (index 59.2; 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 Fayette County's peak score of 25.0?
- "HEALTH FIRST BLUEGRASS" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 74,197 people in the service area; designated 02/01/2015). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 18 active rows: 4 primary care, 8 mental health, 6 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Fayette County's severity reading?
- After "HEALTH FIRST BLUEGRASS", the next active names on this release are "HEALTH FIRST BLUEGRASS", "BLUEGRASS PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTER, INC.", "HEALTH FIRST BLUEGRASS" and "University of Kentucky". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~20 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Fayette County's high-severity geography?
- Fayette County's 18 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 "HEALTH FIRST BLUEGRASS".
- How does Fayette County's peak severity sit inside KY?
- Fayette County holds 18 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Fayette County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 120. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Wayne County, MI and Travis County, TX.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21067. 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 21067 (Fayette County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 18; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.