KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Kenton County, KY
Peak severity leads this reading: Kenton County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 169,064.
- Active HPSAs
- 2
- Population
- 169,064
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- 52.2
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Kenton County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 2 active HPSA designations, more than 10% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 2
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 90%
- US counties by volume
Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Kenton 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 19.0 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 Kenton County's active designations would take about 5.2 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.2 mental health, 3.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Kenton County's 2 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 2).
Kenton County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 Census ZCTAs intersect Kenton County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
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.
Kenton County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
2 Top 90% higher than 10% 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. Kenton County falls in the lower half of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 114 of 120. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 21117. Population: 169,064.
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 Kenton County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Kenton County 1 North | mental_health | 19.0 |
| LI - Kenton County 1 North | dental | 19.0 |
Light-burden reading for Kenton County
Peak severity leads this reading: Kenton County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Kenton County's shortage runs equally deep in mental health and dental care: both scored 19.0 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 52.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Kenton 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.
Kenton County falls in the lower half of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 114 of 120. 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 Kenton County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Kenton County's active designations: about 5.2 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 Kenton 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 Kenton County's designations
Kenton County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Kenton County's 2 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 near Kenton County's mental score of 19.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 19.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Kenton County 1 North”).
Lake County, IN
19.0 mental score · 498,700 pop.
Hamilton County, IN
19.0 mental score · 347,467 pop.
Calcasieu County, LA
19.0 mental score · 216,785 pop.
Saginaw County, MI
19.0 mental score · 190,124 pop.
Bossier County, LA
19.0 mental score · 128,746 pop.
Grant County, WA
19.0 mental score · 99,123 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Kenton County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Kenton County carries an MUA designation (index 52.2; 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 Kenton County's peak score of 19.0?
- "LI - Kenton County 1 North" leads the active set (score 19.0; mental health; 18,247 people in the service area; ~1.2 FTE still needed on the record; designated 02/19/2026). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 2 active rows: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- What provider types does Kenton County's severity cover?
- Active rows break down 0 primary care / 1 mental health / 1 dental. Closing published gaps would take about 5.2 additional clinician FTEs on this release.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21117. This county’s designations come from 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 21117 (Kenton County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 2; peak score 19.0; signature peak score 19.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.