Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

KY · Healthcare shortage profile

Johnson County, KY

Peak severity leads this reading: Johnson County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 22,680.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
22,680
Peak shortage score
20.0
MUA Index
60.0
KY state overview → About this data

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Johnson 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
20
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 80%
US counties by volume

Dense ZCTA lattice over Johnson County

Johnson 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 Johnson 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.

  1. Peak HPSA score 20.0 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 Johnson County's active designations would take about 7.3 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.7 primary care, 0.8 mental health, 2.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Johnson 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, Johnson 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. Johnson County falls in the lower half of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 68 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: 21115. Population: 22,680.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 60.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 20.0
Mental Health 17.0
Dental 19.0

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 Johnson County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI-Johnson County primary_care 20.0
LI - Johnson County dental 19.0
LI-Johnson County mental_health 17.0

Light-burden reading for Johnson County

Peak severity leads this reading: Johnson County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Johnson County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 20.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 17.0 of 25; Dental care reads 19.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Johnson 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.

Johnson County falls in the lower half of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 68 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 Johnson County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Johnson County's active designations: about 7.3 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 Johnson 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 Johnson County's designations

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

  • Johnson 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 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 Johnson County's primary score of 20.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 20.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI-Johnson County”).

Monroe County, NY

20.0 primary score · 759,443 pop.

Onondaga County, NY

20.0 primary score · 476,516 pop.

Lorain County, OH

20.0 primary score · 312,964 pop.

Cabarrus County, NC

20.0 primary score · 225,804 pop.

Imperial County, CA

20.0 primary score · 179,702 pop.

San Diego County, CA

20.0 primary score · 3,298,634 pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Johnson County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Johnson County carries an MUA designation (index 60.0; 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 Johnson County's peak score of 20.0?
"LI-Johnson County" leads the active set (score 20.0; primary care; 11,209 people in the service area; ~3.7 FTE still needed on the record; designated 09/07/2024). 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 Johnson County's severity reading?
After "LI-Johnson County", the next active names on this release are "LI-Johnson County", "LI - Johnson County" and "LI-Johnson County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~7.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21115. 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 21115 (Johnson County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 20.0; signature peak score 20.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.