KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Pike County, KY
Peak severity leads this reading: Pike County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 58,669.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 58,669
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 44.4
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Pike 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
- Primary-care shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Pike County
Pike County intersects 39 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
27 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 Pike 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 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 Pike County's active designations would take about 16 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 8.9 primary care, 1.9 mental health, 5.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Pike 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).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Pike County carries 9 active designations, above 75% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Pike County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 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: 21195. Population: 58,669.
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 Pike County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Compassion Services | primary_care | 21.0 |
| LI - Pike County | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Pediatric Associates OF Pikeville | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Compassion Services | dental | 19.0 |
| Pediatric Associates OF Pikeville | dental | 19.0 |
| LI - Pike County | dental | 19.0 |
| Compassion Services | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Pediatric Associates OF Pikeville | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Pike County | mental_health | 18.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Pike County
Peak severity leads this reading: Pike County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Pike County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 21.0 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 18.0 of 25; Dental care reads 19.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 44.4, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Pike 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.
Pike 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.
Pike County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
3 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Pike County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Pike County's active designations: about 16 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 Pike 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
Pike County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Pike 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 Primary Care Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA primary-care HPSA score is closest to Pike County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Cass County, ND and Dallas County, TX.
Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Pike County's primary score of 21.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “COMPASSION SERVICES”).
Cass County, ND
21.0 primary score · 184,525 pop.
Dallas County, TX
21.0 primary score · 2,613,539 pop.
Montgomery County, MD
21.0 primary score · 1,062,061 pop.
Davidson County, TN
21.0 primary score · 715,884 pop.
Naugatuck Valley County, CT
21.0 primary score · 451,887 pop.
Greene County, MO
21.0 primary score · 298,915 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Pike County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Pike County carries an MUA designation (index 44.4; 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 Pike County's peak score of 21.0?
- "COMPASSION SERVICES" leads the active set (score 21.0; primary care; 44,754 people in the service area; designated 10/05/2023). 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 Pike County's severity reading?
- After "COMPASSION SERVICES", the next active names on this release are "COMPASSION SERVICES", "LI - Pike County", "PEDIATRIC ASSOCIATES OF PIKEVILLE" and "COMPASSION SERVICES". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~16 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Pike County's high-severity geography?
- Pike 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 "COMPASSION SERVICES".
- How does Pike County's peak severity sit inside KY?
- Pike County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 21.0. Pike 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 Cass County, ND and Dallas County, TX.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21195. 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 21195 (Pike 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.