KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Ballard County, KY
Peak severity leads this reading: Ballard County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 7,728.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 7,728
- Peak shortage score
- 15.0
- MUA Index
- 53.0
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Ballard 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
- 15
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- 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.
Few Census ZCTAs touch Ballard County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 6 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Ballard County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
1 additional ZCTA 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 Ballard 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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Closing Ballard County's active designations would take about 2 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.8 primary care, 0.5 mental health, 0.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Ballard 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).
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Peak HPSA score 15.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Ballard County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.
State peer position. Ballard 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: 21007. Population: 7,728.
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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Ballard County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-Ballard County | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Ballard County | mental_health | 14.0 |
| LI - Ballard County | dental | 11.0 |
Light-burden reading for Ballard County
Peak severity leads this reading: Ballard County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Ballard County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 15.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Mental health reads 14.0 of 25; Dental care reads 11.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 53.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Ballard 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.
Ballard 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 Ballard County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Ballard County's active designations: about 2 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Ballard County's primary score of 15.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 15.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI-Ballard County”).
Hampshire County, MA
15.0 primary score · 162,308 pop.
Ascension County, LA
15.0 primary score · 126,500 pop.
Ashtabula County, OH
15.0 primary score · 97,574 pop.
Monroe County, FL
15.0 primary score · 82,874 pop.
Chippewa County, WI
15.0 primary score · 66,297 pop.
Essex County, NJ
15.0 primary score · 863,728 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Ballard County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Ballard County carries an MUA designation (index 53.0; 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 Ballard County's peak score of 15.0?
- "LI-Ballard County" leads the active set (score 15.0; primary care; 2,495 people in the service area; ~0.8 FTE still needed on the record; designated 03/18/2022). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Ballard County's severity reading?
- After "LI-Ballard County", the next active names on this release are "LI-Ballard County", "Ballard County" and "LI - Ballard County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21007. 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 21007 (Ballard County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 15.0; signature peak score 15.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.