IA · Healthcare shortage profile
Union County, IA
Peak severity leads this reading: Union County's highest active HPSA score is 13.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 12,138.
- Active HPSAs
- 1
- Population
- 12,138
- Peak shortage score
- 13.0
- MUA Index
- 52.9
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Union County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 1 active HPSA designation, more than 2% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 1
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 13
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 98%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Union County, IA 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.
-
Closing Union County's active designations would take about 1.1 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.1 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
100% of Union County's 1 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 1).
-
Peak HPSA score 13.0 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.
Union County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 Census ZCTAs intersect Union 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
3 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
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Union County carries 1 active designation, above 2% 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. Union County falls in the lower half of IA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 80 of 99. 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: 19175. Population: 12,138.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only · mental health only on this FIPS. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 1 active (designated) HPSAs in Union County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Mhca-14 | mental_health | 13.0 |
Light-burden reading for Union County
Peak severity leads this reading: Union County's highest active HPSA score is 13.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Union County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 13.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 52.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Union County carries 1 active designation and sits below the national mid-pack (above 2% 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.
Union County falls in the lower half of IA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 80 of 99. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Counties near Union County's mental score of 13.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 13.0 (severity lead on this page is “MHCA-14”).
Wharton County, TX
13.0 mental score · 41,570 pop.
Gallia County, OH
13.0 mental score · 29,220 pop.
St. James County, LA
13.0 mental score · 20,192 pop.
Benzie County, MI
13.0 mental score · 17,970 pop.
Anderson County, SC
13.0 mental score · 203,718 pop.
Victoria County, TX
13.0 mental score · 91,319 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Union County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Union County carries an MUA designation (index 52.9; 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 Union County's peak score of 13.0?
- "MHCA-14" leads the active set (score 13.0; mental health; 30,000 people in the service area; ~1.1 FTE still needed on the record; designated 05/21/1980). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 1 active rows: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental.
- What provider types does Union County's severity cover?
- Active rows break down 0 primary care / 1 mental health / 0 dental. Closing published gaps would take about 1.1 additional clinician FTEs on this release.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 19175. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — 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 19175 (Union County, IA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 1; peak score 13.0; signature peak score 13.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.