Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

SD · Healthcare shortage profile

Lyman County, SD

Peak severity leads this reading: Lyman County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 3,718.

Active HPSAs
6
Population
3,718
Peak shortage score
21.0
MUA Index
61.0

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lyman County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

6
Active HPSA designations
2
Dental shortages
21
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 46%
US counties by volume

Few Census ZCTAs touch Lyman County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Lyman County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

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.

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Lyman County, SD 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 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.

  2. Closing Lyman County's active designations would take about 3.5 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 primary care, 1.5 mental health, 0.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Lyman County's 6 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).

Corpus placement

Active-designation volume placement

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lyman County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Lyman County falls in the upper quarter of SD counties by active-designation volume, at rank 14 of 66. 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: 46085. Population: 3,718.

2
Dental HPSAs
2
Primary Care HPSAs
2
Mental Health HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 61.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 18.0
Mental Health 19.0
Dental 21.0

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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Lyman County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Lower Brule Health Center dental 21.0
Lyman County dental 20.0
Capital Area Counseling Services Mhca mental_health 19.0
Lyman County primary_care 18.0
Lower Brule Health Center primary_care 17.0
Lower Brule Health Center mental_health 17.0

Moderate-burden reading for Lyman County

Peak severity leads this reading: Lyman County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Lyman County's deepest shortage reading, 21.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 18.0 of 25; Mental health reads 19.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Lyman County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.

Lyman County falls in the upper quarter of SD counties by active-designation volume, at rank 14 of 66. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.

Lyman County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Lyman County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Lyman County's active designations: about 3.5 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 Lyman County, SD · 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 Lyman County's designations

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

  • Lyman County's 6 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 SD before you draw conclusions from a single score. SD 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.

Nearby dental score peers

Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Lyman County's 21.0. Open Oconee County, SC or Duplin County, NC next.

Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Counties near Lyman County's dental score of 21.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “LOWER BRULE HEALTH CENTER”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Lyman County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Lyman County carries an MUA designation (index 61.0; 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 Lyman County's peak score of 21.0?
"LOWER BRULE HEALTH CENTER" leads the active set (score 21.0; dental; 4,806 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Lyman County's severity reading?
After "LOWER BRULE HEALTH CENTER", the next active names on this release are "LOWER BRULE HEALTH CENTER", "Lyman County", "Capital Area Counseling Services MHCA" and "Lyman County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.5 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Lyman County's high-severity geography?
Lyman County's 6 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 "LOWER BRULE HEALTH CENTER".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 46085. 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 46085 (Lyman County, SD), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.