MT · Healthcare shortage profile
Deer Lodge County, MT
Peak severity leads this reading: Deer Lodge County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 9,421.
- Active HPSAs
- 4
- Population
- 9,421
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- 52.2
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Deer Lodge County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 4 active HPSA designations, more than 44% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 4
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Mental-health shortages
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 56%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Deer Lodge County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Deer Lodge County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
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 Deer Lodge County, MT 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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Peak HPSA score 19.0 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 Deer Lodge County's active designations would take about 3.1 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.6 primary care, 2.1 mental health, 0.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Deer Lodge County's 4 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 4).
Deer Lodge County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
4 Top 56% higher than 44% of 3,289 real US counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026
State peer position. Deer Lodge County falls in the lower half of MT counties by active-designation volume, at rank 30 of 56. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 30023. Population: 9,421.
Single high-priority discipline
Deer Lodge County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active mental health designations to Deer Lodge County , with a peak score of 19.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the mental health records.
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 4 active (designated) HPSAs in Deer Lodge County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Silver Bow/Deer Lodge Counties | mental_health | 19.0 |
| LI - Deer Lodge County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI - Deer Lodge County | dental | 15.0 |
| Montana State Hospital | mental_health | 12.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Deer Lodge County
Peak severity leads this reading: Deer Lodge County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Deer Lodge County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 19.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 16.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 52.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Deer Lodge County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 44% of counties) with 4 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (1/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Deer Lodge County falls in the lower half of MT counties by active-designation volume, at rank 30 of 56. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Deer Lodge County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Deer Lodge County's active designations: about 3.1 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Acting on Deer Lodge County's high-priority mental health
Deer Lodge County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Deer Lodge County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of MT before drawing conclusions from a single score. MT overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Deer Lodge County's 19.0. Open Etowah County, AL or Franklin County, OH next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Deer Lodge County's mental score of 19.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 19.0 (severity lead on this page is “Silver Bow/Deer Lodge Counties”).
Etowah County, AL
19.0 mental score · 103,436 pop.
Franklin County, OH
19.0 mental score · 1,323,807 pop.
Douglas County, NE
19.0 mental score · 584,526 pop.
Stark County, OH
19.0 mental score · 374,853 pop.
Canyon County, ID
19.0 mental score · 231,105 pop.
Minnehaha County, SD
19.0 mental score · 197,214 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Deer Lodge County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Deer Lodge County carries an MUA designation (index 52.2; 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 Deer Lodge County's peak score of 19.0?
- "Silver Bow/Deer Lodge Counties" leads the active set (score 19.0; mental health; 16,500 people in the service area; ~2.1 FTE still needed on the record; designated 08/19/2013). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 4 active rows: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Deer Lodge County's severity reading?
- After "Silver Bow/Deer Lodge Counties", the next active names on this release are "Silver Bow/Deer Lodge Counties", "LI - Deer Lodge County", "LI - Deer Lodge County" and "Montana State Hospital". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.1 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Deer Lodge County's high-severity geography?
- Deer Lodge County's 4 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 "Silver Bow/Deer Lodge Counties".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 30023. 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 30023 (Deer Lodge County, MT), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 4; peak score 19.0; signature peak score 19.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.