Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

MO · Healthcare shortage profile

Macon County, MO

Peak severity leads this reading: Macon County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 15,209.

Active HPSAs
6
Population
15,209
Peak shortage score
18.0
MUA Index
51.1
MO state overview → About this data

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Macon 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
Mental-health shortages
18
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 46%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Macon County, MO 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 18.0 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 Macon County's active designations would take about 8.4 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.5 primary care, 2.4 mental health, 3.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Macon 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).

Macon County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

15 Census ZCTAs intersect Macon 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

7 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.

Macon County vs. every real US county

Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none

6 Top 46% higher than 54% of 3,289 real US counties

0–20: 3,115 real US counties (95%). This entry sits in this band. 20–40: 128 real US counties (4%). Above this entry. 40–60: 32 real US counties (1%). Above this entry. 60–80: 7 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 80–100: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 100–120: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 120–140: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 140–160: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 160–180: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 180–200: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 200–220: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 220–240: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 240–260: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 260–280: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. This county 0 280 every real US county, bucketed by value

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. Macon County falls in the lower half of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 58 of 115. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.

Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 29121. Population: 15,209.

2
Mental Health HPSAs
2
Primary Care HPSAs
2
Dental HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 51.1

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 17.0
Mental Health 18.0
Dental 17.0

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 Macon County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Complete Family Medicine - LA Plata Rhc mental_health 18.0
Complete Family Medicine - LA Plata Rhc primary_care 17.0
LI - Region 14 Mhca mental_health 17.0
Complete Family Medicine - LA Plata Rhc dental 17.0
LI - Adair/Macon Counties dental 17.0
LI-Macon/Linn Counties primary_care 15.0

Moderate-burden reading for Macon County

Peak severity leads this reading: Macon County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Macon County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 18.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 17.0 of 25; Dental care reads 17.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 51.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Macon 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.

Macon County falls in the lower half of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 58 of 115. 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 Macon County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Macon County's active designations: about 8.4 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 Macon County, MO · 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 Macon County's designations

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

  • Macon 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 MO before you draw conclusions from a single score. MO 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 mental-health score peers

Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Macon County's 18.0. Open Hendricks County, IN or Berrien County, MI next.

Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Hendricks County, IN

18.0 score 174,788 pop.

Berrien County, MI

18.0 score 154,316 pop.

Skagit County, WA

18.0 score 129,523 pop.

Counties near Macon County's mental score of 18.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 18.0 (severity lead on this page is “COMPLETE FAMILY MEDICINE - LA PLATA RHC”).

Hendricks County, IN

18.0 mental score · 174,788 pop.

Berrien County, MI

18.0 mental score · 154,316 pop.

Skagit County, WA

18.0 mental score · 129,523 pop.

Northwest Hills County, CT

18.0 mental score · 112,696 pop.

Will County, IL

18.0 mental score · 696,355 pop.

Galveston County, TX

18.0 mental score · 350,682 pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Macon County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Macon County carries an MUA designation (index 51.1; 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 Macon County's peak score of 18.0?
"COMPLETE FAMILY MEDICINE - LA PLATA RHC" leads the active set (score 18.0; mental health; 30,225 people in the service area; designated 08/18/2019). 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 Macon County's severity reading?
After "COMPLETE FAMILY MEDICINE - LA PLATA RHC", the next active names on this release are "COMPLETE FAMILY MEDICINE - LA PLATA RHC", "COMPLETE FAMILY MEDICINE - LA PLATA RHC", "LI - Region 14 MHCA" and "COMPLETE FAMILY MEDICINE - LA PLATA RHC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~8.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Macon County's high-severity geography?
Macon 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 "COMPLETE FAMILY MEDICINE - LA PLATA RHC".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 29121. 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 29121 (Macon County, MO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 18.0; signature peak score 18.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.