MO · Healthcare shortage profile
Butler County, MO
Peak severity leads this reading: Butler County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 42,130.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 42,130
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- -
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Butler County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Primary-care shortages
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Butler 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.
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Peak HPSA score 20.0 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 Butler County's active designations would take about 15 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 6.4 primary care, 3.7 mental health, 4.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Butler County's 9 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
Butler County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 Census ZCTAs intersect Butler 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
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Butler County carries 9 active designations, above 75% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Butler County falls in the upper half of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 41 of 115. 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: 29023. Population: 42,130.
Peak severity scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Butler County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Butler County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-Butler County | primary_care | 20.0 |
| LI - Butler County | dental | 20.0 |
| LI - Mhca 19 | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Southeasthealth Family Medicine OF Poplar Bluff | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Poplar Bluff Medical Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Poplar Bluff Medical Clinic | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Southeasthealth Family Medicine OF Poplar Bluff | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Southeasthealth Family Medicine OF Poplar Bluff | dental | 17.0 |
| Poplar Bluff Medical Clinic | dental | 17.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Butler County
Peak severity leads this reading: Butler County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Butler County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and dental care: both scored 20.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 19.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Butler County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Volume places Butler County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 20.0. The table on this page lists the highest-severity records first so a reader can see which named facilities, geographies, or population groups drive that burden without treating the county total as a personal appointment forecast.
Butler County falls in the upper half of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 41 of 115. Heavy-burden counties are where NHSC placement, Community Health Center grant geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the county boundary alone.
Butler County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
3 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Butler County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Butler County's active designations: about 15 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 Butler 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 a heavy-burden county
Butler County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Butler County's 9 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.
Counties With a Similar Primary Care Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA primary-care HPSA score is closest to Butler County's 20.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Frederick County, MD and El Dorado County, CA.
Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Butler County's primary score of 20.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 20.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI-Butler County”).
Frederick County, MD
20.0 primary score · 271,717 pop.
El Dorado County, CA
20.0 primary score · 191,185 pop.
Sandoval County, NM
20.0 primary score · 148,834 pop.
New York County, NY
20.0 primary score · 1,694,251 pop.
Hidalgo County, TX
20.0 primary score · 870,781 pop.
Summit County, OH
20.0 primary score · 540,428 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Butler County's peak score of 20.0?
- "LI-Butler County" leads the active set (score 20.0; primary care; 488 people in the service area; ~6.4 FTE still needed on the record; designated 03/19/2001). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 9 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Why is Butler County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Butler County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which other active designations sit under Butler County's severity reading?
- After "LI-Butler County", the next active names on this release are "LI-Butler County", "LI - Butler County", "LI - MHCA 19" and "SOUTHEASTHEALTH FAMILY MEDICINE OF POPLAR BLUFF". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~15 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Butler County's high-severity geography?
- Butler County's 9 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 "LI-Butler County".
- How does Butler County's peak severity sit inside MO?
- Butler County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 20.0. Butler County falls in the upper half of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 41 of 115. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Frederick County, MD and El Dorado County, CA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 29023. 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 29023 (Butler County, MO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 20.0; signature peak score 20.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.