MO · Healthcare shortage profile
Barton County, MO
Peak severity leads this reading: Barton County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 11,637.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 11,637
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- 58.8
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Barton 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
- Dental shortages
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Barton 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.
-
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.
-
Closing Barton County's active designations would take about 11 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 4.3 primary care, 5.6 mental health, 1.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Barton 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).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Barton County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Barton County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
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, Barton 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. Barton 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: 29011. Population: 11,637.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity 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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Barton County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-Barton County | dental | 20.0 |
| LI - Joplin Mhca #9 | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Cbch LLC | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Cbch LLC | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Cbch LLC | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI - Vernon/Barton Counties | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Cbch LLC | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Cbch LLC | dental | 17.0 |
| Cbch LLC | dental | 17.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Barton County
Peak severity leads this reading: Barton County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Barton County's deepest shortage reading, 20.0 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 17.0 of 25; Mental health reads 18.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Barton 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.
Barton 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.
Barton 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 Barton County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Barton County's active designations: about 11 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 Barton 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
Barton County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Barton 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 Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Barton County's 20.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Snohomish County, WA and Marion County, FL.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Barton County's dental score of 20.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 20.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI-Barton County”).
Snohomish County, WA
20.0 dental score · 827,957 pop.
Marion County, FL
20.0 dental score · 375,908 pop.
Clark County, OH
20.0 dental score · 136,001 pop.
Polk County, OR
20.0 dental score · 87,433 pop.
Lake County, CA
20.0 dental score · 68,163 pop.
Sampson County, NC
20.0 dental score · 59,036 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Barton County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Barton County carries an MUA designation (index 58.8; 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 Barton County's peak score of 20.0?
- "LI-Barton County" leads the active set (score 20.0; dental; 5,287 people in the service area; ~1.3 FTE still needed on the record; designated 04/26/2006). 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.
- Which other active designations sit under Barton County's severity reading?
- After "LI-Barton County", the next active names on this release are "LI-Barton County", "LI - Joplin MHCA #9", "CBCH LLC" and "CBCH LLC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~11 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Barton County's high-severity geography?
- Barton 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-Barton County".
- How does Barton County's peak severity sit inside MO?
- Barton County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 20.0. Barton 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 Snohomish County, WA and Marion County, FL.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 29011. 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 29011 (Barton 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.