Medically Underserved Area High-priority · dental care only

KS · Healthcare shortage profile

Atchison County, KS

Peak severity leads this reading: Atchison County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 16,348.

Active HPSAs
5
Population
16,348
Peak shortage score
23.0
MUA Index
59.9
KS state overview → About this data

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Atchison County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

5
Active HPSA designations
2
Dental shortages
23
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 53%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Atchison County, KS 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 23.0 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 Atchison County's active designations would take about 1.4 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.1 primary care, 1.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 40% of Atchison County's 5 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 5).

Atchison County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

10 Census ZCTAs intersect Atchison 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

2 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.

Atchison County vs. every real US county

Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none

5 Top 53% higher than 47% 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. Atchison County falls in the upper half of KS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 32 of 105. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.

Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 20005. Population: 16,348.

Single high-priority discipline

Atchison County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is dental care

Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active dental care designations to Atchison County , with a peak score of 23.0. 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 dental care records.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 59.9

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 9.0
Mental Health 15.0
Dental 23.0

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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Atchison County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Atchison Community Health Clinic, Inc. dental 23.0
LI-Atchison County dental 16.0
Atchison Community Health Clinic, Inc. mental_health 15.0
Atchison Community Health Clinic, Inc. primary_care 9.0
LI-Atchison County primary_care 8.0

Moderate-burden reading for Atchison County

Peak severity leads this reading: Atchison County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Atchison County's deepest shortage reading, 23.0 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 9.0 of 25; Mental health reads 15.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 59.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Atchison County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/1/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.

Atchison County falls in the upper half of KS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 32 of 105. 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 Atchison County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Atchison County's active designations: about 1.4 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Acting on Atchison County's high-priority dental care

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

  • Atchison County's high-priority dental care designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
  • See how the county's dental care burden compares with the rest of KS before drawing conclusions from a single score. KS 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 dental score peers

Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Atchison County's 23.0. Open Medina County, OH or Fairfield County, OH next.

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

Medina County, OH

23.0 score 182,470 pop.

Fairfield County, OH

23.0 score 158,921 pop.

Douglas County, KS

23.0 score 118,785 pop.

Counties near Atchison County's dental score of 23.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 23.0 (severity lead on this page is “ATCHISON COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC, INC.”).

Medina County, OH

23.0 dental score · 182,470 pop.

Fairfield County, OH

23.0 dental score · 158,921 pop.

Douglas County, KS

23.0 dental score · 118,785 pop.

Adams County, CO

23.0 dental score · 519,572 pop.

Horry County, SC

23.0 dental score · 351,029 pop.

Lexington County, SC

23.0 dental score · 293,991 pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Atchison County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Atchison County carries an MUA designation (index 59.9; 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 Atchison County's peak score of 23.0?
"ATCHISON COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC, INC." leads the active set (score 23.0; dental; 4,236 people in the service area; designated 08/01/2015). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 5 active rows: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Atchison County's severity reading?
After "ATCHISON COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC, INC.", the next active names on this release are "ATCHISON COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC, INC.", "LI-Atchison County", "ATCHISON COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC, INC." and "ATCHISON COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC, INC.". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~1.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Atchison County's high-severity geography?
Atchison County's 5 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 "ATCHISON COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC, INC.".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 20005. 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 20005 (Atchison County, KS), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 23.0; signature peak score 23.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.