KS · Healthcare shortage profile
Seward County, KS
Peak severity leads this reading: Seward County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 21,964.
- Active HPSAs
- 2
- Population
- 21,964
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- -
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Seward County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 2 active HPSA designations, more than 10% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 2
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 90%
- US counties by volume
Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.
Few Census ZCTAs touch Seward County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 6 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Seward County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
1 additional ZCTA 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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Seward 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.
-
Closing Seward County's active designations would take about 2.8 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.1 primary care, 1.7 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Seward County's 2 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 2).
-
Peak HPSA score 16.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Seward County carries 2 active designations, above 10% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.
State peer position. Seward County falls in the lower half of KS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 62 of 105. 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: 20175. Population: 21,964.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Seward 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 2 active (designated) HPSAs in Seward County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Mhca 25 | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI-Seward County | primary_care | 13.0 |
Light-burden reading for Seward County
Peak severity leads this reading: Seward County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Seward County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 16.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 13.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Seward County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Seward County carries 2 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 10% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.
Seward County falls in the lower half of KS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 62 of 105. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Light-volume FTE gap for Seward County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Seward County's active designations: about 2.8 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Seward County's mental score of 16.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “MHCA 25”).
Jefferson County, MO
16.0 mental score · 226,739 pop.
Carroll County, MD
16.0 mental score · 172,891 pop.
Rowan County, NC
16.0 mental score · 146,875 pop.
Bonneville County, ID
16.0 mental score · 123,964 pop.
Rockwall County, TX
16.0 mental score · 107,819 pop.
Wayne County, NY
16.0 mental score · 91,283 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Seward County's peak score of 16.0?
- "MHCA 25" leads the active set (score 16.0; mental health; 33,837 people in the service area; ~1.7 FTE still needed on the record; designated 09/29/1997). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 2 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental.
- Why is Seward County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Seward 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 Seward County's severity reading?
- After "MHCA 25", the next active names on this release are "MHCA 25" and "LI-Seward County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2.8 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 20175. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — 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 20175 (Seward County, KS), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 2; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.