NE · Healthcare shortage profile
Thurston County, NE
Peak severity leads this reading: Thurston County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 6,773.
- Active HPSAs
- 15
- Population
- 6,773
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- 55.2
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Thurston County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 15 active HPSA designations, more than 91% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 15
- Active HPSA designations
- 5
- Dental shortages
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 9%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Thurston County, NE 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 24.0 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 Thurston County's active designations would take about 8.8 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.4 primary care, 7.1 mental health, 0.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Thurston County's 15 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental (denominator 15).
Thurston County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
10 Census ZCTAs intersect Thurston 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Thurston County carries 15 active designations, above 91% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Thurston County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 92 real counties in NE. 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: 31173. Population: 6,773.
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 15 active (designated) HPSAs in Thurston County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Winnebago Tribal Hlth Program | dental | 24.0 |
| Carl Curtis | dental | 24.0 |
| Twelve Clans Unity Hospital | dental | 21.0 |
| Winnebago Dental Clinic | dental | 21.0 |
| Carl Curtis | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Winnebago Tribal Hlth Program | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Winnebago Dental Clinic | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Twelve Clans Unity Hospital | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Carl Curtis | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Winnebago Tribal Hlth Program | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Winnebago Dental Clinic | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Twelve Clans Unity Hospital | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Catchment Area 4 | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI - Thurston County | dental | 15.0 |
| LI - Thurston/Dakota Counties | primary_care | 14.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Thurston County
Peak severity leads this reading: Thurston County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Thurston County's deepest shortage reading, 24.0 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 19.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 55.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Thurston County above 91% of real US counties (15 active designations: 5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 24.0. 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.
Thurston County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 92 real counties in NE. 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.
Thurston 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
5 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
5 designations
- Dental
Dental
5 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Thurston County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Thurston County's active designations: about 8.8 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 Thurston County, NE · 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
Thurston County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Thurston County's 15 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 NE before you draw conclusions from a single score. NE 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 Thurston County's 24.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with St. Landry County, LA and Cabo Rojo County, PR.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Thurston County's dental score of 24.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 24.0 (severity lead on this page is “WINNEBAGO TRIBAL HLTH PROGRAM”).
St. Landry County, LA
24.0 dental score · 82,540 pop.
Cabo Rojo County, PR
24.0 dental score · 47,158 pop.
Vega Alta County, PR
24.0 dental score · 35,395 pop.
Cibola County, NM
24.0 dental score · 27,172 pop.
Sabana Grande County, PR
24.0 dental score · 22,729 pop.
Lane County, OR
24.0 dental score · 382,971 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Thurston County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Thurston County carries an MUA designation (index 55.2; 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 Thurston County's peak score of 24.0?
- "WINNEBAGO TRIBAL HLTH PROGRAM" leads the active set (score 24.0; dental; 9,505 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 15 active rows: 5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Thurston County's severity reading?
- After "WINNEBAGO TRIBAL HLTH PROGRAM", the next active names on this release are "WINNEBAGO TRIBAL HLTH PROGRAM", "CARL CURTIS", "Twelve Clans Unity Hospital" and "Winnebago Dental Clinic". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~8.8 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Thurston County's high-severity geography?
- Thurston County's 15 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 "WINNEBAGO TRIBAL HLTH PROGRAM".
- How does Thurston County's peak severity sit inside NE?
- Thurston County holds 15 active HPSA rows with peak 24.0. Thurston County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 92 real counties in NE. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include St. Landry County, LA and Cabo Rojo County, PR.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 31173. 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 31173 (Thurston County, NE), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 15; peak score 24.0; signature peak score 24.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.