NE · Healthcare shortage profile
Buffalo County, NE
Peak severity leads this reading: Buffalo County's highest active HPSA score is 14.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 50,084.
- Active HPSAs
- 2
- Population
- 50,084
- Peak shortage score
- 14.0
- MUA Index
- 47.3
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Buffalo 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
- Primary-care shortages
- 14
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 90%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Buffalo 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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Closing Buffalo County's active designations would take about 11 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 6 primary care, 5.1 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
50% of Buffalo 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).
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Peak HPSA score 14.0 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.
Buffalo County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
14 Census ZCTAs intersect Buffalo 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
6 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
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Buffalo 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. Buffalo County falls in the lower half of NE counties by active-designation volume, at rank 56 of 92. 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: 31019. Population: 50,084.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA 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 2 active (designated) HPSAs in Buffalo County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Central Nebraska | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Mental Health Catchment Area 3 | mental_health | 12.0 |
Light-burden reading for Buffalo County
Peak severity leads this reading: Buffalo County's highest active HPSA score is 14.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Buffalo County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 14.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Mental health reads 12.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 47.3, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Buffalo 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.
Buffalo County falls in the lower half of NE counties by active-designation volume, at rank 56 of 92. 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 Buffalo County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Buffalo County's active designations: about 11 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Buffalo County's primary score of 14.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 14.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Central Nebraska”).
Roane County, TN
14.0 primary score · 53,404 pop.
Rockland County, NY
14.0 primary score · 338,329 pop.
York County, ME
14.0 primary score · 211,972 pop.
Bradley County, TN
14.0 primary score · 108,620 pop.
Crawford County, PA
14.0 primary score · 83,938 pop.
Harrison County, WV
14.0 primary score · 65,921 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Buffalo County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Buffalo County carries an MUA designation (index 47.3; 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 Buffalo County's peak score of 14.0?
- "LI - Central Nebraska" leads the active set (score 14.0; primary care; 22,317 people in the service area; ~6 FTE still needed on the record; designated 11/01/2025). 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.
- Which other active designations sit under Buffalo County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Central Nebraska", the next active names on this release are "LI - Central Nebraska" and "Mental Health Catchment Area 3". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~11 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 31019. 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 31019 (Buffalo County, NE), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 2; peak score 14.0; signature peak score 14.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.