NE · Healthcare shortage profile
Hitchcock County, NE
Peak severity leads this reading: Hitchcock County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 2,616.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 2,616
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- 36.6
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Hitchcock 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
- Primary-care shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Hitchcock County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 6 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Hitchcock 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 Hitchcock 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 Hitchcock County's active designations would take about 3.2 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, 1.8 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Hitchcock County's 5 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 5).
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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, Hitchcock County carries 5 active designations, above 47% 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. Hitchcock County falls in the upper half of NE counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 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: 31087. Population: 2,616.
Below high-priority line
Hitchcock County is designated, but no active score clears 17
5 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental), and the peak severity is 16.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.
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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Hitchcock County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Southwest Nebraska | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Quality Healthcare Services Medical Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Quality Healthcare Services Medical Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| Quality Healthcare Services Medical Clinic | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Catchment Area 2 | mental_health | 7.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Hitchcock County
Peak severity leads this reading: Hitchcock County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Hitchcock County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 16.0 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 15.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 36.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Hitchcock 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 (2/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Hitchcock County falls in the upper half of NE counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 92. 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 Hitchcock County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Hitchcock County's active designations: about 3.2 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Hitchcock County's primary score of 16.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Southwest Nebraska”).
Dubuque County, IA
16.0 primary score · 99,266 pop.
Dane County, WI
16.0 primary score · 561,504 pop.
Lake County, FL
16.0 primary score · 383,956 pop.
Jefferson County, MO
16.0 primary score · 226,739 pop.
Lee County, AL
16.0 primary score · 174,241 pop.
Berkshire County, MA
16.0 primary score · 129,026 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Hitchcock County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Hitchcock County carries an MUA designation (index 36.6; 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 Hitchcock County's peak score of 16.0?
- "LI - Southwest Nebraska" leads the active set (score 16.0; primary care; 1,760 people in the service area; ~1.4 FTE still needed on the record; designated 03/07/2025). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 5 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Hitchcock County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Southwest Nebraska", the next active names on this release are "LI - Southwest Nebraska", "QUALITY HEALTHCARE SERVICES MEDICAL CLINIC", "QUALITY HEALTHCARE SERVICES MEDICAL CLINIC" and "QUALITY HEALTHCARE SERVICES MEDICAL CLINIC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.2 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Hitchcock County's high-severity geography?
- Hitchcock 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 "LI - Southwest Nebraska".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 31087. 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 31087 (Hitchcock County, NE), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.