NE · Healthcare shortage profile
Brown County, NE
Peak severity leads this reading: Brown County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 2,903.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 2,903
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 50.9
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Brown 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
- Mental-health shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Brown County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Brown County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
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 Brown 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 17.0 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.
-
Closing Brown County's active designations would take about 8.1 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1 primary care, 7.1 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
40% of Brown 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).
Brown 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
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. Brown County falls in the upper half of NE counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 92. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 31017. Population: 2,903.
Single high-priority discipline
Brown County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active mental health designations to Brown County , with a peak score of 17.0. 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 mental health records.
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 Brown County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Catchment Area 4 | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Ainsworth Family Clinic | primary_care | 13.0 |
| LI - Greater Sandhills | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Ainsworth Family Clinic | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Ainsworth Family Clinic | dental | 11.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Brown County
Peak severity leads this reading: Brown County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Brown County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 17.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 13.0 of 25; Dental care reads 11.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 50.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Brown 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.
Brown 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 Brown County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Brown County's active designations: about 8.1 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Acting on Brown County's high-priority mental health
Brown County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Brown County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of NE before drawing conclusions from a single score. NE 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 mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Brown County's 17.0. Open Kendall County, IL or Matanuska-Susitna County, AK next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Brown County's mental score of 17.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 17.0 (severity lead on this page is “Catchment Area 4”).
Kendall County, IL
17.0 mental score · 131,869 pop.
Matanuska-Susitna County, AK
17.0 mental score · 107,081 pop.
Sevier County, TN
17.0 mental score · 98,380 pop.
Benton County, OR
17.0 mental score · 95,184 pop.
Lake County, FL
17.0 mental score · 383,956 pop.
Frederick County, MD
17.0 mental score · 271,717 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Brown County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Brown County carries an MUA designation (index 50.9; 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 Brown County's peak score of 17.0?
- "Catchment Area 4" leads the active set (score 17.0; mental health; 90,750 people in the service area; ~7.1 FTE still needed on the record; designated 07/21/1978). 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, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Brown County's severity reading?
- After "Catchment Area 4", the next active names on this release are "Catchment Area 4", "AINSWORTH FAMILY CLINIC", "LI - Greater Sandhills" and "AINSWORTH FAMILY CLINIC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~8.1 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Brown County's high-severity geography?
- Brown 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 "Catchment Area 4".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 31017. 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 31017 (Brown County, NE), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 17.0; signature peak score 17.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.