Medically Underserved Area High-priority · dental care only

LA · Healthcare shortage profile

Lafayette County, LA

Peak severity leads this reading: Lafayette County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 241,753.

Active HPSAs
6
Population
241,753
Peak shortage score
24.0
MUA Index
53.9
LA state overview → About this data

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lafayette County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

6
Active HPSA designations
2
Dental shortages
24
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 46%
US counties by volume

Dense ZCTA lattice over Lafayette County

Lafayette County intersects 16 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.

Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county

4 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.

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Lafayette County, LA 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.

  1. 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.

  2. Closing Lafayette County's active designations would take about 16 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.2 primary care, 3.4 mental health, 12 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Lafayette County's 6 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).

Lafayette County vs. every real US county

Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none

6 Top 46% higher than 54% of 3,289 real US counties

0–20: 3,115 real US counties (95%). This entry sits in this band. 20–40: 128 real US counties (4%). Above this entry. 40–60: 32 real US counties (1%). Above this entry. 60–80: 7 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 80–100: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 100–120: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 120–140: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 140–160: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 160–180: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 180–200: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 200–220: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 220–240: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 240–260: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 260–280: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. This county 0 280 every real US county, bucketed by value

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. Lafayette County falls in the upper half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 64. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.

Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 22055. Population: 241,753.

Single high-priority discipline

Lafayette County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is dental care

Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active dental care designations to Lafayette County , with a peak score of 24.0. 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 dental care records.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 53.9

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 13.0
Mental Health 14.0
Dental 24.0

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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Lafayette County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Acadiana Concern For Aids Relief, Education And Support, Inc. dental 24.0
LI- Lafayette Parish dental 16.0
Acadiana Concern For Aids Relief, Education And Support, Inc. mental_health 14.0
LI-Lafayette Parish mental_health 14.0
Acadiana Concern For Aids Relief, Education And Support, Inc. primary_care 13.0
LI-Lafayette Parish primary_care 10.0

Moderate-burden reading for Lafayette County

Peak severity leads this reading: Lafayette County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Lafayette 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 13.0 of 25; Mental health reads 14.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 53.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Lafayette County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.

Lafayette County falls in the upper half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 64. 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 Lafayette County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Lafayette County's active designations: about 16 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Acting on Lafayette County's high-priority dental care

Lafayette County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Lafayette County's high-priority dental care designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
  • See how the county's dental care burden compares with the rest of LA before drawing conclusions from a single score. LA 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 dental score peers

Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Lafayette County's 24.0. Open Camuy County, PR or Aguas Buenas County, PR next.

Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Camuy County, PR

24.0 score 32,827 pop.

Aguas Buenas County, PR

24.0 score 24,223 pop.

Arroyo County, PR

24.0 score 15,843 pop.

Counties near Lafayette 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 “ACADIANA CONCERN FOR AIDS RELIEF, EDUCATION AND SUPPORT, INC.”).

Camuy County, PR

24.0 dental score · 32,827 pop.

Aguas Buenas County, PR

24.0 dental score · 24,223 pop.

Arroyo County, PR

24.0 dental score · 15,843 pop.

Atlantic County, NJ

24.0 dental score · 274,534 pop.

Matanuska-Susitna County, AK

24.0 dental score · 107,081 pop.

Gila County, AZ

24.0 dental score · 53,272 pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Lafayette County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Lafayette County carries an MUA designation (index 53.9; 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 Lafayette County's peak score of 24.0?
"ACADIANA CONCERN FOR AIDS RELIEF, EDUCATION AND SUPPORT, INC." leads the active set (score 24.0; dental; 83,830 people in the service area; designated 02/11/2020). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Lafayette County's severity reading?
After "ACADIANA CONCERN FOR AIDS RELIEF, EDUCATION AND SUPPORT, INC.", the next active names on this release are "ACADIANA CONCERN FOR AIDS RELIEF, EDUCATION AND SUPPORT, INC.", "LI- Lafayette Parish", "ACADIANA CONCERN FOR AIDS RELIEF, EDUCATION AND SUPPORT, INC." and "LI-Lafayette Parish". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~16 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Lafayette County's high-severity geography?
Lafayette County's 6 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 "ACADIANA CONCERN FOR AIDS RELIEF, EDUCATION AND SUPPORT, INC.".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 22055. 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 22055 (Lafayette County, LA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 24.0; signature peak score 24.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.