AR · Healthcare shortage profile
Newton County, AR
Peak severity leads this reading: Newton County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 7,225.
- Active HPSAs
- 2
- Population
- 7,225
- Peak shortage score
- 15.0
- MUA Index
- 45.5
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Newton 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
- 15
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 90%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Newton County
Newton County intersects 20 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
8 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 Newton County, AR 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 Newton County's active designations would take about 1.7 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1 primary care, 0.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Newton County's 2 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 0 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 2).
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Peak HPSA score 15.0 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, Newton 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. Newton County falls in the lower half of AR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 67 of 75. 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: 05101. Population: 7,225.
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 Newton County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Newton County | primary_care | 15.0 |
| LI - Newton County | dental | 14.0 |
Light-burden reading for Newton County
Peak severity leads this reading: Newton County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Newton County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 15.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Dental care reads 14.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 45.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Newton 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.
Newton County falls in the lower half of AR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 67 of 75. 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 Newton County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Newton County's active designations: about 1.7 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Newton County's primary score of 15.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 15.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Newton County”).
Hampshire County, MA
15.0 primary score · 162,308 pop.
Ascension County, LA
15.0 primary score · 126,500 pop.
Ashtabula County, OH
15.0 primary score · 97,574 pop.
Monroe County, FL
15.0 primary score · 82,874 pop.
Chippewa County, WI
15.0 primary score · 66,297 pop.
Essex County, NJ
15.0 primary score · 863,728 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Newton County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Newton County carries an MUA designation (index 45.5; 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 Newton County's peak score of 15.0?
- "LI - Newton County" leads the active set (score 15.0; primary care; 2,975 people in the service area; ~1 FTE still needed on the record; designated 08/06/2021). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 2 active rows: 1 primary care, 0 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Newton County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Newton County", the next active names on this release are "LI - Newton County" and "LI - Newton County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~1.7 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 05101. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) 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 05101 (Newton County, AR), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 2; peak score 15.0; signature peak score 15.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.