0 Primary · mental · dental footprint

OK · Healthcare shortage profile

Custer County, OK

Peak severity leads this reading: Custer County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 28,513.

Active HPSAs
6
Population
28,513
Peak shortage score
22.0
MUA Index
-

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Custer 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
22
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 46%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Custer County, OK 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 22.0 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 Custer County's active designations would take about 14 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.1 primary care, 12 mental health, 0.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Custer 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).

Custer County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

13 Census ZCTAs intersect Custer 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

5 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

Active-designation volume placement

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Custer County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Custer County falls in the upper half of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 29 of 77. 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: 40039. Population: 28,513.

2
Dental HPSAs
2
Primary Care HPSAs
2
Mental Health HPSAs

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 19.0
Mental Health 18.0
Dental 22.0

Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Custer County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. 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 Custer County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Clinton Indian Health Center dental 22.0
Clinton Indian Health Center primary_care 19.0
Clinton Indian Health Center mental_health 18.0
Mhca 9 Red Rock West mental_health 17.0
LI - Custer County primary_care 15.0
LI - Custer County dental 10.0

Moderate-burden reading for Custer County

Peak severity leads this reading: Custer County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Custer County's deepest shortage reading, 22.0 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 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 18.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Custer County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.

Custer 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.

Custer County falls in the upper half of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 29 of 77. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.

Custer County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Custer County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Custer County's active designations: about 14 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Custer County, OK · 2026 HRSA designation data updated quarterly; HPSA scores 0-25 (primary/mental) and 0-26 (dental); higher = greater shortage severity. Coverage tiers from U.S. Census ACS PUMS + KFF state tracker.

Acting on Custer County's designations

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

  • Custer County's 6 active designations make providers here eligible for National Health Service Corps loan repayment, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
  • See how the county's primary care burden compares with the rest of OK before you draw conclusions from a single score. OK overview
  • Check whether an area clears HRSA's 3,500:1 population-to-provider threshold with the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score. 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 Custer County's 22.0. Open Lincoln County, LA or Juncos County, PR next.

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

Counties near Custer County's dental score of 22.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 22.0 (severity lead on this page is “CLINTON INDIAN HEALTH CENTER”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Which record sets Custer County's peak score of 22.0?
"CLINTON INDIAN HEALTH CENTER" leads the active set (score 22.0; dental; 8,821 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). 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.
Why is Custer County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
Custer County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
Which other active designations sit under Custer County's severity reading?
After "CLINTON INDIAN HEALTH CENTER", the next active names on this release are "CLINTON INDIAN HEALTH CENTER", "CLINTON INDIAN HEALTH CENTER", "CLINTON INDIAN HEALTH CENTER" and "MHCA 9 Red Rock West". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~14 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Custer County's high-severity geography?
Custer 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 "CLINTON INDIAN HEALTH CENTER".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 40039. 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 40039 (Custer County, OK), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 22.0; signature peak score 22.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.