OK · Healthcare shortage profile
Hughes County, OK
Peak severity leads this reading: Hughes County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 13,367.
- Active HPSAs
- 12
- Population
- 13,367
- Peak shortage score
- 26.0
- MUA Index
- 47.6
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Hughes County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 12 active HPSA designations, more than 85% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 12
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Dental shortages
- 26
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 15%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Hughes 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.
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Peak HPSA score 26.0 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.
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Closing Hughes County's active designations would take about 15 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.6 primary care, 13 mental health, 1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Hughes County's 12 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 12).
Hughes County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
10 Census ZCTAs intersect Hughes 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
2 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, Hughes County carries 12 active designations, above 85% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Hughes County falls in the upper quarter of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 9 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: 40063. Population: 13,367.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity 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 12 active (designated) HPSAs in Hughes County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| East Central Oklahoma Fam | dental | 26.0 |
| East Central Oklahoma Fam | mental_health | 23.0 |
| East Central Oklahoma Fam | primary_care | 21.0 |
| LI - Hughes County | dental | 20.0 |
| LI-Hughes County | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Mhca 21 | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Wetumka Indian Health Center | dental | 19.0 |
| Abc Medical Clinic OF Holdenville | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Wetumka Indian Health Center | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Wetumka Indian Health Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Abc Medical Clinic OF Holdenville | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Abc Medical Clinic OF Holdenville | dental | 17.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Hughes County
Peak severity leads this reading: Hughes County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Hughes County's deepest shortage reading, 26.0 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 21.0 of 25; Mental health reads 23.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 47.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Hughes County above 85% of real US counties (12 active designations: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 26.0. The table on this page lists the highest-severity records first so a reader can see which named facilities, geographies, or population groups drive that burden without treating the county total as a personal appointment forecast.
Hughes County falls in the upper quarter of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 9 of 77. Heavy-burden counties are where NHSC placement, Community Health Center grant geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the county boundary alone.
Hughes County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
4 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
4 designations
- Dental
Dental
4 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Hughes County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Hughes County's active designations: about 15 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 Hughes 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 a heavy-burden county
Hughes County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Hughes County's 12 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.
Counties With a Similar Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Hughes County's 26.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Tulare County, CA and Frederick County, MD.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Hughes County's dental score of 26.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 26.0 (severity lead on this page is “EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA FAM”).
Tulare County, CA
26.0 dental score · 473,117 pop.
Frederick County, MD
26.0 dental score · 271,717 pop.
Hampshire County, MA
26.0 dental score · 162,308 pop.
Berkeley County, WV
26.0 dental score · 122,076 pop.
Klamath County, OR
26.0 dental score · 69,413 pop.
Marion County, IN
26.0 dental score · 977,203 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Hughes County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Hughes County carries an MUA designation (index 47.6; 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 Hughes County's peak score of 26.0?
- "EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA FAM" leads the active set (score 26.0; dental; 15,155 people in the service area; designated 08/01/2008). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 12 active rows: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Hughes County's severity reading?
- After "EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA FAM", the next active names on this release are "EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA FAM", "EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA FAM", "EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA FAM" and "LI - Hughes County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~15 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Hughes County's high-severity geography?
- Hughes County's 12 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 "EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA FAM".
- How does Hughes County's peak severity sit inside OK?
- Hughes County holds 12 active HPSA rows with peak 26.0. Hughes County falls in the upper quarter of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 9 of 77. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Tulare County, CA and Frederick County, MD.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 40063. 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 40063 (Hughes County, OK), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 12; peak score 26.0; signature peak score 26.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.