CO · Healthcare shortage profile
Pueblo County, CO
Peak severity leads this reading: Pueblo County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 168,162.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 168,162
- Peak shortage score
- 22.0
- MUA Index
- 50.9
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Pueblo County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Mental-health shortages
- 22
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Pueblo County, CO 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 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.
-
Closing Pueblo 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): 0.7 primary care, 7.3 mental health, 5.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
44.4% of Pueblo County's 9 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
Pueblo County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
15 Census ZCTAs intersect Pueblo 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
7 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.
Pueblo County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
9 Top 25% higher than 75% 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. Pueblo County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 64. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 08101. Population: 168,162.
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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Pueblo County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Pueblo Community Health Center | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Pueblo Community Health Center | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Pueblo Community Health Center | dental | 19.0 |
| Health Solutions Mhca | mental_health | 16.0 |
| CF-La Vista Correctional Facility | mental_health | 15.0 |
| LI - Pueblo County | dental | 13.0 |
| CF-La Vista Correctional Facility | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo | mental_health | 8.0 |
| CF-La Vista Correctional Facility | dental | 6.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Pueblo County
Peak severity leads this reading: Pueblo County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Pueblo County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 22.0 of 25, 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; Dental care reads 19.0 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.
Volume places Pueblo County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 2 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 22.0. 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.
Pueblo County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 64. 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.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Pueblo County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Pueblo 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 Pueblo County, CO · 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
Pueblo County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Pueblo County's 9 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 mental health burden compares with the rest of CO before you draw conclusions from a single score. CO 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 Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Pueblo County's 22.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Jackson County, MO and Montgomery County, OH.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Pueblo County's mental score of 22.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 22.0 (severity lead on this page is “PUEBLO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER”).
Jackson County, MO
22.0 mental score · 717,204 pop.
Montgomery County, OH
22.0 mental score · 537,309 pop.
Manatee County, FL
22.0 mental score · 399,710 pop.
Atlantic County, NJ
22.0 mental score · 274,534 pop.
Riverside County, CA
22.0 mental score · 2,418,185 pop.
Salt Lake County, UT
22.0 mental score · 1,185,238 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Pueblo County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Pueblo 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 Pueblo County's peak score of 22.0?
- "PUEBLO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER" leads the active set (score 22.0; mental health; 41,863 people in the service area; designated 08/29/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 9 active rows: 2 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Pueblo County's severity reading?
- After "PUEBLO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER", the next active names on this release are "PUEBLO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER", "PUEBLO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER", "PUEBLO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER" and "Health Solutions MHCA". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~14 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Pueblo County's high-severity geography?
- Pueblo County's 9 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 "PUEBLO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER".
- How does Pueblo County's peak severity sit inside CO?
- Pueblo County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 22.0. Pueblo County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 64. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Jackson County, MO and Montgomery County, OH.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 08101. 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 08101 (Pueblo County, CO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 22.0; signature peak score 22.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.