Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

ID · Healthcare shortage profile

Butte County, ID

Peak severity leads this reading: Butte County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 2,574.

Active HPSAs
6
Population
2,574
Peak shortage score
16.0
MUA Index
53.2

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Butte 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
Mental-health shortages
16
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 46%
US counties by volume
C-
Healthcare Access Score
52/100
Butte County, ID

Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.

Primary care C+
15.0 of 25
Primary care shortage severity (HPSA score)
Mental health B+
16.0 of 25
Mental health shortage severity (HPSA score)
Dental A
13.0 of 26
Dental shortage severity (HPSA score)
Underserved status D
IMU 53.2
Index of Medical Underservice (designated MUA)
Provider gap F
22.6 per 10K
Unmet provider need (HRSA-estimated) per 10,000 residents

Few Census ZCTAs touch Butte County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 3 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Butte County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

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 Butte County, ID 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. Closing Butte County's active designations would take about 5.8 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.4 primary care, 5.1 mental health, 0.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 33.3% of Butte 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).

  3. Peak HPSA score 16.0 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, Butte County carries 6 active designations, above 54% 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. Butte County falls in the upper half of ID counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 44. 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: 16023. Population: 2,574.

Below high-priority line

Butte County is designated, but no active score clears 17

6 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental), and the peak severity is 16.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 53.2

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 15.0 Below priority line
Mental Health 16.0 Below priority line
Dental 13.0 Below priority line

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 Butte County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI - Eastern District 7 mental_health 16.0
Lost Rivers Rural Health Clinic primary_care 15.0
Lost Rivers Rural Health Clinic mental_health 14.0
Lost Rivers Rural Health Clinic dental 13.0
LI - Butte County dental 12.0
LI - Butte County primary_care 11.0

Moderate-burden reading for Butte County

Peak severity leads this reading: Butte County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Butte County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 16.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 15.0 of 25; Dental care reads 13.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 53.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Butte 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.

Butte County falls in the upper half of ID counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 44. 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 Butte County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Butte County's active designations: about 5.8 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Counties near Butte County's mental score of 16.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Eastern District 7”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Butte County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Butte County carries an MUA designation (index 53.2; 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 Butte County's peak score of 16.0?
"LI - Eastern District 7" leads the active set (score 16.0; mental health; 7,204 people in the service area; ~5.1 FTE still needed on the record; designated 07/14/2022). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Butte County's severity reading?
After "LI - Eastern District 7", the next active names on this release are "LI - Eastern District 7", "LOST RIVERS RURAL HEALTH CLINIC", "LOST RIVERS RURAL HEALTH CLINIC" and "LOST RIVERS RURAL HEALTH CLINIC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~5.8 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Butte County's high-severity geography?
Butte 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 "LI - Eastern District 7".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 16023. 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 16023 (Butte County, ID), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.