Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

ID · Healthcare shortage profile

Custer County, ID

Designation volume is the standout signal for Custer County: 9 active HPSA records, above 75% of real US counties. Population 4,275.

Active HPSAs
9
Population
4,275
Peak shortage score
16.0
MUA Index
58.3

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Custer 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 primary care the deepest gap.

9
Active HPSA designations
3
Primary-care shortages
16
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 25%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Custer 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 Custer County's active designations would take about 5.6 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.2 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 Custer County's 9 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).

  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.

Few Census ZCTAs touch Custer County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Custer County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

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

Designated volume without a high-priority score

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Custer County carries 9 active designations, above 75% 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. Custer County falls in the upper quarter of ID counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 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: 16037. Population: 4,275.

Below high-priority line

Custer County is designated, but no active score clears 17

9 active designations sit on this FIPS (3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 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: 58.3

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 16.0
Mental Health 16.0
Dental 15.0

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 Custer County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Mackay Clinic primary_care 16.0
LI - Eastern District 7 mental_health 16.0
Mackay Clinic dental 15.0
Custer County primary_care 12.0
North Custer Hospital District mental_health 12.0
Mackay Clinic mental_health 11.0
North Custer Hospital District dental 11.0
North Custer Hospital District primary_care 10.0
LI - Custer County dental 8.0

Heavy-burden reading for Custer County

Designation volume is the standout signal for Custer County: 9 active HPSA records, above 75% of real US counties. Custer County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health: both scored 16.0 by HRSA, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.3, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Custer County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 16.0. 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.

Custer County falls in the upper quarter of ID counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 44. 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 Custer County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Custer County's active designations: about 5.6 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

High-volume peers of Custer County (9 active)

One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 9 across the national corpus.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Custer County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Custer County carries an MUA designation (index 58.3; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
What makes up Custer County's 9 active HPSA designations?
9 Designated rows (3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "MACKAY CLINIC" (score 16.0; primary care; 2,505 people in the service area; designated 12/12/2014). Also active: "LI - Eastern District 7", "MACKAY CLINIC", "Custer County". Above 75% of real US counties by volume.
What does volume-plus-score look like for Custer County?
Peak active score 16.0 in primary care and mental health stays under the 17-point line while volume sits at 9 rows.
What clinician need sits behind Custer County's designation volume?
Closing published gaps would take about 5.6 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "MACKAY CLINIC" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
Which federal programs follow Custer County's designation volume?
9 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
How does Custer County's volume compare inside ID?
9 active HPSA rows · peak 16.0. Custer County falls in the upper quarter of ID counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 44. Score-nearest counties on this release include Dubuque County, IA and Dane County, WI.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 16037. 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 16037 (Custer County, ID), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 16.0; signature 9 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.