MN · Healthcare shortage profile
Big Stone County, MN
Home to 5,166 residents, with 6 active HRSA shortage designations.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 5,166
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- 50.3
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Big Stone 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
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Big Stone County, MN 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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33.3% of Big Stone 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).
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Closing Big Stone County's active designations would take about 20 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, 19 mental health, 0 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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Peak HPSA score 19.0 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.
Big Stone County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
6 Top 46% higher than 54% 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. Big Stone County falls in the upper half of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 33 of 85. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 27011. Population: 5,166.
Single high-priority discipline
Big Stone County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active mental health designations to Big Stone County , with a peak score of 19.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the mental health records.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA 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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Big Stone County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Southwest Central Region Mhca | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Essentia Health Graceville Clinic | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Essentia Health Graceville Clinic | primary_care | 15.0 |
| North Big Stone County | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Essentia Health Graceville Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| Big Stone County | dental | 9.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Big Stone County
Big Stone County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 19.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 15.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 50.3, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Big Stone 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.
Big Stone County falls in the upper half of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 33 of 85. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Clinician FTE gap by care type
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Big Stone County's active designations: a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Acting on Big Stone County's high-priority mental health
Big Stone County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Big Stone County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of MN before drawing conclusions from a single score. MN overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Big Stone County's 19.0. Open Tompkins County, NY or Twin Falls County, ID next.
Showing 3 of 3083 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Nationwide counties with similar HRSA profiles
Two peer sets for Big Stone County: active designation volume and primary-care HPSA score, ranked across the national county corpus.
Similar designation volume
Nearest active designation count (6 here).
Similar primary-care score
Nearest active primary-care HPSA score (15.0 here).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Big Stone County a Medically Underserved Area?
Yes, Big Stone County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is 50.3. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.
How many healthcare shortage areas does Big Stone County have?
Big Stone County, MN has 6 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 2 in primary care, 2 in mental health, and 2 in dental care, according to HRSA data.
What does Big Stone County's HPSA score of 19.0 mean?
19.0 in mental health clears 17, HRSA's high-priority line, which is what makes providers here eligible for NHSC placement and enhanced reimbursement.
What healthcare providers are needed in Big Stone County?
Based on HRSA shortage designations, Big Stone County needs additional providers in primary care (family physicians, internists, pediatricians), mental health (psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers), and dental care (dentists, dental hygienists). The National Health Service Corps offers loan repayment and scholarship programs for providers who serve in designated shortage areas.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 27011. 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.