MN · Healthcare shortage profile
Carlton County, MN
Peak severity leads this reading: Carlton County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 36,207.
- Active HPSAs
- 7
- Population
- 36,207
- Peak shortage score
- 22.0
- MUA Index
- 51.7
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Carlton County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 7 active HPSA designations, more than 70% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 7
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Dental shortages
- 22
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 30%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Carlton 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.
-
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.
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Closing Carlton County's active designations would take about 7.1 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.8 primary care, 6 mental health, 0.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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42.9% of Carlton County's 7 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 7).
Carlton County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
15 Census ZCTAs intersect Carlton 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Carlton County carries 7 active designations, above 70% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Carlton County falls in the upper half of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 29 of 85. 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: 27017. Population: 36,207.
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 7 active (designated) HPSAs in Carlton County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Min-NO-Aya-Win HC | dental | 22.0 |
| Min-NO-Aya-Win HC | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Min-NO-Aya-Win HC | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI-Region 3 Arrowhead | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Minnesota Correctional Facility-Moose Lake | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Minnesota Correctional Facility-Moose Lake | mental_health | 6.0 |
| Minnesota Correctional Facility-Moose Lake | dental | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Carlton County
Peak severity leads this reading: Carlton County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Carlton County's deepest shortage reading, 22.0 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 17.0 of 25; Mental health reads 18.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 51.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Carlton County above 70% of real US counties (7 active designations: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 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.
Carlton County falls in the upper half of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 29 of 85. 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.
Carlton County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Carlton County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Carlton County's active designations: about 7.1 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 Carlton County, MN · 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
Carlton County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Carlton County's 7 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 MN before you draw conclusions from a single score. MN 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 Carlton County's 22.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Washington County, OR and Anchorage County, AK.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Carlton County's dental score of 22.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 22.0 (severity lead on this page is “MIN-NO-AYA-WIN HC”).
Washington County, OR
22.0 dental score · 600,372 pop.
Anchorage County, AK
22.0 dental score · 291,247 pop.
Kings County, CA
22.0 dental score · 152,486 pop.
Cattaraugus County, NY
22.0 dental score · 77,042 pop.
Knox County, OH
22.0 dental score · 62,721 pop.
Itasca County, MN
22.0 dental score · 45,014 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Carlton County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Carlton County carries an MUA designation (index 51.7; 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 Carlton County's peak score of 22.0?
- "MIN-NO-AYA-WIN HC" leads the active set (score 22.0; dental; 9,295 people in the service area; designated 07/20/2011). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 7 active rows: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Carlton County's severity reading?
- After "MIN-NO-AYA-WIN HC", the next active names on this release are "MIN-NO-AYA-WIN HC", "MIN-NO-AYA-WIN HC", "MIN-NO-AYA-WIN HC" and "LI-Region 3 Arrowhead". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~7.1 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Carlton County's high-severity geography?
- Carlton County's 7 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 "MIN-NO-AYA-WIN HC".
- How does Carlton County's peak severity sit inside MN?
- Carlton County holds 7 active HPSA rows with peak 22.0. Carlton County falls in the upper half of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 29 of 85. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Washington County, OR and Anchorage County, AK.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 27017. 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 27017 (Carlton County, MN), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 7; peak score 22.0; signature peak score 22.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.