MN · Healthcare shortage profile
Waseca County, MN
MUA standing opens this profile: Waseca County sits inside a Medically Underserved Area indexed at 0.0 (lower index = greater measured need). Population 18,968.
- Active HPSAs
- 4
- Population
- 18,968
- Peak shortage score
- 12.0
- MUA Index
- 0.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Waseca County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 4 active HPSA designations, more than 44% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 4
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Primary-care shortages
- 12
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 56%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Waseca 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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Closing Waseca County's active designations would take about 4.8 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.7 primary care, 0.5 mental health, 0.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Waseca County's 4 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 4).
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Peak HPSA score 12.0 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.
Waseca County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
13 Census ZCTAs intersect Waseca 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
5 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, Waseca County carries 4 active designations, above 44% 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. Waseca County falls in the lower half of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 46 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: 27161. Population: 18,968.
Below high-priority line
Waseca County is designated, but no active score clears 17
4 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental), and the peak severity is 12.0. 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
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 4 active (designated) HPSAs in Waseca County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Fci - Waseca | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Waseca County | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Fci - Waseca | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Fci - Waseca | dental | 12.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Waseca County
MUA standing opens this profile: Waseca County sits inside a Medically Underserved Area indexed at 0.0 (lower index = greater measured need). Waseca County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health and dental care: both scored 12.0 by HRSA, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 0.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Waseca County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 44% of counties) with 4 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/1/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Waseca County falls in the lower half of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 46 of 85. 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 Waseca County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Waseca County's active designations: about 4.8 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Score neighbours for Waseca County's MUA-led profile
One peer set beside the MUA standing: nearest primary-care HPSA score (12.0 here).
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Waseca County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Waseca County carries an MUA designation (index 0.0; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- How do Waseca County's HPSA rows sit beside the MUA?
- 4 active HPSA designations (2 primary care / 1 mental health / 1 dental); highest-scored active name is "FCI - Waseca" (score 12.0; primary care; 740 people in the service area; ~0.7 FTE still needed on the record; designated 07/25/2002). MUA and HPSA are separate tracks, one does not substitute for the other.
- What does the 12.0 HPSA score mean next to the MUA?
- 12.0 sits below the 17-point high-priority HPSA line. MUA index 0.0 remains a separate need measure.
- Which programs can Waseca County's dual standing open?
- Active HPSA geography can open NHSC/CHC/Medicare-bonus/J-1 routes by provider type; MUA standing can open additional underserved-area pathways. Eligibility is record-specific, read the designated area, not the county boundary alone.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 27161. 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 27161 (Waseca County, MN), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 4; peak score 12.0; signature MUA index 0.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.