Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

ND · Healthcare shortage profile

Emmons County, ND

Peak severity leads this reading: Emmons County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 3,301.

Active HPSAs
6
Population
3,301
Peak shortage score
15.0
MUA Index
49.8

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Emmons 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
Primary-care shortages
15
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 46%
US counties by volume

Few Census ZCTAs touch Emmons County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Emmons County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

3 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.

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Emmons County, ND 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 Emmons County's active designations would take about 4 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.3 primary care, 3 mental health, 0.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 33.3% of Emmons 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 15.0 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, Emmons 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. Emmons County falls in the upper quarter of ND counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 of 53. 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: 38029. Population: 3,301.

Below high-priority line

Emmons 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 15.0. 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: 49.8

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 15.0
Mental Health 12.0
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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Emmons County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Linton Medical Center primary_care 15.0
Linton Medical Center dental 15.0
Emmons County dental 15.0
Linton Medical Center mental_health 12.0
Region VII West Central Human Service Center mental_health 11.0
LI Emmons County primary_care 10.0

Moderate-burden reading for Emmons County

Peak severity leads this reading: Emmons County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Emmons County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and dental care: both scored 15.0 by HRSA, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Mental health reads 12.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 49.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Emmons 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.

Emmons County falls in the upper quarter of ND counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 of 53. 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 Emmons County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Emmons County's active designations: about 4 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Counties near Emmons County's primary score of 15.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 15.0 (severity lead on this page is “LINTON MEDICAL CENTER”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Emmons County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Emmons County carries an MUA designation (index 49.8; 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 Emmons County's peak score of 15.0?
"LINTON MEDICAL CENTER" leads the active set (score 15.0; primary care; 3,388 people in the service area; designated 12/22/2020). 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 Emmons County's severity reading?
After "LINTON MEDICAL CENTER", the next active names on this release are "LINTON MEDICAL CENTER", "LINTON MEDICAL CENTER", "Emmons County" and "LINTON MEDICAL CENTER". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Emmons County's high-severity geography?
Emmons 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 "LINTON MEDICAL CENTER".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 38029. 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 38029 (Emmons County, ND), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 15.0; signature peak score 15.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.