ND · Healthcare shortage profile
Mercer County, ND
Peak severity leads this reading: Mercer County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 8,350.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 8,350
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 58.7
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Mercer County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 5
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Primary-care shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Mercer 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.
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Peak HPSA score 17.0 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 Mercer County's active designations would take about 4.5 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.5 primary care, 3 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Mercer County's 5 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 5).
Mercer County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
10 Census ZCTAs intersect Mercer 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
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.
Mercer County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
5 Top 53% higher than 47% 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. Mercer County falls in the upper half of ND counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 53. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 38057. Population: 8,350.
Single high-priority discipline
Mercer County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is primary care
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active primary care designations to Mercer County , with a peak score of 17.0. 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 primary care 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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Mercer County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Mha Nation | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Coal Country Community Health Center | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Coal Country Community Health Center | dental | 13.0 |
| Coal Country Community Health Center | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Region VII West Central Human Service Center | mental_health | 11.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Mercer County
Peak severity leads this reading: Mercer County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Mercer County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 17.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 12.0 of 25; Dental care reads 13.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Mercer County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Mercer County falls in the upper half of ND counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 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 Mercer County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Mercer County's active designations: about 4.5 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Acting on Mercer County's high-priority primary care
Mercer County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Mercer County's high-priority primary care designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's primary care burden compares with the rest of ND before drawing conclusions from a single score. ND 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 primary-care score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Mercer County's 17.0. Open Bell County, TX or Dauphin County, PA next.
Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Mercer County's primary score of 17.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 17.0 (severity lead on this page is “MHA Nation”).
Bell County, TX
17.0 primary score · 370,647 pop.
Dauphin County, PA
17.0 primary score · 286,401 pop.
Butte County, CA
17.0 primary score · 211,632 pop.
Kootenai County, ID
17.0 primary score · 171,362 pop.
Johnson County, IA
17.0 primary score · 152,854 pop.
Middlesex County, MA
17.0 primary score · 1,632,002 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Mercer County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Mercer County carries an MUA designation (index 58.7; 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 Mercer County's peak score of 17.0?
- "MHA Nation" leads the active set (score 17.0; primary care; 4,444 people in the service area; ~1.5 FTE still needed on the record; designated 02/20/2026). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 5 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Mercer County's severity reading?
- After "MHA Nation", the next active names on this release are "MHA Nation", "Coal Country Community Health Center", "Coal Country Community Health Center" and "Coal Country Community Health Center". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4.5 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Mercer County's high-severity geography?
- Mercer County's 5 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 "MHA Nation".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 38057. 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 38057 (Mercer County, ND), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 17.0; signature peak score 17.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.