ND · Healthcare shortage profile
Morton County, ND
MUA standing opens this profile: Morton County sits inside a Medically Underserved Area indexed at 47.8 (lower index = greater measured need). Population 33,291.
- Active HPSAs
- 1
- Population
- 33,291
- Peak shortage score
- 11.0
- MUA Index
- 47.8
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Morton County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 1 active HPSA designation, more than 2% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 1
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 11
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 98%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Morton County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Morton 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 Morton 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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Closing Morton County's active designations would take about 3 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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100% of Morton County's 1 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 1).
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Peak HPSA score 11.0 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, Morton County carries 1 active designation, above 2% 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. Morton County falls in the lower half of ND counties by active-designation volume, at rank 46 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: 38059. Population: 33,291.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only · mental health only on this FIPS. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 1 active (designated) HPSAs in Morton County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Region VII West Central Human Service Center | mental_health | 11.0 |
Light-burden reading for Morton County
MUA standing opens this profile: Morton County sits inside a Medically Underserved Area indexed at 47.8 (lower index = greater measured need). Morton County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 11.0 of 25, 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 47.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Morton County carries 1 active designation and sits below the national mid-pack (above 2% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.
Morton County falls in the lower half of ND counties by active-designation volume, at rank 46 of 53. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Score neighbours for Morton County's MUA-led profile
One peer set beside the MUA standing: nearest primary-care HPSA score.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Morton County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Morton County carries an MUA designation (index 47.8; 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 Morton County's HPSA rows sit beside the MUA?
- 1 active HPSA designation (0 primary care / 1 mental health / 0 dental); highest-scored active name is "Region VII West Central Human Service Center" (score 11.0; mental health; 150,750 people in the service area; ~3 FTE still needed on the record; designated 09/04/2025). MUA and HPSA are separate tracks, one does not substitute for the other.
- What does the 11.0 HPSA score mean next to the MUA?
- 11.0 sits below the 17-point high-priority HPSA line. MUA index 47.8 remains a separate need measure.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 38059. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — 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 38059 (Morton County, ND), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 1; peak score 11.0; signature MUA index 47.8. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.