WI · Healthcare shortage profile
Bayfield County, WI
Peak severity leads this reading: Bayfield County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 16,220.
- Active HPSAs
- 7
- Population
- 16,220
- Peak shortage score
- 22.0
- MUA Index
- 49.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bayfield 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
- 3
- Mental-health shortages
- 22
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 30%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Bayfield County, WI 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 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 Bayfield County's active designations would take about 5.4 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 5.4 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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42.9% of Bayfield 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).
Bayfield County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
15 Census ZCTAs intersect Bayfield 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.
Bayfield County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
7 Top 30% higher than 70% 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. Bayfield County falls in the upper half of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 28 of 71. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 55007. Population: 16,220.
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 Bayfield County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lakes Community Health Center, Inc The | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Lakes Community Health Center, Inc The | dental | 20.0 |
| Red Cliff Health Center | dental | 20.0 |
| Ashland/Bayfield/Douglas/Iron/Sawyer/Washburn Counties | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Lakes Community Health Center, Inc The | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Red Cliff Health Center | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Red Cliff Health Center | mental_health | 13.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Bayfield County
Peak severity leads this reading: Bayfield County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Bayfield County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 22.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 16.0 of 25; Dental care reads 20.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 49.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Bayfield 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.
Bayfield County falls in the upper half of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 28 of 71. 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.
Bayfield 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
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Bayfield County, WI · 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
Bayfield County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Bayfield 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 WI before you draw conclusions from a single score. WI 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 Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Bayfield County's 22.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Palm Beach County, FL and Duval County, FL.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Bayfield County's mental score of 22.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 22.0 (severity lead on this page is “LAKES COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC THE”).
Palm Beach County, FL
22.0 mental score · 1,492,191 pop.
Duval County, FL
22.0 mental score · 995,567 pop.
San Joaquin County, CA
22.0 mental score · 779,233 pop.
Baltimore City County, MD
22.0 mental score · 585,708 pop.
Naugatuck Valley County, CT
22.0 mental score · 451,887 pop.
Lubbock County, TX
22.0 mental score · 310,639 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Bayfield County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Bayfield County carries an MUA designation (index 49.0; 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 Bayfield County's peak score of 22.0?
- "LAKES COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC THE" leads the active set (score 22.0; mental health; 44,678 people in the service area; designated 01/09/2007). 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 Bayfield County's severity reading?
- After "LAKES COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC THE", the next active names on this release are "LAKES COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC THE", "LAKES COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC THE", "RED CLIFF HEALTH CENTER" and "Ashland/Bayfield/Douglas/Iron/Sawyer/Washburn Counties". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~5.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Bayfield County's high-severity geography?
- Bayfield 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 "LAKES COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC THE".
- How does Bayfield County's peak severity sit inside WI?
- Bayfield County holds 7 active HPSA rows with peak 22.0. Bayfield County falls in the upper half of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 28 of 71. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Palm Beach County, FL and Duval County, FL.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 55007. 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 55007 (Bayfield County, WI), 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.