WI · Healthcare shortage profile
Monroe County, WI
Peak severity leads this reading: Monroe County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 46,274.
- Active HPSAs
- 11
- Population
- 46,274
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- 61.1
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Monroe County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 11 active HPSA designations, more than 84% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 11
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Dental shortages
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 16%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Monroe 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 24.0 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 Monroe County's active designations would take about 3.4 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.5 primary care, 1.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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36.4% of Monroe County's 11 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 3 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 11).
Monroe County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 Census ZCTAs intersect Monroe 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
4 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
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Monroe County carries 11 active designations, above 84% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Monroe County falls in the upper quarter of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 71. 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: 55081. Population: 46,274.
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 11 active (designated) HPSAs in Monroe County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Scenic Bluffs Health Center Inc | dental | 24.0 |
| Scenic Bluffs Health Center Inc | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Tomah Health Location | dental | 20.0 |
| Tomah Health Office | dental | 19.0 |
| Tomah Health Office | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Scenic Bluffs Health Center Inc | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Tomah Health Location | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Tomah Health Location | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Tomah Health Office | mental_health | 13.0 |
| LI - Monroe County | dental | 12.0 |
| LI-Monroe County | primary_care | 11.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Monroe County
Peak severity leads this reading: Monroe County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Monroe County's deepest shortage reading, 24.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 17.0 of 25; Mental health reads 22.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Monroe County above 84% of real US counties (11 active designations: 4 primary care, 3 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 24.0. 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.
Monroe County falls in the upper quarter of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 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.
Monroe County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
4 designations
- Dental
Dental
4 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Monroe County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Monroe County's active designations: about 3.4 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Monroe 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
Monroe County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Monroe County's 11 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 primary care 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 Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Monroe County's 24.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with St. Landry County, LA and Cabo Rojo County, PR.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Monroe County's dental score of 24.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 24.0 (severity lead on this page is “SCENIC BLUFFS HEALTH CENTER INC”).
St. Landry County, LA
24.0 dental score · 82,540 pop.
Cabo Rojo County, PR
24.0 dental score · 47,158 pop.
Yauco County, PR
24.0 dental score · 34,172 pop.
Crook County, OR
24.0 dental score · 24,738 pop.
Lee County, VA
24.0 dental score · 22,173 pop.
Lane County, OR
24.0 dental score · 382,971 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Monroe County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Monroe County carries an MUA designation (index 61.1; 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 Monroe County's peak score of 24.0?
- "SCENIC BLUFFS HEALTH CENTER INC" leads the active set (score 24.0; dental; 36,259 people in the service area; designated 01/20/2004). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 11 active rows: 4 primary care, 3 mental health, 4 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Monroe County's severity reading?
- After "SCENIC BLUFFS HEALTH CENTER INC", the next active names on this release are "SCENIC BLUFFS HEALTH CENTER INC", "SCENIC BLUFFS HEALTH CENTER INC", "Tomah Health Location" and "Tomah Health Office". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Monroe County's high-severity geography?
- Monroe County's 11 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 "SCENIC BLUFFS HEALTH CENTER INC".
- How does Monroe County's peak severity sit inside WI?
- Monroe County holds 11 active HPSA rows with peak 24.0. Monroe County falls in the upper quarter of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 71. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include St. Landry County, LA and Cabo Rojo County, PR.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 55081. 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 55081 (Monroe County, WI), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 11; peak score 24.0; signature peak score 24.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.