ME · Healthcare shortage profile
Somerset County, ME
MUA standing opens this profile: Somerset County sits inside a Medically Underserved Area indexed at 0.0 (lower index = greater measured need). Population 50,477.
- Active HPSAs
- 17
- Population
- 50,477
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- 0.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Somerset County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 17 active HPSA designations, more than 93% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 17
- Active HPSA designations
- 7
- Dental shortages
- 18
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 7%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Somerset County, ME 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 18.0 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 Somerset County's active designations would take about 19 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 7.4 primary care, 1.2 mental health, 10 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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41.2% of Somerset County's 17 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 7 primary care, 3 mental health, 7 dental (denominator 17).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Somerset County
Somerset County intersects 26 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.
Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county
14 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.
Somerset County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
17 Top 7% higher than 93% 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. Somerset County falls in the upper half of ME counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 16. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 23025. Population: 50,477.
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 17 active (designated) HPSAs in Somerset County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-Somerset County | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI-Skowhegan SA | dental | 18.0 |
| LI-Dover Foxcroft SA | dental | 18.0 |
| Northern Light Health Center Pittsfield | mental_health | 16.0 |
| New Horizons Healthcare | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Jackman-Bingham SA | dental | 16.0 |
| LI-Newport | dental | 16.0 |
| New Horizons Healthcare | dental | 15.0 |
| Northern Light Health Center Pittsfield | dental | 15.0 |
| LI-Waterville SA | primary_care | 14.0 |
| LI-Jackman-Bingham SA | primary_care | 14.0 |
| LI-Newport SA | primary_care | 14.0 |
| LI-Skowhegan SA | primary_care | 13.0 |
| New Horizons Healthcare | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Dover Foxcroft SA | primary_care | 11.0 |
| LI-Waterville | dental | 10.0 |
| Northern Light Health Center Pittsfield | primary_care | 8.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Somerset County
MUA standing opens this profile: Somerset County sits inside a Medically Underserved Area indexed at 0.0 (lower index = greater measured need). Somerset County's shortage runs equally deep in mental health and dental care: both scored 18.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 14.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 0.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Somerset County above 93% of real US counties (17 active designations: 7 primary care, 3 mental health, 7 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 18.0. 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.
Somerset County falls in the upper half of ME counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 16. 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.
Somerset County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Dental
Dental
7 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Somerset County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Somerset County's active designations: about 19 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 Somerset County, ME · 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
Somerset County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Somerset County's 17 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 ME before you draw conclusions from a single score. ME 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 Somerset County's 18.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with St. Francois County, MO and Cherokee County, SC.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Score neighbours for Somerset County's MUA-led profile
One peer set beside the MUA standing: nearest primary-care HPSA score (14.0 here).
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Somerset County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Somerset County carries an MUA designation (index 0.0; 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 Somerset County's HPSA rows sit beside the MUA?
- 17 active HPSA designations (7 primary care / 3 mental health / 7 dental); highest-scored active name is "LI-Somerset County" (score 18.0; mental health; 2,066 people in the service area; ~1.2 FTE still needed on the record; designated 04/01/2026). MUA and HPSA are separate tracks, one does not substitute for the other.
- What does the 18.0 HPSA score mean next to the MUA?
- 18.0 clears the 17-point high-priority HPSA line. MUA index 0.0 remains a separate need measure.
- Which programs can Somerset County's dual standing open?
- Active HPSA geography can open NHSC/CHC/Medicare-bonus/J-1 routes by provider type; MUA standing can open additional underserved-area pathways. Eligibility is record-specific, read the designated area, not the county boundary alone.
- How does Somerset County compare across ME?
- 17 active HPSA rows, peak 18.0. Somerset County falls in the upper half of ME counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 16. Score-nearest counties on this release include St. Francois County, MO and Cherokee County, SC.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 23025. 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 23025 (Somerset County, ME), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 17; peak score 18.0; signature MUA index 0.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.