WI · Healthcare shortage profile
Marathon County, WI
Peak severity leads this reading: Marathon County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 138,013.
- Active HPSAs
- 10
- Population
- 138,013
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 60.6
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Marathon County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 10 active HPSA designations, more than 83% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 10
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 17%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Marathon County
Marathon County intersects 29 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
17 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 Marathon 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 21.0 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 Marathon County's active designations would take about 4.6 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 4.6 primary care. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Marathon County's 10 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 10).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Marathon County carries 10 active designations, above 83% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Marathon County falls in the upper quarter of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 13 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: 55073. Population: 138,013.
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 10 active (designated) HPSAs in Marathon County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Connection Healthcare, Inc | dental | 21.0 |
| Primary Connection Healthcare, Inc | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Primary Connection Healthcare, Inc | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Marshfield Clinic Colby Abbotsford Center | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Marshfield Clinic Stratford Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI - City of Wausau | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Marshfield Clinic Colby Abbotsford Center | dental | 13.0 |
| Marshfield Clinic Colby Abbotsford Center | primary_care | 11.0 |
| Marshfield Clinic Stratford Center | primary_care | 11.0 |
| Marshfield Clinic Stratford Center | dental | 11.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Marathon County
Peak severity leads this reading: Marathon County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Marathon County's deepest shortage reading, 21.0 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 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 20.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Marathon County above 83% of real US counties (10 active designations: 4 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 21.0. 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.
Marathon County falls in the upper quarter of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 13 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.
Marathon 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
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 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 Marathon 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
Marathon County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Marathon County's 10 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 Marathon County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Ventura County, CA and Monterey County, CA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Marathon County's dental score of 21.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “PRIMARY CONNECTION HEALTHCARE, INC”).
Ventura County, CA
21.0 dental score · 843,843 pop.
Monterey County, CA
21.0 dental score · 439,035 pop.
Lorain County, OH
21.0 dental score · 312,964 pop.
Delaware County, IN
21.0 dental score · 111,903 pop.
Craven County, NC
21.0 dental score · 100,720 pop.
La Plata County, CO
21.0 dental score · 55,638 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Marathon County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Marathon County carries an MUA designation (index 60.6; 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 Marathon County's peak score of 21.0?
- "PRIMARY CONNECTION HEALTHCARE, INC" leads the active set (score 21.0; dental; 30,028 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 10 active rows: 4 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Marathon County's severity reading?
- After "PRIMARY CONNECTION HEALTHCARE, INC", the next active names on this release are "PRIMARY CONNECTION HEALTHCARE, INC", "PRIMARY CONNECTION HEALTHCARE, INC", "PRIMARY CONNECTION HEALTHCARE, INC" and "MARSHFIELD CLINIC COLBY ABBOTSFORD CENTER". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4.6 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Marathon County's high-severity geography?
- Marathon County's 10 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 "PRIMARY CONNECTION HEALTHCARE, INC".
- How does Marathon County's peak severity sit inside WI?
- Marathon County holds 10 active HPSA rows with peak 21.0. Marathon County falls in the upper quarter of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 13 of 71. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Ventura County, CA and Monterey County, CA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 55073. 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 55073 (Marathon County, WI), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 10; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.