WI · Healthcare shortage profile
Vilas County, WI
Peak severity leads this reading: Vilas County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 23,047.
- Active HPSAs
- 8
- Population
- 23,047
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- 61.1
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Vilas County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 8 active HPSA designations, more than 73% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 8
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Primary-care shortages
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 27%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Vilas 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 19.0 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 Vilas County's active designations would take about 4.7 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.2 primary care, 1.5 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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37.5% of Vilas County's 8 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 8).
Vilas County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
13 Census ZCTAs intersect Vilas 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
5 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.
Vilas County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
8 Top 27% higher than 73% 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. Vilas County falls in the upper half of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 21 of 71. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 55125. Population: 23,047.
Single high-priority discipline
Vilas County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is primary care
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 3 active primary care designations to Vilas County , with a peak score of 19.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the primary care records.
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 8 active (designated) HPSAs in Vilas County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Christensen Health Center | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Vilas County | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Marshfield Clinic Eagle River Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Peter Christensen Health Center | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Marshfield Clinic Eagle River Center | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Peter Christensen Health Center | dental | 14.0 |
| Vilas County | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Marshfield Clinic Eagle River Center | dental | 11.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Vilas County
Peak severity leads this reading: Vilas County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Vilas County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 19.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 16.0 of 25; Dental care reads 14.0 of 26. 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 Vilas County above 73% of real US counties (8 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 19.0. 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.
Vilas County falls in the upper half of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 21 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.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Vilas County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Vilas County's active designations: about 4.7 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Acting on Vilas County's high-priority primary care
Vilas County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Vilas County's high-priority primary care designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's primary care burden compares with the rest of WI before drawing conclusions from a single score. WI overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 Primary Care Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA primary-care HPSA score is closest to Vilas County's 19.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Kane County, IL and Solano County, CA.
Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Vilas County's primary score of 19.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 19.0 (severity lead on this page is “Peter Christensen Health Center”).
Kane County, IL
19.0 primary score · 516,522 pop.
Solano County, CA
19.0 primary score · 453,491 pop.
Cumberland County, NC
19.0 primary score · 334,728 pop.
Queens County, NY
19.0 primary score · 2,405,464 pop.
Oakland County, MI
19.0 primary score · 1,274,395 pop.
Suffolk County, MA
19.0 primary score · 797,936 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Vilas County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Vilas 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 Vilas County's peak score of 19.0?
- "Peter Christensen Health Center" leads the active set (score 19.0; primary care; 2,510 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 8 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Vilas County's severity reading?
- After "Peter Christensen Health Center", the next active names on this release are "Peter Christensen Health Center", "Vilas County", "MARSHFIELD CLINIC EAGLE RIVER CENTER" and "Peter Christensen Health Center". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4.7 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Vilas County's high-severity geography?
- Vilas County's 8 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 "Peter Christensen Health Center".
- How does Vilas County's peak severity sit inside WI?
- Vilas County holds 8 active HPSA rows with peak 19.0. Vilas County falls in the upper half of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 21 of 71. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Kane County, IL and Solano County, CA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 55125. 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 55125 (Vilas County, WI), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 8; peak score 19.0; signature peak score 19.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.