WI · Healthcare shortage profile
Ashland County, WI
Peak severity leads this reading: Ashland County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 16,027.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 16,027
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- -
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Ashland County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 5
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Mental-health shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Ashland 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 17.0 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.
-
Closing Ashland County's active designations would take about 5.8 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, 0.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
40% of Ashland County's 5 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 5).
Ashland County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 Census ZCTAs intersect Ashland 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
3 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.
Ashland County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
5 Top 53% higher than 47% 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. Ashland County falls in the lower half of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 38 of 71. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 55003. Population: 16,027.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Ashland County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Ashland County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bad River Health Services | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Ashland/Bayfield/Douglas/Iron/Sawyer/Washburn Counties | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Bad River Health Services | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Bad River Health Services | dental | 15.0 |
| LI - Ashland County | dental | 11.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Ashland County
Peak severity leads this reading: Ashland County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Ashland County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health: both scored 17.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Ashland County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Ashland County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (1/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Ashland County falls in the lower half of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 38 of 71. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Ashland 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
2 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
1 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Ashland County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Ashland County's active designations: about 5.8 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 Ashland 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 Ashland County's designations
Ashland County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Ashland County's 5 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.
Nearby mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Ashland County's 17.0. Open Kendall County, IL or Matanuska-Susitna County, AK next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Ashland County's mental score of 17.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 17.0 (severity lead on this page is “BAD RIVER HEALTH SERVICES”).
Kendall County, IL
17.0 mental score · 131,869 pop.
Matanuska-Susitna County, AK
17.0 mental score · 107,081 pop.
Sevier County, TN
17.0 mental score · 98,380 pop.
Benton County, OR
17.0 mental score · 95,184 pop.
Lake County, FL
17.0 mental score · 383,956 pop.
Frederick County, MD
17.0 mental score · 271,717 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Ashland County's peak score of 17.0?
- "BAD RIVER HEALTH SERVICES" leads the active set (score 17.0; primary care; 2,867 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 5 active rows: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Why is Ashland County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Ashland County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which other active designations sit under Ashland County's severity reading?
- After "BAD RIVER HEALTH SERVICES", the next active names on this release are "BAD RIVER HEALTH SERVICES", "Ashland/Bayfield/Douglas/Iron/Sawyer/Washburn Counties", "BAD RIVER HEALTH SERVICES" and "BAD RIVER HEALTH SERVICES". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~5.8 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Ashland County's high-severity geography?
- Ashland County's 5 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 "BAD RIVER HEALTH SERVICES".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 55003. 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 55003 (Ashland County, WI), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 17.0; signature peak score 17.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.