MN · Healthcare shortage profile
Pine County, MN
Peak severity leads this reading: Pine County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 28,876.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 28,876
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 60.8
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Pine County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Mental-health shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Pine County
Pine County intersects 16 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
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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Pine County, MN 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 Pine County's active designations would take about 17 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 7 primary care, 7.9 mental health, 2.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Pine County's 9 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
Pine County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
9 Top 25% higher than 75% 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. Pine County falls in the upper quarter of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 85. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 27115. Population: 28,876.
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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Pine County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Fci - Sandstone | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Aazhoomog Lake Lena Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Aazhoomog Lake Lena Clinic | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Pine County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Region 7E SA | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Aazhoomog Lake Lena Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Fci - Sandstone | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Fci - Sandstone | dental | 12.0 |
| Pine County | dental | 10.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Pine County
Peak severity leads this reading: Pine County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Pine County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 21.0 of 25, 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; Dental care reads 20.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Pine County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 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.
Pine County falls in the upper quarter of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 85. 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 Pine County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Pine County's active designations: about 17 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 Pine County, MN · 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
Pine County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Pine County's 9 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 MN before you draw conclusions from a single score. MN 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 Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Pine County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Winnebago County, IL and King County, WA.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Pine County's mental score of 21.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “FCI - Sandstone”).
Winnebago County, IL
21.0 mental score · 285,350 pop.
King County, WA
21.0 mental score · 2,269,675 pop.
Westchester County, NY
21.0 mental score · 1,004,457 pop.
Lake County, IL
21.0 mental score · 714,342 pop.
Guilford County, NC
21.0 mental score · 541,299 pop.
Jefferson County, LA
21.0 mental score · 440,781 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Pine County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Pine County carries an MUA designation (index 60.8; 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 Pine County's peak score of 21.0?
- "FCI - Sandstone" leads the active set (score 21.0; mental health; 1,498 people in the service area; ~0.8 FTE still needed on the record; designated 01/19/2022). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 9 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Pine County's severity reading?
- After "FCI - Sandstone", the next active names on this release are "FCI - Sandstone", "Aazhoomog Lake Lena Clinic", "Aazhoomog Lake Lena Clinic" and "Pine County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~17 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Pine County's high-severity geography?
- Pine County's 9 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 "FCI - Sandstone".
- How does Pine County's peak severity sit inside MN?
- Pine County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 21.0. Pine County falls in the upper quarter of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 85. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Winnebago County, IL and King County, WA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 27115. 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 27115 (Pine County, MN), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.