Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

MN · Healthcare shortage profile

Mower County, MN

Peak severity leads this reading: Mower County's highest active HPSA score is 14.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 40,029.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
40,029
Peak shortage score
14.0
MUA Index
58.1

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Mower County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

3
Active HPSA designations
2
Primary-care shortages
14
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 80%
US counties by volume

Dense ZCTA lattice over Mower County

Mower County intersects 19 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

7 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 Mower 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.

  1. Closing Mower County's active designations would take about 6.3 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.4 primary care, 3.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 66.7% of Mower County's 3 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 0 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 3).

  3. Peak HPSA score 14.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.

    Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.

Corpus placement

Designated volume without a high-priority score

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Mower County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.

State peer position. Mower County falls in the lower half of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 55 of 85. 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: 27099. Population: 40,029.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 58.1

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 14.0
Dental 13.0

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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Mower County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Southeast Mower County primary_care 14.0
ME-Mower County dental 13.0
West Mower County primary_care 8.0

Light-burden reading for Mower County

Peak severity leads this reading: Mower County's highest active HPSA score is 14.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Mower County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 14.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Dental care reads 13.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Mower County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.

Mower County falls in the lower half of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 55 of 85. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.

Light-volume FTE gap for Mower County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Mower County's active designations: about 6.3 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Counties near Mower County's primary score of 14.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 14.0 (severity lead on this page is “Southeast Mower County”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Mower County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Mower County carries an MUA designation (index 58.1; 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 Mower County's peak score of 14.0?
"Southeast Mower County" leads the active set (score 14.0; primary care; 5,524 people in the service area; ~1.6 FTE still needed on the record; designated 02/13/2025). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 2 primary care, 0 mental health, 1 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Mower County's severity reading?
After "Southeast Mower County", the next active names on this release are "Southeast Mower County", "ME-Mower County" and "West Mower County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~6.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 27099. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) 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 27099 (Mower County, MN), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 14.0; signature peak score 14.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.