MN · Healthcare shortage profile
Blue Earth County, MN
Peak severity leads this reading: Blue Earth County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 69,112.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 69,112
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- MUA
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Blue Earth County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Blue Earth County
Blue Earth County intersects 20 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
8 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 Blue Earth 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 25.0 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 Blue Earth County's active designations would take about 19 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 4.5 primary care, 11 mental health, 3.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Blue Earth County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Blue Earth County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Blue Earth County falls in the upper half of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 33 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: 27013. Population: 69,112.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA 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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Blue Earth County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Open Door Health Center | dental | 25.0 |
| Open Door Health Center | mental_health | 23.0 |
| Open Door Health Center | primary_care | 18.0 |
| South Central Region | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI-Blue Earth County | dental | 17.0 |
| LI - Blue Earth County | primary_care | 15.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Blue Earth County
Peak severity leads this reading: Blue Earth County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Blue Earth County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 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 18.0 of 25; Mental health reads 23.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, a separate HRSA designation from the HPSA records above.
Blue Earth County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Blue Earth County falls in the upper half of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 33 of 85. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Blue Earth 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
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Blue Earth County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Blue Earth County's active designations: about 19 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 Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth County's designations
Blue Earth County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Blue Earth County's 6 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.
Nearby dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Blue Earth County's 25.0. Open Wayne County, MI or Travis County, TX next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Blue Earth County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “OPEN DOOR HEALTH CENTER”).
Wayne County, MI
25.0 dental score · 1,793,561 pop.
Travis County, TX
25.0 dental score · 1,290,188 pop.
Wake County, NC
25.0 dental score · 1,129,410 pop.
Capitol County, CT
25.0 dental score · 977,165 pop.
Macomb County, MI
25.0 dental score · 881,217 pop.
San Diego County, CA
25.0 dental score · 3,298,634 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Blue Earth County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Blue Earth County carries an MUA designation in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Which record sets Blue Earth County's peak score of 25.0?
- "OPEN DOOR HEALTH CENTER" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 64,812 people in the service area; designated 04/30/2007). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Blue Earth County's severity reading?
- After "OPEN DOOR HEALTH CENTER", the next active names on this release are "OPEN DOOR HEALTH CENTER", "OPEN DOOR HEALTH CENTER", "OPEN DOOR HEALTH CENTER" and "South Central Region". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~19 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Blue Earth County's high-severity geography?
- Blue Earth County's 6 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 "OPEN DOOR HEALTH CENTER".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 27013. 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 27013 (Blue Earth County, MN), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.