MN · Healthcare shortage profile
Otter Tail County, MN
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Otter Tail County's active designations would take about 23 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 60,081.
- Active HPSAs
- 15
- Population
- 60,081
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 53.4
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Otter Tail County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 15 active HPSA designations, more than 91% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 15
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Mental-health shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 9%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Otter Tail 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 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.
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Closing Otter Tail County's active designations would take about 23 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 8.3 primary care, 9.7 mental health, 5.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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46.7% of Otter Tail County's 15 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 7 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 15).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Otter Tail County
Otter Tail County intersects 34 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
22 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.
Otter Tail County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
15 Top 9% higher than 91% 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. Otter Tail County falls in the upper quarter of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 9 of 85. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 27111. Population: 60,081.
Single high-priority discipline
Otter Tail County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 4 active mental health designations to Otter Tail County , with a peak score of 17.0. 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 mental health 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 15 active (designated) HPSAs in Otter Tail County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Tri County Health Care Henning Clinic | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Tri County Health Care Ottertail Clinic | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Sanford Health Pelican Rapids Clinic | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Region 4 SA | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Tri County Health Care Henning Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| Sanford Health Pelican Rapids Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| Tri County Health Care Ottertail Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| Elbow Lake/Dalton | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Pelican Rapids | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Otter Tail County | dental | 14.0 |
| Tri County Health Care Ottertail Clinic | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Tri County Health Care Henning Clinic | primary_care | 13.0 |
| West Central Otter Tail | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Sanford Health Pelican Rapids Clinic | primary_care | 13.0 |
| East Otter Tail | primary_care | 9.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Otter Tail County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Otter Tail County's active designations would take about 23 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Otter Tail County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 17.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 14.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 53.4, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Otter Tail County above 91% of real US counties (15 active designations: 7 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 17.0. 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.
Otter Tail County falls in the upper quarter of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 9 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 Otter Tail County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 23 FTE across Otter Tail County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Acting on Otter Tail County's high-priority mental health
Otter Tail County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Otter Tail County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of MN before drawing conclusions from a single score. MN 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 Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Otter Tail County's 17.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Thurston County, WA and Boone County, MO.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Otter Tail County's 15
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 15 - the inventory behind the ~23 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Otter Tail County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Otter Tail County carries an MUA designation (index 53.4; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Otter Tail County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~23 FTE, with mental health the largest slice (9.7). "TRI COUNTY HEALTH CARE HENNING CLINIC" is the highest-scored active row (score 17.0; mental health; 34,947 people in the service area; designated 10/11/2013). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Otter Tail County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "TRI COUNTY HEALTH CARE HENNING CLINIC", "TRI COUNTY HEALTH CARE OTTERTAIL CLINIC", "SANFORD HEALTH PELICAN RAPIDS CLINIC" and "Region 4 SA". Discipline counts: 7 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental across 15 designated rows.
- Do Otter Tail County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
- Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
- How does Otter Tail County's FTE burden compare inside MN?
- 15 active designations and ~23 FTE published need. Otter Tail County falls in the upper quarter of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 9 of 85. Score-nearest counties on this release include Thurston County, WA and Boone County, MO.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 27111. 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 27111 (Otter Tail County, MN), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 15; peak score 17.0; signature 23 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.