SD · Healthcare shortage profile
Bennett County, SD
Peak severity leads this reading: Bennett County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 3,381.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 3,381
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- 40.7
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bennett 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
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Bennett County, SD 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 23.0 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 Bennett County's active designations would take about 12 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.1 primary care, 10 mental health, 0.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Bennett 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).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Bennett County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Bennett County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
2 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.
Bennett 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. Bennett County falls in the upper quarter of SD counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 66. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 46007. Population: 3,381.
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 Bennett County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lacreek District Clinic | mental_health | 23.0 |
| Bennett County Rural Health Clinic | dental | 23.0 |
| LI - Bennett County | dental | 22.0 |
| Bennett County Rural Health Clinic | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Lacreek District Clinic | dental | 21.0 |
| Bennett County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Lacreek District Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Behavior Management Systems Mhca | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Bennett County Rural Health Clinic | primary_care | 16.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Bennett County
Peak severity leads this reading: Bennett County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Bennett County's shortage runs equally deep in mental health and dental care: both scored 23.0 by HRSA, 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. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 40.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Bennett 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 23.0. 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.
Bennett County falls in the upper quarter of SD counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 66. 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 Bennett County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Bennett County's active designations: about 12 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 Bennett County, SD · 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
Bennett County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Bennett 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 SD before you draw conclusions from a single score. SD 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 Bennett County's 23.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Wood County, WI and Santa Clara County, CA.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Bennett County's mental score of 23.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 23.0 (severity lead on this page is “LACREEK DISTRICT CLINIC”).
Wood County, WI
23.0 mental score · 74,207 pop.
Santa Clara County, CA
23.0 mental score · 1,936,259 pop.
Hamilton County, OH
23.0 mental score · 830,639 pop.
Mobile County, AL
23.0 mental score · 414,809 pop.
Yakima County, WA
23.0 mental score · 256,728 pop.
Porter County, IN
23.0 mental score · 173,215 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Bennett County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Bennett County carries an MUA designation (index 40.7; 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 Bennett County's peak score of 23.0?
- "LACREEK DISTRICT CLINIC" leads the active set (score 23.0; mental health; 26,430 people in the service area; designated 08/18/2019). 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 Bennett County's severity reading?
- After "LACREEK DISTRICT CLINIC", the next active names on this release are "LACREEK DISTRICT CLINIC", "BENNETT COUNTY RURAL HEALTH CLINIC", "LI - Bennett County" and "BENNETT COUNTY RURAL HEALTH CLINIC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~12 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Bennett County's high-severity geography?
- Bennett 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 "LACREEK DISTRICT CLINIC".
- How does Bennett County's peak severity sit inside SD?
- Bennett County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 23.0. Bennett County falls in the upper quarter of SD counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 66. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Wood County, WI and Santa Clara County, CA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 46007. 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 46007 (Bennett County, SD), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 23.0; signature peak score 23.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.