MT · Healthcare shortage profile
Flathead County, MT
Peak severity leads this reading: Flathead County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 104,357.
- Active HPSAs
- 8
- Population
- 104,357
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 59.2
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Flathead County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 8 active HPSA designations, more than 73% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 8
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Dental shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 27%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Flathead County
Flathead 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 Flathead County, MT 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.
-
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 Flathead County's active designations would take about 3.3 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.1 primary care, 3.2 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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37.5% of Flathead County's 8 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 8).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Flathead County carries 8 active designations, above 73% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Flathead County falls in the upper half of MT counties by active-designation volume, at rank 17 of 56. 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: 30029. Population: 104,357.
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 8 active (designated) HPSAs in Flathead County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Flathead Community Health Center, Inc. | dental | 21.0 |
| Flathead Community Health Center, Inc. | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Flathead Community Health Center, Inc. | mental_health | 19.0 |
| North Valley Family Medicine | primary_care | 16.0 |
| North Valley Family Medicine | mental_health | 16.0 |
| North Valley Family Medicine | dental | 15.0 |
| Flathead County | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Flathead County | mental_health | 13.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Flathead County
Peak severity leads this reading: Flathead County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Flathead County's deepest shortage reading, 21.0 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 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 19.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 59.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Flathead County above 73% of real US counties (8 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 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.
Flathead County falls in the upper half of MT counties by active-designation volume, at rank 17 of 56. 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.
Flathead 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
3 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Flathead County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Flathead County's active designations: about 3.3 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 Flathead County, MT · 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
Flathead County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Flathead County's 8 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 MT before you draw conclusions from a single score. MT 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 Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Flathead County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Williamson County, TN and Androscoggin County, ME.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Flathead County's dental score of 21.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “FLATHEAD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.”).
Williamson County, TN
21.0 dental score · 247,726 pop.
Androscoggin County, ME
21.0 dental score · 111,139 pop.
Natrona County, WY
21.0 dental score · 79,955 pop.
Polk County, TX
21.0 dental score · 50,123 pop.
Webster County, MO
21.0 dental score · 39,085 pop.
Johnson County, KS
21.0 dental score · 609,863 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Flathead County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Flathead County carries an MUA designation (index 59.2; 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 Flathead County's peak score of 21.0?
- "FLATHEAD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC." leads the active set (score 21.0; dental; 31,615 people in the service area; designated 08/06/2021). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 8 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Flathead County's severity reading?
- After "FLATHEAD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.", the next active names on this release are "FLATHEAD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.", "FLATHEAD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.", "FLATHEAD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC." and "NORTH VALLEY FAMILY MEDICINE". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Flathead County's high-severity geography?
- Flathead County's 8 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 "FLATHEAD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.".
- How does Flathead County's peak severity sit inside MT?
- Flathead County holds 8 active HPSA rows with peak 21.0. Flathead County falls in the upper half of MT counties by active-designation volume, at rank 17 of 56. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Williamson County, TN and Androscoggin County, ME.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 30029. 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 30029 (Flathead County, MT), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 8; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.