Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

AK · Healthcare shortage profile

Nome County, AK

Peak severity leads this reading: Nome County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 10,046.

Active HPSAs
55
Population
10,046
Peak shortage score
26.0
MUA Index
37.2

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Nome County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 55 active HPSA designations, more than 99% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.

55
Active HPSA designations
18
Dental shortages
26
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 1%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Nome County, AK 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. Peak HPSA score 26.0 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.

  2. Closing Nome County's active designations would take about 1.9 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.9 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 34.5% of Nome County's 55 active designations are mental health.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 18 primary care, 19 mental health, 18 dental (denominator 55).

Nome County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

14 Census ZCTAs intersect Nome County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.

Largest land-share ZCTAs

6 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.

Corpus placement

Active-designation volume placement

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Nome County carries 55 active designations, above 99% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Nome County falls in the upper quarter of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 31. 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: 02180. Population: 10,046.

18
Dental HPSAs
19
Mental Health HPSAs
18
Primary Care HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 37.2

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 20.0
Mental Health 18.0
Dental 26.0

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

Showing the 40 most-severe of 55 active (designated) HPSAs in Nome County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Norton Sound Health Corporation dental 26.0
Brevig Mission Village Clinic dental 22.0
Anikkan Inuit Iluaqutaat Sub-Regional Clinic dental 22.0
Yukuniaraq Yungcarvik Clinic dental 22.0
Bessie Kaningok Clinic dental 22.0
Irene L. Aukongak "Dagumaaq" Clinic dental 22.0
White Mountain Health Clinic dental 22.0
Savoonga Village Clinic dental 22.0
Katherine L. Kobuk Memorial Clinic dental 22.0
Wales Village Clinic dental 22.0
Taprarmiut Yungcarviat Clinic dental 22.0
Shaktoolik Village Clinic dental 22.0
Ruth Qumiiggan Henry Memorial Clinic dental 22.0
Teller Village Clinic dental 22.0
Katherine Miksruaq Olanna Memorial Clinic dental 22.0
Norton Sound Health Corporation primary_care 20.0
Ruth Qumiiggan Henry Memorial Clinic primary_care 18.0
Irene L. Aukongak "Dagumaaq" Clinic primary_care 18.0
Katherine Miksruaq Olanna Memorial Clinic primary_care 18.0
Shaktoolik Village Clinic primary_care 18.0
Yukuniaraq Yungcarvik Clinic primary_care 18.0
Brevig Mission Village Clinic primary_care 18.0
White Mountain Health Clinic mental_health 18.0
MHCA-Northwest Region mental_health 18.0
Katherine L. Kobuk Memorial Clinic mental_health 18.0
Savoonga Village Clinic mental_health 18.0
Teller Village Clinic mental_health 18.0
Anikkan Inuit Iluaqutaat Sub-Regional Clinic mental_health 18.0
Bessie Kaningok Clinic mental_health 18.0
Norton Sound Health Corporation mental_health 18.0
Wales Village Clinic mental_health 18.0
Taprarmiut Yungcarviat Clinic mental_health 18.0
Katherine L. Kobuk Memorial Clinic primary_care 17.0
Wales Village Clinic primary_care 17.0
Bessie Kaningok Clinic primary_care 17.0
Anikkan Inuit Iluaqutaat Sub-Regional Clinic primary_care 17.0
Taprarmiut Yungcarviat Clinic primary_care 17.0
White Mountain Health Clinic primary_care 17.0
Savoonga Village Clinic primary_care 17.0
Teller Village Clinic primary_care 17.0

Heavy-burden reading for Nome County

Peak severity leads this reading: Nome County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Nome County's deepest shortage reading, 26.0 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 18.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 37.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Nome County above 99% of real US counties (55 active designations: 18 primary care, 19 mental health, 18 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 26.0. 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.

Nome County falls in the upper quarter of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 31. 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.

Nome County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Nome County, AK · 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

Nome County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Nome County's 55 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 mental health burden compares with the rest of AK before you draw conclusions from a single score. AK 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 Nome County's 26.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Tulare County, CA and Frederick County, MD.

Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Counties near Nome County's dental score of 26.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 26.0 (severity lead on this page is “NORTON SOUND HEALTH CORPORATION”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Nome County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Nome County carries an MUA designation (index 37.2; 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 Nome County's peak score of 26.0?
"NORTON SOUND HEALTH CORPORATION" leads the active set (score 26.0; dental; 3,835 people in the service area; designated 06/23/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 55 active rows: 18 primary care, 19 mental health, 18 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Nome County's severity reading?
After "NORTON SOUND HEALTH CORPORATION", the next active names on this release are "NORTON SOUND HEALTH CORPORATION", "Brevig Mission Village Clinic", "Anikkan Inuit Iluaqutaat Sub-Regional Clinic" and "Yukuniaraq Yungcarvik Clinic". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~1.9 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Nome County's high-severity geography?
Nome County's 55 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 "NORTON SOUND HEALTH CORPORATION".
How does Nome County's peak severity sit inside AK?
Nome County holds 55 active HPSA rows with peak 26.0. Nome County falls in the upper quarter of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 31. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Tulare County, CA and Frederick County, MD.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 02180. 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 02180 (Nome County, AK), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 55; peak score 26.0; signature peak score 26.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.