AK · Healthcare shortage profile
Northwest Arctic County, AK
Designation volume is the standout signal for Northwest Arctic County: 46 active HPSA records, above 99% of real US counties. Population 7,793.
- Active HPSAs
- 46
- Population
- 7,793
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- 37.2
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Northwest Arctic County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 46 active HPSA designations, more than 99% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 46
- Active HPSA designations
- 15
- Dental shortages
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 1%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Northwest Arctic 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.
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Peak HPSA score 24.0 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 Northwest Arctic 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.
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34.8% of Northwest Arctic County's 46 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 15 primary care, 16 mental health, 15 dental (denominator 46).
Northwest Arctic County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 Census ZCTAs intersect Northwest Arctic 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
3 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, Northwest Arctic County carries 46 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. Northwest Arctic County falls in the upper half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 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: 02188. Population: 7,793.
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
Showing the 40 most-severe of 46 active (designated) HPSAs in Northwest Arctic County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Maniilaq Association | dental | 24.0 |
| Kivalina Village Clinic | dental | 22.0 |
| Maniilaq Association | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Kobuk Village Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Selawik Village Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Pauline Aliitchaq Barr Health Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Tigautchiaq Amainiq Health Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Noorvik Village Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Shungnak Village Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Esther Barger Memorial Health Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Ambler Village Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Kiana Village Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Kivalina Village Clinic | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Noorvik Village Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Kiana Village Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Tigautchiaq Amainiq Health Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Selawik Village Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Pauline Aliitchaq Barr Health Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Kobuk Village Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Shungnak Village Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Ambler Village Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Esther Barger Memorial Health Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| MHCA-Northwest Region | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Maniilaq Association | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Lake Street House - Kotzebue | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Kivalina Village Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Kobuk Village Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Ambler Village Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Shungnak Village Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Kiana Village Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Pauline Aliitchaq Barr Health Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Selawik Village Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Esther Barger Memorial Health Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Noorvik Village Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Tigautchiaq Amainiq Health Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Lake Street House - Kotzebue | dental | 15.0 |
| Lake Street House - Kotzebue | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Maniilaq Health Center (Hospital) | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Putyuk Childrens' Home - Kotzebue | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Maniilaq Family Crisis Center | mental_health | 13.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Northwest Arctic County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Northwest Arctic County: 46 active HPSA records, above 99% of real US counties. Dental care carries Northwest Arctic County's deepest shortage reading, 24.0 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 Northwest Arctic County above 99% of real US counties (46 active designations: 15 primary care, 16 mental health, 15 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 24.0. 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.
Northwest Arctic County falls in the upper half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 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.
Northwest Arctic County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
16 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
15 designations
- Dental
Dental
15 designations
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Northwest Arctic 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
Northwest Arctic County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Northwest Arctic County's 46 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 Northwest Arctic County's 24.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Caroline County, MD and Aibonito County, PR.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Northwest Arctic County (46 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 46 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Northwest Arctic County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Northwest Arctic 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.
- What makes up Northwest Arctic County's 46 active HPSA designations?
- 46 Designated rows (15 primary care, 16 mental health, 15 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "Maniilaq Association" (score 24.0; dental; 3,138 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). Also active: "Kivalina Village Clinic", "Maniilaq Association", "Kobuk Village Clinic". Above 99% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Northwest Arctic County?
- Peak active score 24.0 in dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 46 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Northwest Arctic County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 1.9 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "Maniilaq Association" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Northwest Arctic County's designation volume?
- 46 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
- How does Northwest Arctic County's volume compare inside AK?
- 46 active HPSA rows · peak 24.0. Northwest Arctic County falls in the upper half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 31. Score-nearest counties on this release include Caroline County, MD and Aibonito County, PR.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 02188. 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 02188 (Northwest Arctic County, AK), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 46; peak score 24.0; signature 46 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.