NAHEC serves a 33-county, 30,443 square-mile area which is larger than several U.S. states, e.g. Maine, Massachusetts, and South Carolina.   The area accounts for 46% of Wisconsin's land area and 22% of the state's population (1,172,918).  

The region contains a high number of elderly residents with persons 65 and older comprising 15.8% of its population.

Although northern Wisconsin is not generally noted for its cultural diversity, a number of facts stand out:  

• 9 of Wisconsin ’s 11 American Indian Tribe reservations are located in the NAHEC region.
• Northern Wisconsin is home to more than 16,681 Southeast Asians including Cambodians, Hmong, Laotian, and Vietnamese.
• Amish and Mennonite communities are located in 11 of its southern counties.

 The region has 30 (47%) of the state’s 64 federally designated HPSAs, by geographic, population, and tribal descriptions.  Also, 26 (60%) of the state’s 43 federally designated Dental HPSAs are found in the NAHEC region.  

NAHEC is a membership-driven, service-oriented organization and is a member of the Wisconsin AHEC System.