NC · Healthcare shortage profile
Alexander County, NC
Home to 36,444 residents, with 6 active HRSA shortage designations.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 36,444
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- 52.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Alexander County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Dental shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Alexander County, NC 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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33.3% of Alexander County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).
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Closing Alexander County's active designations would take about 9.1 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.5 primary care, 1.8 mental health, 3.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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Peak HPSA score 16.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Alexander County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.
State peer position. Alexander County falls in the upper half of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 28 of 100. 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: 37003. Population: 36,444.
Below high-priority line
Alexander County is designated, but no active score clears 17
6 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental), and the peak severity is 16.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA 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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Alexander County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Alexander County | dental | 16.0 |
| LI - Alexander County | mental_health | 15.0 |
| LI-Alexander County | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Alexander Correctional Institution | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Alexander Correctional Institution | dental | 12.0 |
| Alexander Correctional Institution | primary_care | 6.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Alexander County
Dental care carries Alexander County's deepest shortage reading, 16.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 14.0 of 25; Mental health reads 15.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 52.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Alexander County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Alexander County falls in the upper half of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 28 of 100. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Alexander County a Medically Underserved Area?
Yes, Alexander County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is 52.0. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.
How many healthcare shortage areas does Alexander County have?
Alexander County, NC has 6 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 2 in primary care, 2 in mental health, and 2 in dental care, according to HRSA data.
What does Alexander County's HPSA score of 16.0 mean?
16.0 in dental care falls under 17, so the shortage is formally designated but outside HRSA's high-priority tier.
What healthcare providers are needed in Alexander County?
Based on HRSA shortage designations, Alexander County needs additional providers in primary care (family physicians, internists, pediatricians), mental health (psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers), and dental care (dentists, dental hygienists). The National Health Service Corps offers loan repayment and scholarship programs for providers who serve in designated shortage areas.
Next read: Dental Shortage in America · NC state overview · NHSC loan repayment
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 37003. 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.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the HRSA Data Warehouse. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →
Every figure on PlainHealthAccess is rendered directly from HRSA source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page counts active HPSA rows for FIPS 37003 (Alexander County, NC) from the current HRSA release and places that total among all real US counties. Designations describe federal shortage criteria, not appointment availability or care quality for any person. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, review the public data changelog, or report a data issue for this page. Data current as of 2026-08-15.