NC · Healthcare shortage profile
Alexander County, NC
Peak severity leads this reading: Alexander County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 36,444.
- 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
Few Census ZCTAs touch Alexander County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Alexander County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
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.
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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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.
-
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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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
Peak severity leads this reading: Alexander County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. 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.
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Alexander County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Alexander County's active designations: about 9.1 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Alexander County's dental score of 16.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Alexander County”).
Orange County, TX
16.0 dental score · 84,808 pop.
Haywood County, NC
16.0 dental score · 62,089 pop.
Campbell County, VA
16.0 dental score · 55,696 pop.
Caldwell County, TX
16.0 dental score · 45,883 pop.
Vance County, NC
16.0 dental score · 42,578 pop.
Iredell County, NC
16.0 dental score · 186,693 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Alexander County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Alexander County carries an MUA designation (index 52.0; 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 Alexander County's peak score of 16.0?
- "LI - Alexander County" leads the active set (score 16.0; dental; 1,255 people in the service area; ~2.5 FTE still needed on the record; designated 06/11/2020). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Alexander County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Alexander County", the next active names on this release are "LI - Alexander County", "LI - Alexander County", "LI-Alexander County" and "Alexander Correctional Institution". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~9.1 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Alexander County's high-severity geography?
- Alexander County's 6 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 "LI - Alexander County".
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.
HRSA Data Warehouse HPSA + MUA/P records for FIPS 37003 (Alexander County, NC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.