NC · Healthcare shortage profile
Brunswick County, NC
Peak severity leads this reading: Brunswick County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 136,693.
- Active HPSAs
- 4
- Population
- 136,693
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 52.9
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Brunswick County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 4 active HPSA designations, more than 44% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 4
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Primary-care shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 56%
- US counties by volume
Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Brunswick 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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Peak HPSA score 17.0 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 Brunswick County's active designations would take about 8.4 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 5.7 primary care, 2.7 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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75% of Brunswick County's 4 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 4).
Brunswick County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
14 Census ZCTAs intersect Brunswick 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.
Brunswick County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
4 Top 56% higher than 44% of 3,289 real US counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026
State peer position. Brunswick County falls in the lower half of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 65 of 100. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 37019. Population: 136,693.
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 4 active (designated) HPSAs in Brunswick County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Brunswick Western | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI-Brunswick Bolivia | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI-Brunswick Leland | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Brunswick | mental_health | 11.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Brunswick County
Peak severity leads this reading: Brunswick County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Brunswick County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 17.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 11.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 52.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Brunswick County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 44% of counties) with 4 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (3/1/0) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Brunswick County falls in the lower half of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 65 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 Brunswick County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Brunswick County's active designations: about 8.4 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Acting on Brunswick County's high-priority primary care
Brunswick County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Brunswick County's high-priority primary care designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's primary care burden compares with the rest of NC before drawing conclusions from a single score. NC overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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.
Nearby primary-care score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Brunswick County's 17.0. Open Madison County, IN or Providence County, RI next.
Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Brunswick County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Brunswick County carries an MUA designation (index 52.9; 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 Brunswick County's peak score of 17.0?
- "LI - Brunswick Western" leads the active set (score 17.0; primary care; 394 people in the service area; ~2.5 FTE still needed on the record; designated 09/05/2025). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 4 active rows: 3 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Brunswick County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Brunswick Western", the next active names on this release are "LI - Brunswick Western", "LI-Brunswick Bolivia", "LI-Brunswick Leland" and "Brunswick". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~8.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Brunswick County's high-severity geography?
- Brunswick County's 4 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 - Brunswick Western".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 37019. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — 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 37019 (Brunswick County, NC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 4; peak score 17.0; signature peak score 17.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.