NC · Healthcare shortage profile
Graham County, NC
Designation volume is the standout signal for Graham County: 9 active HPSA records, above 75% of real US counties. Population 8,030.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 8,030
- Peak shortage score
- 15.0
- MUA Index
- 56.5
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Graham County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 15
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Graham 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.
-
Closing Graham County's active designations would take about 1.2 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.4 primary care, 0.4 mental health, 0.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Graham County's 9 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
-
Peak HPSA score 15.0 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.
Few Census ZCTAs touch Graham County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 3 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Graham County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Graham County carries 9 active designations, above 75% 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. Graham County falls in the upper quarter of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 13 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: 37075. Population: 8,030.
Below high-priority line
Graham County is designated, but no active score clears 17
9 active designations sit on this FIPS (3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental), and the peak severity is 15.0. 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
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
All 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Graham County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| The Snowbird Health Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| The Snowbird Health Clinic | primary_care | 14.0 |
| LI - Graham County | primary_care | 14.0 |
| LI - Graham County | dental | 14.0 |
| Graham County | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Ciha Snowbird Clinic | primary_care | 12.0 |
| The Snowbird Health Clinic | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Ciha Snowbird Clinic | dental | 11.0 |
| Ciha Snowbird Clinic | mental_health | 10.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Graham County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Graham County: 9 active HPSA records, above 75% of real US counties. Dental care carries Graham County's deepest shortage reading, 15.0 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 13.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 56.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Graham County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 15.0. 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.
Graham County falls in the upper quarter of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 13 of 100. 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.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Graham County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Graham County's active designations: about 1.2 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
High-volume peers of Graham County (9 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 9 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Graham County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Graham County carries an MUA designation (index 56.5; 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 Graham County's 9 active HPSA designations?
- 9 Designated rows (3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "The Snowbird Health Clinic" (score 15.0; dental; 2,161 people in the service area; designated 08/18/2019). Also active: "The Snowbird Health Clinic", "LI - Graham County", "LI - Graham County". Above 75% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Graham County?
- Peak active score 15.0 in dental care stays under the 17-point line while volume sits at 9 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Graham County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 1.2 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "The Snowbird Health Clinic" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Graham County's designation volume?
- 9 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 Graham County's volume compare inside NC?
- 9 active HPSA rows · peak 15.0. Graham County falls in the upper quarter of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 13 of 100. Score-nearest counties on this release include Stanislaus County, CA and Whatcom County, WA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 37075. 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 37075 (Graham County, NC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 15.0; signature 9 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.