Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

NC · Healthcare shortage profile

Iredell County, NC

Home to 186,693 residents, with 6 active HRSA shortage designations.

Active HPSAs
6
Population
186,693
Peak shortage score
16.0
MUA Index
50.1
NC state overview → About this data

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Iredell 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
Primary-care shortages
16
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 46%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Iredell 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.

  1. 33.3% of Iredell 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).

  2. Closing Iredell County's active designations would take about 9.7 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.8 primary care, 2.1 mental health, 4.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 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, Iredell 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. Iredell 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: 37097. Population: 186,693.

Below high-priority line

Iredell 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

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 50.1

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 16.0
Mental Health 16.0
Dental 16.0

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 Iredell County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI-Iredell Mooresville primary_care 16.0
LI-Iredell Northern mental_health 16.0
LI - Iredell Mooresville dental 16.0
LI - Iredell Northern dental 14.0
LI-Iredell Mooresville mental_health 12.0
LI-Iredell Northern primary_care 8.0

Moderate-burden reading for Iredell County

Iredell County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health and dental care: both scored 16.0 by HRSA, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 50.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Iredell 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.

Iredell 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.

Clinician FTE gap by care type

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Iredell County's active designations: a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Nationwide counties with similar HRSA profiles

Two peer sets for Iredell County: active designation volume and primary-care HPSA score, ranked across the national county corpus.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Iredell County a Medically Underserved Area?

Yes, Iredell County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is 50.1. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.

How many healthcare shortage areas does Iredell County have?

Iredell 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 Iredell County's HPSA score of 16.0 mean?

16.0 in primary care and mental health and dental care falls under 17, so the shortage is formally designated but outside HRSA's high-priority tier.

What healthcare providers are needed in Iredell County?

Based on HRSA shortage designations, Iredell 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.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 37097. 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.