NC · Healthcare shortage profile
Nash County, NC
Peak severity leads this reading: Nash County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 94,970.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 94,970
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 42.4
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Nash County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 5
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Primary-care shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- 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 Nash 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 Nash County's active designations would take about 13 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 5.5 primary care, 2.4 mental health, 5.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Nash County's 5 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 5).
Nash County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
15 Census ZCTAs intersect Nash 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
7 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.
Nash County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
5 Top 53% higher than 47% 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. Nash County falls in the lower half of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 57 of 100. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 37127. Population: 94,970.
Single high-priority discipline
Nash County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is primary care
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active primary care designations to Nash County , with a peak score of 17.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the primary care records.
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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Nash County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Nash County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI - Nash County | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI - Nash County | dental | 15.0 |
| Nash Correctional Institution | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Nash Correctional Institution | mental_health | 12.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Nash County
Peak severity leads this reading: Nash County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Nash 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 16.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 42.4, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Nash County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Nash County falls in the lower half of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 57 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 Nash County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Nash County's active designations: about 13 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Acting on Nash County's high-priority primary care
Nash County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Nash 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 Nash County's 17.0. Open Hawaii County, HI or Kent County, RI next.
Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Nash County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Nash County carries an MUA designation (index 42.4; 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 Nash County's peak score of 17.0?
- "LI - Nash County" leads the active set (score 17.0; primary care; 18,400 people in the service area; ~4.7 FTE still needed on the record; designated 07/31/2025). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 5 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Nash County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Nash County", the next active names on this release are "LI - Nash County" and "Nash Correctional Institution". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~13 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Nash County's high-severity geography?
- Nash County's 5 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 - Nash County".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 37127. 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 37127 (Nash County, NC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 17.0; signature peak score 17.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.