NC · Healthcare shortage profile
Polk County, NC
Peak severity leads this reading: Polk County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 19,328.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 19,328
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- 54.0
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Polk County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 3
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- 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.
Few Census ZCTAs touch Polk County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Polk County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
2 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 Polk 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 Polk County's active designations would take about 14 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.7 primary care, 11 mental health, 1.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Polk County's 3 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 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, Polk County carries 3 active designations, above 20% 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. Polk County falls in the lower half of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 67 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: 37149. Population: 19,328.
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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Polk County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Western Highlands Mhca | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI - Polk County | dental | 16.0 |
| LI-Polk County | primary_care | 15.0 |
Light-burden reading for Polk County
Peak severity leads this reading: Polk County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Polk County's shortage runs equally deep in 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. Primary care reads 15.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 54.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Polk County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.
Polk County falls in the lower half of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 67 of 100. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Light-volume FTE gap for Polk County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Polk County's active designations: about 14 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Polk County's mental score of 16.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Western Highlands MHCA”).
Roanoke County, VA
16.0 mental score · 96,929 pop.
Kent County, MI
16.0 mental score · 657,974 pop.
Smith County, TX
16.0 mental score · 233,479 pop.
Iredell County, NC
16.0 mental score · 186,693 pop.
Houston County, GA
16.0 mental score · 163,633 pop.
Wichita County, TX
16.0 mental score · 129,350 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Polk County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Polk County carries an MUA designation (index 54.0; 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 Polk County's peak score of 16.0?
- "LI - Western Highlands MHCA" leads the active set (score 16.0; mental health; 23,882 people in the service area; ~11 FTE still needed on the record; designated 11/12/2020). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Polk County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Western Highlands MHCA", the next active names on this release are "LI - Western Highlands MHCA", "LI - Polk County" and "LI-Polk County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~14 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 37149. 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 37149 (Polk County, NC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.