NC · Healthcare shortage profile
Swain County, NC
Designation volume is the standout signal for Swain County: 15 active HPSA records, above 91% of real US counties. Population 14,117.
- Active HPSAs
- 15
- Population
- 14,117
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- 55.8
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Swain County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 15 active HPSA designations, more than 91% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 15
- Active HPSA designations
- 5
- Primary-care shortages
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 9%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Swain 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 20.0 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 Swain County's active designations would take about 4 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.1 primary care, 0.4 mental health, 1.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Swain County's 15 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental (denominator 15).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Swain County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Swain 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
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Swain County carries 15 active designations, above 91% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Swain County falls in the upper quarter of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 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: 37173. Population: 14,117.
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 15 active (designated) HPSAs in Swain County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Swain County | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Analenisgi Recovery Center | dental | 20.0 |
| Tsali Care Center | dental | 20.0 |
| Tsali Care Center | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Ciha Deten Cent Clinic, Cherokee Justice Center | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Analenisgi Recovery Center | primary_care | 19.0 |
| LI-Swain County | dental | 19.0 |
| Ciha Deten Cent Clinic, Cherokee Justice Center | dental | 19.0 |
| Ciha Hospital | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Analenisgi Recovery Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Tsali Care Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Ciha Deten Cent Clinic, Cherokee Justice Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Ciha Hospital | dental | 18.0 |
| Ciha Hospital | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI - Swain County | mental_health | 15.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Swain County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Swain County: 15 active HPSA records, above 91% of real US counties. Swain County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and dental care: both scored 20.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 18.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 55.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Swain County above 91% of real US counties (15 active designations: 5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 20.0. 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.
Swain County falls in the upper quarter of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 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.
Swain County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
5 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
5 designations
- Dental
Dental
5 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Swain County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Swain County's active designations: about 4 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Swain County, NC · 2026 HRSA designation data updated quarterly; HPSA scores 0-25 (primary/mental) and 0-26 (dental); higher = greater shortage severity. Coverage tiers from U.S. Census ACS PUMS + KFF state tracker.
Acting on a heavy-burden county
Swain County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Swain County's 15 active designations make providers here eligible for National Health Service Corps loan repayment, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's primary care burden compares with the rest of NC before you draw conclusions from a single score. NC overview
- Check whether an area clears HRSA's 3,500:1 population-to-provider threshold with the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score. 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.
Counties With a Similar Primary Care Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA primary-care HPSA score is closest to Swain County's 20.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Humboldt County, CA and Franklin County, OH.
Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Swain County (15 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 15 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Swain County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Swain County carries an MUA designation (index 55.8; 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 Swain County's 15 active HPSA designations?
- 15 Designated rows (5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "LI - Swain County" (score 20.0; primary care; 6,144 people in the service area; ~2.1 FTE still needed on the record; designated 09/26/1996). Also active: "Analenisgi Recovery Center", "Tsali Care Center", "Tsali Care Center". Above 91% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Swain County?
- Peak active score 20.0 in primary care and dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 15 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Swain County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 4 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "LI - Swain County" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Swain County's designation volume?
- 15 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 Swain County's volume compare inside NC?
- 15 active HPSA rows · peak 20.0. Swain County falls in the upper quarter of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 100. Score-nearest counties on this release include Humboldt County, CA and Franklin County, OH.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 37173. 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 37173 (Swain County, NC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 15; peak score 20.0; signature 15 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.