Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

NC · Healthcare shortage profile

Warren County, NC

Home to 18,642 residents, with 5 active HRSA shortage designations.

Active HPSAs
5
Population
18,642
Peak shortage score
22.0
MUA Index
30.4

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Warren 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
22
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 53%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Warren 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. 40% of Warren 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).

  2. Closing Warren County's active designations would take about 7.1 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.8 primary care, 1.6 mental health, 1.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. Peak HPSA score 22.0 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.

Corpus placement

Active-designation volume placement

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Warren County carries 5 active designations, above 47% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Warren County falls in the lower half of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 57 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: 37185. Population: 18,642.

2
Primary Care HPSAs
2
Mental Health HPSAs
1
Dental HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 30.4

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 22.0
Mental Health 21.0
Dental 19.0

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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Warren County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI-Warren County primary_care 22.0
Warren Correctional Institution mental_health 21.0
LI - Warren County dental 19.0
Warren County mental_health 17.0
Warren Correctional Institution primary_care 12.0

Moderate-burden reading for Warren County

Primary care is where Warren County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 22.0 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 21.0 of 25; Dental care reads 19.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 30.4, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Warren 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.

Warren 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.

Warren County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Clinician FTE gap by care type

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Warren County's active designations: 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 Warren 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 Warren County's designations

Warren County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Warren County's 5 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.

Nearby primary-care score peers

Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Warren County's 22.0. Open Rankin County, MS or Liberty County, GA next.

Showing 3 of 2934 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Nationwide counties with similar HRSA profiles

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Warren County a Medically Underserved Area?

Yes, Warren County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is 30.4. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.

How many healthcare shortage areas does Warren County have?

Warren County, NC has 5 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 2 in primary care, 2 in mental health, and 1 in dental care, according to HRSA data.

What does Warren County's HPSA score of 22.0 mean?

22.0 in primary care clears 17, HRSA's high-priority line, which is what makes providers here eligible for NHSC placement and enhanced reimbursement.

What healthcare providers are needed in Warren County?

Based on HRSA shortage designations, Warren 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: 37185. 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.