NC · Healthcare shortage profile
Wayne County, NC
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Wayne County's active designations would take about 20 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 117,333.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 117,333
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- 54.4
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Wayne County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 5
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Mental-health shortages
- 18
- 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 Wayne 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 18.0 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 Wayne County's active designations would take about 20 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 7.6 primary care, 3.2 mental health, 9.1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Wayne County's 5 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 5).
Wayne County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
15 Census ZCTAs intersect Wayne 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.
Wayne 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. Wayne 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: 37191. Population: 117,333.
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 Wayne County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Wayne County | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI - Wayne County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI-Wayne County | dental | 17.0 |
| Neuse Correctional Institution | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Neuse Correctional Institution | dental | 12.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Wayne County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Wayne County's active designations would take about 20 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Wayne County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 18.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 17.0 of 25; Dental care reads 17.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 54.4, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Wayne 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 (1/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Wayne 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 Wayne County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 20 FTE across Wayne County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Wayne 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 Wayne County's designations
Wayne County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Wayne 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 mental health 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 mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Wayne County's 18.0. Open Hendricks County, IN or Berrien County, MI next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Wayne County's 5
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 5 - the inventory behind the ~20 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Wayne County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Wayne County carries an MUA designation (index 54.4; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Wayne County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~20 FTE, with dental the largest slice (9.1). "LI - Wayne County" is the highest-scored active row (score 18.0; mental health; 10,336 people in the service area; ~2.4 FTE still needed on the record; designated 11/27/2017). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Wayne County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "LI - Wayne County", "LI-Wayne County" and "Neuse Correctional Institution". Discipline counts: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental across 5 designated rows.
- Do Wayne County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
- Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 37191. 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 37191 (Wayne County, NC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 18.0; signature 20 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.