TN · Healthcare shortage profile
Hawkins County, TN
Peak severity leads this reading: Hawkins County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 56,721.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 56,721
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 57.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Hawkins 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
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Hawkins County, TN 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 25.0 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 Hawkins County's active designations would take about 15 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 11 primary care, 4.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Hawkins County's 5 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 5).
Hawkins County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 Census ZCTAs intersect Hawkins 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
4 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Hawkins 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. Hawkins County falls in the upper half of TN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 33 of 95. 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: 47073. Population: 56,721.
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 Hawkins County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rural Health Services Consortium, Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| Rural Health Services Consortium, Inc | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Rural Health Services Consortium, Inc | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI-Hawkins County | dental | 17.0 |
| LI-Hawkins/Sullivan Counties | primary_care | 15.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Hawkins County
Peak severity leads this reading: Hawkins County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Hawkins County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, 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; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Hawkins 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 (2/1/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Hawkins County falls in the upper half of TN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 33 of 95. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Hawkins 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
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
1 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Hawkins County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Hawkins County's active designations: about 15 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 Hawkins County, TN · 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 Hawkins County's designations
Hawkins County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Hawkins 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 TN before you draw conclusions from a single score. TN 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 dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Hawkins County's 25.0. Open Wayne County, MI or Travis County, TX next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Hawkins County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “RURAL HEALTH SERVICES CONSORTIUM, INC”).
Wayne County, MI
25.0 dental score · 1,793,561 pop.
Travis County, TX
25.0 dental score · 1,290,188 pop.
Wake County, NC
25.0 dental score · 1,129,410 pop.
Capitol County, CT
25.0 dental score · 977,165 pop.
Macomb County, MI
25.0 dental score · 881,217 pop.
San Diego County, CA
25.0 dental score · 3,298,634 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Hawkins County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Hawkins County carries an MUA designation (index 57.0; 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 Hawkins County's peak score of 25.0?
- "RURAL HEALTH SERVICES CONSORTIUM, INC" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 87,285 people in the service area; designated 08/19/2003). 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, 1 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Hawkins County's severity reading?
- After "RURAL HEALTH SERVICES CONSORTIUM, INC", the next active names on this release are "RURAL HEALTH SERVICES CONSORTIUM, INC", "RURAL HEALTH SERVICES CONSORTIUM, INC", "RURAL HEALTH SERVICES CONSORTIUM, INC" and "LI-Hawkins County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~15 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Hawkins County's high-severity geography?
- Hawkins 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 "RURAL HEALTH SERVICES CONSORTIUM, INC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 47073. 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 47073 (Hawkins County, TN), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.