NC · Healthcare shortage profile
Beaufort County, NC
Peak severity leads this reading: Beaufort County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 44,652.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 44,652
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 46.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Beaufort County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Beaufort 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 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 Beaufort County's active designations would take about 7.7 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.4 primary care, 0.9 mental health, 3.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Beaufort County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).
Beaufort County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
15 Census ZCTAs intersect Beaufort 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Beaufort County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Beaufort County falls in the upper half of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 28 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: 37013. Population: 44,652.
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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Beaufort County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Community Health Services Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| Metropolitan Community Health Services Inc | primary_care | 22.0 |
| Metropolitan Community Health Services Inc | mental_health | 20.0 |
| LI - Beaufort County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI - Beaufort County | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI - Beaufort County | dental | 17.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Beaufort County
Peak severity leads this reading: Beaufort County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Beaufort 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 22.0 of 25; Mental health reads 20.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 46.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Beaufort County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Beaufort County falls in the upper half of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 28 of 100. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Beaufort 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
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Beaufort County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Beaufort County's active designations: about 7.7 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 Beaufort 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 Beaufort County's designations
Beaufort County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Beaufort County's 6 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 dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Beaufort County's 25.0. Open Cook County, IL or Riverside County, CA next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Beaufort 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 “METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES INC”).
Cook County, IL
25.0 dental score · 5,275,541 pop.
Riverside County, CA
25.0 dental score · 2,418,185 pop.
Broward County, FL
25.0 dental score · 1,944,375 pop.
Bronx County, NY
25.0 dental score · 1,472,654 pop.
Salt Lake County, UT
25.0 dental score · 1,185,238 pop.
Fresno County, CA
25.0 dental score · 1,008,654 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Beaufort County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Beaufort County carries an MUA designation (index 46.0; 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 Beaufort County's peak score of 25.0?
- "METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES INC" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 51,597 people in the service area; designated 09/30/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Beaufort County's severity reading?
- After "METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES INC", the next active names on this release are "METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES INC", "METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES INC", "METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES INC" and "LI - Beaufort County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~7.7 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Beaufort County's high-severity geography?
- Beaufort County's 6 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 "METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES INC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 37013. 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 37013 (Beaufort County, NC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.