NC · Healthcare shortage profile
Rowan County, NC
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Rowan County's active designations would take about 33 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 146,875.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 146,875
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 53.6
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Rowan 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
- Primary-care shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- 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.
Dense ZCTA lattice over Rowan County
Rowan County intersects 20 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.
Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county
8 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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Rowan 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 17.0 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 Rowan County's active designations would take about 33 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 13 primary care, 5.2 mental health, 15 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Rowan 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).
Rowan County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
6 Top 46% higher than 54% 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. Rowan County falls in the upper half of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 28 of 100. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 37159. Population: 146,875.
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 Rowan County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Rowan County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI - Rowan County | dental | 17.0 |
| LI - Rowan County | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Piedmont Correctional Institution | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Piedmont Correctional Institution | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Piedmont Correctional Institution | dental | 6.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Rowan County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Rowan County's active designations would take about 33 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Rowan County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and dental care: both scored 17.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 16.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 53.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Rowan 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.
Rowan 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.
Rowan 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
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Rowan County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 33 FTE across Rowan 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 Rowan 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 Rowan County's designations
Rowan County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Rowan 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 primary-care score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Rowan County's 17.0. Open Hawaii County, HI or Kent County, RI next.
Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Rowan County's 6
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 6 - the inventory behind the ~33 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Rowan County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Rowan County carries an MUA designation (index 53.6; 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 Rowan County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~33 FTE, with dental the largest slice (15). "LI - Rowan County" is the highest-scored active row (score 17.0; primary care; 19,233 people in the service area; ~11 FTE still needed on the record; designated 08/19/2025). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Rowan County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "LI - Rowan County" and "Piedmont Correctional Institution". Discipline counts: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental across 6 designated rows.
- Do Rowan 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: 37159. 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 37159 (Rowan County, NC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 17.0; signature 33 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.