NC · Healthcare shortage profile
Pender County, NC
Peak severity leads this reading: Pender County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 60,203.
- Active HPSAs
- 14
- Population
- 60,203
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- 50.7
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Pender County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 14 active HPSA designations, more than 90% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 14
- Active HPSA designations
- 5
- Dental shortages
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 10%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Pender 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 23.0 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 Pender County's active designations would take about 6.5 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.1 primary care, 2.1 mental health, 3.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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42.9% of Pender County's 14 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 6 mental health, 5 dental (denominator 14).
Pender County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
13 Census ZCTAs intersect Pender 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
5 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, Pender County carries 14 active designations, above 90% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Pender County falls in the upper quarter of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 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: 37141. Population: 60,203.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity 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 14 active (designated) HPSAs in Pender County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Black River Health Services Inc | dental | 23.0 |
| Black River Health Services Inc | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Black River Health Services Inc | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI - Pender East | dental | 18.0 |
| MI-Pender County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI-Pender West Burgaw | dental | 16.0 |
| LI-Pender West | dental | 14.0 |
| LI-Pender West Burgaw | mental_health | 13.0 |
| LI - Pender East | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Pender Correctional Institution | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Pender Correctional Institution | dental | 12.0 |
| Pender Coastal | mental_health | 11.0 |
| LI-Pender West | mental_health | 11.0 |
| Pender Correctional Institution | primary_care | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Pender County
Peak severity leads this reading: Pender County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Pender County's deepest shortage reading, 23.0 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 18.0 of 25; Mental health reads 22.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 50.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Pender County above 90% of real US counties (14 active designations: 3 primary care, 6 mental health, 5 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 23.0. The table on this page lists the highest-severity records first so a reader can see which named facilities, geographies, or population groups drive that burden without treating the county total as a personal appointment forecast.
Pender County falls in the upper quarter of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 100. Heavy-burden counties are where NHSC placement, Community Health Center grant geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the county boundary alone.
Pender County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
6 designations
- Dental
Dental
5 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Pender County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Pender County's active designations: about 6.5 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 Pender 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 a heavy-burden county
Pender County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Pender County's 14 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.
Counties With a Similar Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Pender County's 23.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Kern County, CA and Prince William County, VA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Pender County's dental score of 23.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 23.0 (severity lead on this page is “BLACK RIVER HEALTH SERVICES INC”).
Kern County, CA
23.0 dental score · 909,235 pop.
Prince William County, VA
23.0 dental score · 482,204 pop.
Rutherford County, TN
23.0 dental score · 341,486 pop.
San Luis Obispo County, CA
23.0 dental score · 282,424 pop.
Calcasieu County, LA
23.0 dental score · 216,785 pop.
Kootenai County, ID
23.0 dental score · 171,362 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Pender County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Pender County carries an MUA designation (index 50.7; 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 Pender County's peak score of 23.0?
- "BLACK RIVER HEALTH SERVICES INC" leads the active set (score 23.0; dental; 14,452 people in the service area; designated 02/12/2018). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 14 active rows: 3 primary care, 6 mental health, 5 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Pender County's severity reading?
- After "BLACK RIVER HEALTH SERVICES INC", the next active names on this release are "BLACK RIVER HEALTH SERVICES INC", "BLACK RIVER HEALTH SERVICES INC", "BLACK RIVER HEALTH SERVICES INC" and "LI - Pender East". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~6.5 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Pender County's high-severity geography?
- Pender County's 14 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 "BLACK RIVER HEALTH SERVICES INC".
- How does Pender County's peak severity sit inside NC?
- Pender County holds 14 active HPSA rows with peak 23.0. Pender County falls in the upper quarter of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 100. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Kern County, CA and Prince William County, VA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 37141. 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 37141 (Pender County, NC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 14; peak score 23.0; signature peak score 23.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.