NC · Healthcare shortage profile
Columbus County, NC
Designation volume is the standout signal for Columbus County: 11 active HPSA records, above 84% of real US counties. Population 50,623.
- Active HPSAs
- 11
- Population
- 50,623
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 41.8
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Columbus County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 11 active HPSA designations, more than 84% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 11
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Mental-health shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 16%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Columbus County
Columbus County intersects 16 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
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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Columbus 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 21.0 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 Columbus County's active designations would take about 15 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 5.2 primary care, 3.5 mental health, 6.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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36.4% of Columbus County's 11 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 11).
Columbus County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
11 Top 16% higher than 84% 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. Columbus County falls in the upper quarter of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 of 100. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 37047. Population: 50,623.
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 11 active (designated) HPSAs in Columbus County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Tabor Correctional Institution | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Columbus Correctional Institution | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Chadbourn Family Practice P A | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Chadbourn Family Practice P A | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Chadbourn Family Practice P A | dental | 19.0 |
| LI - Columbus County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI - Columbus County | dental | 18.0 |
| LI - Columbus County | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Columbus Correctional Institution | dental | 12.0 |
| Tabor Correctional Institution | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Columbus Correctional Institution | primary_care | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Columbus County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Columbus County: 11 active HPSA records, above 84% of real US counties. Columbus County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 21.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 19.0 of 25; Dental care reads 19.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 41.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Columbus County above 84% of real US counties (11 active designations: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 21.0. 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.
Columbus County falls in the upper quarter of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 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.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Columbus County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Columbus 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 Columbus 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
Columbus County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Columbus County's 11 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.
Counties With a Similar Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Columbus County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Pinellas County, FL and Ocean County, NJ.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Columbus County (11 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 11 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Columbus County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Columbus County carries an MUA designation (index 41.8; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- What makes up Columbus County's 11 active HPSA designations?
- 11 Designated rows (4 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "Tabor Correctional Institution" (score 21.0; mental health; 2,419 people in the service area; ~1.2 FTE still needed on the record; designated 04/06/2023). Also active: "Columbus Correctional Institution", "CHADBOURN FAMILY PRACTICE P A", "CHADBOURN FAMILY PRACTICE P A". Above 84% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Columbus County?
- Peak active score 21.0 in mental health clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 11 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Columbus County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 15 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "Tabor Correctional Institution" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Columbus County's designation volume?
- 11 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
- How does Columbus County's volume compare inside NC?
- 11 active HPSA rows · peak 21.0. Columbus County falls in the upper quarter of NC counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 of 100. Score-nearest counties on this release include Pinellas County, FL and Ocean County, NJ.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 37047. 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 37047 (Columbus County, NC), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 11; peak score 21.0; signature 11 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.