TN · Healthcare shortage profile
Rutherford County, TN
Peak severity leads this reading: Rutherford County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 341,486.
- Active HPSAs
- 4
- Population
- 341,486
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- -
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Rutherford County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 4 active HPSA designations, more than 44% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 4
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 56%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Rutherford County
Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 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 Rutherford County's active designations would take about 2 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2 primary care. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Rutherford County's 4 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 4).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Rutherford County carries 4 active designations, above 44% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Rutherford County falls in the upper half of TN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 39 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: 47149. Population: 341,486.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Rutherford County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 4 active (designated) HPSAs in Rutherford County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rutherford County Primary Care Clinic Inc | dental | 23.0 |
| Rutherford County Primary Care Clinic Inc | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Rutherford County Primary Care Clinic Inc | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI - Murfreesboro | primary_care | 11.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Rutherford County
Peak severity leads this reading: Rutherford County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Rutherford 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 18.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Rutherford County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Rutherford County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 44% of counties) with 4 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/1/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Rutherford County falls in the upper half of TN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 39 of 95. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Rutherford 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
1 designations
- Dental
Dental
1 designations
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Rutherford 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 Rutherford County's designations
Rutherford County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Rutherford County's 4 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 Rutherford County's 23.0. Open Kern County, CA or Prince William County, VA next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Rutherford 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 “RUTHERFORD COUNTY PRIMARY CARE CLINIC INC”).
Kern County, CA
23.0 dental score · 909,235 pop.
Prince William County, VA
23.0 dental score · 482,204 pop.
Boulder County, CO
23.0 dental score · 330,758 pop.
Erie County, PA
23.0 dental score · 270,876 pop.
York County, ME
23.0 dental score · 211,972 pop.
Ector County, TX
23.0 dental score · 165,171 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Rutherford County's peak score of 23.0?
- "RUTHERFORD COUNTY PRIMARY CARE CLINIC INC" leads the active set (score 23.0; dental; 90,763 people in the service area; designated 06/25/2010). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 4 active rows: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Why is Rutherford County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Rutherford County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which other active designations sit under Rutherford County's severity reading?
- After "RUTHERFORD COUNTY PRIMARY CARE CLINIC INC", the next active names on this release are "RUTHERFORD COUNTY PRIMARY CARE CLINIC INC", "RUTHERFORD COUNTY PRIMARY CARE CLINIC INC", "RUTHERFORD COUNTY PRIMARY CARE CLINIC INC" and "LI - Murfreesboro". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Rutherford County's high-severity geography?
- Rutherford County's 4 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 "RUTHERFORD COUNTY PRIMARY CARE CLINIC INC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 47149. 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 47149 (Rutherford County, TN), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 4; peak score 23.0; signature peak score 23.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.