Medically Underserved Area High-priority · mental health only

TN · Healthcare shortage profile

White County, TN

The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing White County's active designations would take about 20 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 27,351.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
27,351
Peak shortage score
17.0
MUA Index
59.0
TN state overview → About this data

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, White County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

3
Active HPSA designations
1
Mental-health shortages
17
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 80%
US counties by volume

Few Census ZCTAs touch White County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting White County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

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 White 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.

  1. 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.

  2. Closing White County's active designations would take about 20 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 7.9 primary care, 9.7 mental health, 2.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of White County's 3 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 3).

White County vs. every real US county

Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none

3 Top 80% higher than 20% of 3,289 real US counties

0–20: 3,115 real US counties (95%). This entry sits in this band. 20–40: 128 real US counties (4%). Above this entry. 40–60: 32 real US counties (1%). Above this entry. 60–80: 7 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 80–100: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 100–120: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 120–140: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 140–160: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 160–180: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 180–200: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 200–220: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 220–240: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 240–260: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 260–280: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. This county 0 280 every real US county, bucketed by value

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. White County falls in the upper half of TN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 41 of 95. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.

Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 47185. Population: 27,351.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 59.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 15.0
Mental Health 17.0
Dental 15.0

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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in White County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI-Mhca 9 mental_health 17.0
LI - Putnam/White Counties primary_care 15.0
LI-White County dental 15.0

Light-burden reading for White County

The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing White County's active designations would take about 20 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. White County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 17.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 15.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 59.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

White County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.

White County falls in the upper half of TN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 41 of 95. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.

Light-volume FTE gap for White County

Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 20 FTE across White County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.

Acting on White County's high-priority mental health

White County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • White County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
  • See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of TN before drawing conclusions from a single score. TN overview
  • Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 matching designation count to White County's 3

One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 3 - the inventory behind the ~20 FTE published need.

Montgomery County, PA

3 active designations

Fort Bend County, TX

3 active designations

Norfolk County, MA

3 active designations

Johnson County, KS

3 active designations

Frequently Asked Questions

Does White County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - White County carries an MUA designation (index 59.0; 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 White County?
Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~20 FTE, with mental health the largest slice (9.7). "LI-MHCA 9" is the highest-scored active row (score 17.0; mental health; 145,031 people in the service area; ~9.7 FTE still needed on the record; designated 08/06/2025). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Which named designations drive White County's FTE reading?
Active names on this release include "LI-MHCA 9", "LI - Putnam/White Counties" and "LI-White County". Discipline counts: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental across 3 designated rows.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 47185. 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 47185 (White County, TN), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 17.0; signature 20 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.