Where are North Carolina's doctor shortages?
100 North Carolina counties have at least one federal shortage designation for primary care, mental health or dental care. Look up a hospital to see whether its area has a shortage.
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Primary care shortage
96 counties
96% of North Carolina's 100 counties, against 88% nationally. 8 are designated as a whole county. 128 North Carolina hospitals are in these counties.
Mental health shortage
99 counties
99% of North Carolina's counties, against 93% nationally. 94 counties have a dental shortage designation.
North Carolina's highest-need counties for primary care
Counties with the highest primary care shortage score (0 to 25; higher means greater need).
Edgecombe
Part of county · 1 designation
Score 22
Mental health score 19
Scotland
Part of county · 1 designation
Score 22
Mental health score 19
Warren
Part of county · 1 designation
Score 22
Mental health score 17
Chowan
Part of county · 1 designation
Score 21
Mental health score 18
Forsyth
Part of county · 2 designations
Score 20
Mental health score 17
Pitt
Part of county · 2 designations
Score 20
Mental health score 16
Every North Carolina county with a shortage designation
Click a column to sort, or filter by county name. "Whole county" means the entire county is designated; "Part" means one or more areas within it (such as census tracts) or a population group (such as low-income residents) is designated. The number is the highest shortage score in the county.
No North Carolina county with a shortage designation matches that name.
Only counties with at least one active area-based designation (geographic or population) are listed; North Carolina has 100 counties in all. Scores run from 0 to 25 for primary care and mental health and 0 to 26 for dental care; higher means greater need. Bars show each score against the maximum. Source: Health Resources and Services Administration (data.hrsa.gov).
Questions about shortage areas in North Carolina
Which North Carolina counties are primary care shortage areas?
96 North Carolina counties have all or part of the county designated as short of primary care providers (96% of 100). 8 are designated as a whole county: Anson, Camden, Hyde, Northampton, Onslow, Person, Tyrrell, Washington. In the other 88, part of the county or a population group (such as low-income residents) is designated.
Which North Carolina county has the greatest need for primary care?
Edgecombe has the highest primary care shortage score in North Carolina: 22 on a scale of 0 to 25, where higher means greater need. Next highest: Scotland (22), Warren (22), Chowan (21), Forsyth (20).
Is there a mental health care shortage in North Carolina?
99 North Carolina counties have a mental health shortage designation (99% of counties, against 93% nationally), 19 of them for the whole county. The highest mental health score is in Edgecombe (19 of 25). 94 counties have a dental shortage designation.
How does North Carolina compare with the rest of the U.S.?
96% of North Carolina's counties have a primary care shortage designation, higher than the national figure of 88% (2,759 of 3,143 counties). Many designations cover only part of a county or a population group, so a county being listed doesn't mean every resident lacks care.
What do the shortage scores mean?
HRSA scores each shortage area on how severe the need is, using things like the ratio of people to providers, poverty and travel time to care. Scores run from 0 to 25 for primary care and mental health, and from 0 to 26 for dental care. Higher scores mean greater need, and the highest-scoring areas get priority for National Health Service Corps clinicians.
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Shortage areas in every state
HRSA designates Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) where there are too few providers for the population: for primary care, generally fewer than one doctor for every 3,500 people (or 3,000 in high-need areas). Designations unlock federal programs such as National Health Service Corps clinicians and Medicare bonus payments. About the data.
Shortage areas in other states
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