County health data
Avery County, NC
CDC PLACES estimates diabetes at 12.9% of adults in Avery County (North Carolina: 12.4%). This county has 8 HRSA shortage designations, 1 hospital, and 4 health center sites.
License. US government work, Public Domain Mark 1.0.
For help with food, housing, utilities, or rides in Avery County, call 211 or visit 211.org.
Health measures compared with the state
40 measures for adults in Avery County (about 15,011 adults). 24 have a North Carolina figure from the same survey.
Largest differences from the North Carolina figure: arthritis 31.5% vs 27.2% (+4.3 points), no leisure-time physical activity 25.4% vs 21.8% (+3.6 points), and coronary heart disease 8.4% vs 4.9% (+3.5 points).
Health Outcomes
| Measure | Avery County | North Carolina | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 31.5% | 27.2% | 26.3% | 2023 |
| High blood pressure | 39.9% | 37.5% | 34.0% | 2023 |
| Cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer | 9.9% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Current asthma | 10.6% | 10.0% | 10.2% | 2023 |
| Coronary heart disease | 8.4% | 4.9% | 4.0% | 2023 |
| COPD | 9.2% | 7.0% | 6.3% | 2023 |
| Depression | 25.2% | 23.1% | 21.8% | 2023 |
| Diagnosed diabetes | 12.9% | 12.4% | 11.8% | 2023 |
| High cholesterol, adults ever screened | 38.9% | 36.3% | 37.2% | 2023 |
| Obesity | 37.1% | 34.0% | 34.4% | 2023 |
| Stroke | 4.2% | 3.9% | 3.3% | 2023 |
| All teeth lost, ages 65 and older | 13.5% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Prevention
| Measure | Avery County | North Carolina | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, ages 18 to 64 | 10.8% | 12.0% | 9.3% | 2023 |
| Taking blood pressure medicine, adults with high blood pressure | 78.3% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Routine checkup in the past year | 79.7% | 80.5% | 78.4% | 2023 |
| Cholesterol screening | 86.9% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Colorectal cancer screening, ages 45 to 75 | 66.1% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Dental visit in the past year | 62.6% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Mammogram, women ages 50 to 74 | 75.2% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Risk Behaviors
| Measure | Avery County | North Carolina | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking | 15.1% | 13.6% | 15.1% | 2023 |
| Current smoking | 15.8% | 13.2% | 12.1% | 2023 |
| No leisure-time physical activity | 25.4% | 21.8% | 24.5% | 2023 |
| Short sleep | 32.1% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Status
| Measure | Avery County | North Carolina | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health | 21.0% | 19.4% | 18.5% | 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress | 16.8% | 15.2% | 15.4% | 2023 |
| Frequent physical distress | 14.5% | 12.2% | 12.6% | 2023 |
Disability
| Measure | Avery County | North Carolina | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability | 15.8% | 14.8% | 13.7% | 2023 |
| Any disability | 35.7% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Hearing disability | 9.6% | 7.4% | 7.4% | 2023 |
| Independent living disability | 9.1% | 7.9% | 7.8% | 2023 |
| Mobility disability | 16.4% | 14.0% | 13.4% | 2023 |
| Self-care disability | 4.4% | 3.8% | 3.7% | 2023 |
| Vision disability | 5.6% | 5.9% | 5.0% | 2023 |
Health-Related Social Needs
| Measure | Avery County | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support | 21.2% | 2023 |
| Food insecurity in the past year | 13.9% | 2023 |
| Received food stamps in the past year | 11.3% | 2023 |
| Housing insecurity in the past year | 10.4% | 2023 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past year | 7.7% | 2023 |
| Loneliness | 30.6% | 2023 |
| Utility shut-off threat in the past year | 7.0% | 2023 |
Source: CDC PLACES county data, as of December 4, 2025. Publisher page
Source: CDC BRFSS prevalence data, as of September 15, 2026. Publisher page
Health professional shortage areas
HRSA lists 8 designated shortage rows in Avery County: primary care 3 (highest score 14), mental health 3 (highest score 12), and dental 2 (highest score 16). 3 cover a geographic area or population group; the other 5 are facility designations.
| Discipline | Area or population | Facility | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary care | 1 | 2 | 14 |
| mental health | 1 | 2 | 12 |
| dental | 1 | 1 | 16 |
Area and population designations
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| LI - Avery County | dental | HPSA Population | 16 |
| LI - Avery County | primary care | HPSA Population | 14 |
| LI-Avery County | mental health | HPSA Population | 12 |
Facility designations (5)
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution | mental health | Correctional Facility | 12 |
| Mountain View Correctional Institution | mental health | Correctional Facility | 12 |
| Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution | primary care | Correctional Facility | 6 |
| Mountain View Correctional Institution | primary care | Correctional Facility | 6 |
| Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution | dental | Correctional Facility | 3 |
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
Hospitals and readmission rates
CMS Care Compare lists 1 acute care or critical access hospital in Avery County, 1 of them critical access. None has a readmission rate CMS rates worse than the national rate.
| Hospital | City | Stars | Heart failure | Pneumonia | COPD | Heart attack | Hip or knee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHARLES A CANNON JR MEMORIAL HOSPITALCritical access | LINVILLE | n/a | 21.6% | 17.4% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Each rate is the share of patients readmitted within 30 days of discharge, July 2023 to June 2025. "n/a" means CMS did not publish a rate for that hospital.
Source: CMS Care Compare hospital general information, as of August 13, 2026. Publisher page
Source: CMS Care Compare unplanned hospital visits, as of September 30, 2026. Publisher page
Health centers
4 active health center sites in Avery County, run by 1 organization.
| Site ↑ | Health center | Address | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avery County High School | HIGH COUNTRY COMMUNITY HEALTH | 401 Avery County High School Rd | Newland 28657 |
| Avery County Middle School | HIGH COUNTRY COMMUNITY HEALTH | 102 Old Montezuma Rd | Newland 28657 |
| Avery Dental Clinic | HIGH COUNTRY COMMUNITY HEALTH | 504 Pineola St | Newland 28657 |
| High Country Community Health Avery Medical Site | HIGH COUNTRY COMMUNITY HEALTH | 448 Cranberry St | Newland 28657 |
Source: HRSA health center service delivery and look-alike sites, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
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Neighboring counties
Medicare plans in Avery County, NC
About this data
County rates are CDC PLACES model-based estimates of adults, built from the CDC BRFSS survey and Census population data. State and US figures are BRFSS survey results for the same year. They are not averages of counties, and small differences may not be meaningful.
Shortage rows are HRSA designations with status Designated. Scores run from 0 to 25 (0 to 26 for dental); a higher score means greater need. Hospitals are acute care and critical access hospitals CMS lists in the county, with 30-day rates of unplanned readmission. Health centers are active HRSA-funded and look-alike sites.
Rural health plan initiatives are copied as the state wrote them. Nothing here is medical advice.
Source: CDC PLACES county data, as of December 4, 2025. Publisher page
Source: CDC BRFSS prevalence data, as of September 15, 2026. Publisher page
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page