County health data
Jackson County, NC
CDC PLACES estimates diabetes at 12.1% of adults in Jackson County (North Carolina: 12.4%). This county has 9 HRSA shortage designations, 1 hospital, and 10 health center sites.
License. US government work, Public Domain Mark 1.0.
For help with food, housing, utilities, or rides in Jackson County, call 211 or visit 211.org.
Health measures compared with the state
40 measures for adults in Jackson County (about 37,282 adults). 24 have a North Carolina figure from the same survey.
Largest differences from the North Carolina figure: depression 27.2% vs 23.1% (+4.1 points), frequent mental distress 18.3% vs 15.2% (+3.1 points), and coronary heart disease 7.4% vs 4.9% (+2.5 points).
Health Outcomes
| Measure | Jackson County | North Carolina | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 28.1% | 27.2% | 26.3% | 2023 |
| High blood pressure | 35.5% | 37.5% | 34.0% | 2023 |
| Cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer | 8.7% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Current asthma | 11.1% | 10.0% | 10.2% | 2023 |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.4% | 4.9% | 4.0% | 2023 |
| COPD | 8.2% | 7.0% | 6.3% | 2023 |
| Depression | 27.2% | 23.1% | 21.8% | 2023 |
| Diagnosed diabetes | 12.1% | 12.4% | 11.8% | 2023 |
| High cholesterol, adults ever screened | 36.0% | 36.3% | 37.2% | 2023 |
| Obesity | 34.5% | 34.0% | 34.4% | 2023 |
| Stroke | 3.8% | 3.9% | 3.3% | 2023 |
| All teeth lost, ages 65 and older | 14.7% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Prevention
| Measure | Jackson County | North Carolina | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, ages 18 to 64 | 9.8% | 12.0% | 9.3% | 2023 |
| Taking blood pressure medicine, adults with high blood pressure | 76.6% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Routine checkup in the past year | 78.7% | 80.5% | 78.4% | 2023 |
| Cholesterol screening | 84.6% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Colorectal cancer screening, ages 45 to 75 | 63.7% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Dental visit in the past year | 63.2% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Mammogram, women ages 50 to 74 | 76.7% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Risk Behaviors
| Measure | Jackson County | North Carolina | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking | 15.6% | 13.6% | 15.1% | 2023 |
| Current smoking | 14.2% | 13.2% | 12.1% | 2023 |
| No leisure-time physical activity | 24.2% | 21.8% | 24.5% | 2023 |
| Short sleep | 32.3% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Status
| Measure | Jackson County | North Carolina | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health | 19.4% | 19.4% | 18.5% | 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress | 18.3% | 15.2% | 15.4% | 2023 |
| Frequent physical distress | 13.6% | 12.2% | 12.6% | 2023 |
Disability
| Measure | Jackson County | North Carolina | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability | 16.7% | 14.8% | 13.7% | 2023 |
| Any disability | 35.3% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Hearing disability | 8.8% | 7.4% | 7.4% | 2023 |
| Independent living disability | 9.3% | 7.9% | 7.8% | 2023 |
| Mobility disability | 15.1% | 14.0% | 13.4% | 2023 |
| Self-care disability | 4.0% | 3.8% | 3.7% | 2023 |
| Vision disability | 5.5% | 5.9% | 5.0% | 2023 |
Health-Related Social Needs
| Measure | Jackson County | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support | 21.1% | 2023 |
| Food insecurity in the past year | 14.5% | 2023 |
| Received food stamps in the past year | 11.5% | 2023 |
| Housing insecurity in the past year | 10.7% | 2023 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past year | 8.7% | 2023 |
| Loneliness | 34.4% | 2023 |
| Utility shut-off threat in the past year | 7.3% | 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 9 designated shortage rows in Jackson County: primary care 3 (highest score 18), mental health 3 (highest score 17), and dental 3 (highest score 18). 3 cover a geographic area or population group; the other 6 are facility designations.
| Discipline | Area or population | Facility | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary care | 1 | 2 | 18 |
| mental health | 1 | 2 | 17 |
| dental | 1 | 2 | 18 |
Area and population designations
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| LI - Jackson County | dental | HPSA Population | 18 |
| LI - Jackson County | primary care | HPSA Population | 15 |
| Jackson County | mental health | Geographic HPSA | 11 |
Facility designations (6)
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIHA Dental Surgery | primary care | Indian Health Service, Tribal Health, and Urban Indian Health Organizations | 18 |
| MISSION COMMUNITY PRIMARY CARE-CASHIERS | primary care | Rural Health Clinic | 18 |
| CIHA Dental Surgery | mental health | Indian Health Service, Tribal Health, and Urban Indian Health Organizations | 17 |
| MISSION COMMUNITY PRIMARY CARE-CASHIERS | mental health | Rural Health Clinic | 17 |
| CIHA Dental Surgery | dental | Indian Health Service, Tribal Health, and Urban Indian Health Organizations | 17 |
| MISSION COMMUNITY PRIMARY CARE-CASHIERS | dental | Rural Health Clinic | 17 |
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 Jackson County. None has a readmission rate CMS rates worse than the national rate.
| Hospital | City | Stars | Heart failure | Pneumonia | COPD | Heart attack | Hip or knee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HARRIS REGIONAL HOSPITAL | SYLVA | 3 | 20.6% | 17.0% | 19.7% | n/a | 5.1% |
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
10 active health center sites in Jackson County, run by 4 organizations.
| Site ↑ | Health center | Address | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian Mountain Health at Sylva | APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS | 154 Medical Park Loop | Sylva 28779 |
| Blue Ridge Health - Blue Ridge School and Early College | BLUE RIDGE COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES, INC. | 95 Bobcat Drive | Cashiers 28717 |
| Blue Ridge Health - Meridian Bonnie Lane | BLUE RIDGE COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES, INC. | 44 Bonnie Ln | Sylva 28779 |
| Blue Ridge Health - Scott's Creek Elementary School | BLUE RIDGE COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES, INC. | 516 Parris Branch Rd | Sylva 28779 |
| Blue Ridge Health-Fairview School | BLUE RIDGE COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES, INC. | 251 Big Orange Way | Sylva 28779 |
| Blue Ridge Health-Smoky Mountain High School | BLUE RIDGE COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES, INC. | 100 Smoky Mountain Dr | Sylva 28779 |
| MAHEC Health Center at Cullowhee | Mountain Area Health Education Center, INC. | 3971 Little Savannah Rd | Cullowhee 28723 |
| Sylva Health Center | BLUE RIDGE COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES, INC. | 293 Hospital Rd | Sylva 28779 |
| Vecinos, Inc | NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES | 3971 Little Savannah Rd | Cullowhee 28723 |
| Vecinos, Inc. (mobile van) | NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES | 3971 Little Savannah Rd | Cullowhee 28723 |
Source: HRSA health center service delivery and look-alike sites, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
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Medicare plans in Jackson 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