County health data
Nelson County, VA
CDC PLACES estimates diabetes at 15.6% of adults in Nelson County (Virginia: 11.8%). This county has 6 HRSA shortage designations (3 area or population, 3 facility) and 7 health center sites.
License: a US government work, in the public domain (Public Domain Mark 1.0).
For help with food, housing, utilities, or rides in Nelson County, call 211 or visit 211.org.
Health measures compared with the state
40 measures for adults in Nelson County (about 12,117 adults). 24 have a Virginia figure from the same survey.
Largest differences from the Virginia figure: arthritis 35.3% vs 27.0% (+8.3 points), high blood pressure 43.4% vs 35.6% (+7.8 points), and no leisure-time physical activity 27.3% vs 22.3% (+5.0 points).
Health Outcomes
| Measure | Nelson County | Virginia | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 35.3% | 27.0% | 26.3% | 2023 |
| High blood pressure | 43.4% | 35.6% | 34.0% | 2023 |
| Cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer | 11.5% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Current asthma | 10.6% | 10.2% | 10.2% | 2023 |
| Coronary heart disease | 9.1% | 4.3% | 4.0% | 2023 |
| COPD | 9.1% | 6.9% | 6.3% | 2023 |
| Depression | 22.5% | 20.4% | 21.8% | 2023 |
| Diagnosed diabetes | 15.6% | 11.8% | 11.8% | 2023 |
| High cholesterol, adults ever screened | 43.8% | 39.3% | 37.2% | 2023 |
| Obesity | 35.2% | 34.3% | 34.4% | 2023 |
| Stroke | 4.6% | 3.7% | 3.3% | 2023 |
| All teeth lost, ages 65 and older | 12.2% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Prevention
| Measure | Nelson County | Virginia | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, ages 18 to 64 | 8.3% | 10.1% | 9.3% | 2023 |
| Taking blood pressure medicine, adults with high blood pressure | 82.5% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Routine checkup in the past year | 82.3% | 80.2% | 78.4% | 2023 |
| Cholesterol screening | 89.7% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Colorectal cancer screening, ages 45 to 75 | 70.6% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Dental visit in the past year | 66.9% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Mammogram, women ages 50 to 74 | 74.9% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Risk Behaviors
| Measure | Nelson County | Virginia | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking | 12.3% | 13.0% | 15.1% | 2023 |
| Current smoking | 13.7% | 10.9% | 12.1% | 2023 |
| No leisure-time physical activity | 27.3% | 22.3% | 24.5% | 2023 |
| Short sleep | 33.8% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Status
| Measure | Nelson County | Virginia | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health | 20.7% | 18.1% | 18.5% | 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress | 15.2% | 15.4% | 15.4% | 2023 |
| Frequent physical distress | 15.2% | 12.7% | 12.6% | 2023 |
Disability
| Measure | Nelson County | Virginia | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability | 14.1% | 14.5% | 13.7% | 2023 |
| Any disability | 35.8% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Hearing disability | 9.4% | 6.5% | 7.4% | 2023 |
| Independent living disability | 8.8% | 7.3% | 7.8% | 2023 |
| Mobility disability | 18.3% | 13.7% | 13.4% | 2023 |
| Self-care disability | 4.3% | 3.3% | 3.7% | 2023 |
| Vision disability | 5.4% | 5.2% | 5.0% | 2023 |
Health-Related Social Needs
| Measure | Nelson County | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support | 19.3% | 2023 |
| Food insecurity in the past year | 11.9% | 2023 |
| Received food stamps in the past year | 10.4% | 2023 |
| Housing insecurity in the past year | 9.0% | 2023 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past year | 6.6% | 2023 |
| Loneliness | 30.7% | 2023 |
| Utility shut-off threat in the past year | 6.1% | 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
For health centers, health departments, and nonprofits
Our community need, ready for a grant
Rivvi opens with Nelson County, VA filled in and writes one cited paragraph and a table: shortage scores and disease rates for this county. Add the other counties you serve.
Write the need statementFree to start. Opens Rivvi, the AI workspace for healthcare teams.
Health professional shortage areas
HRSA, the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, designates Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs): places, population groups, or facilities with too few primary care, mental health, or dental providers. An area designation covers a geographic area or a population group, such as low-income residents. A facility designation covers one site, such as a health center or clinic. Each has a score from 0 to 25 (0 to 26 for dental); a higher score means greater need.
HRSA lists 6 designated shortage rows in Nelson County: primary care 2 (highest score 20), mental health 2 (highest score 20), and dental 2 (highest score 23). 3 cover a geographic area or population group; the other 3 are facility designations.
| Discipline | Area or population | Facility | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary care | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| mental health | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| dental | 1 | 1 | 23 |
Area and population designations
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| LI-Region 10 MHCA | mental health | HPSA Population | 16 |
| Nelson County | dental | Geographic HPSA | 15 |
| Nelson County-GEO | primary care | Geographic HPSA | 11 |
Facility designations (3)
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE RIDGE HEALTH CENTER INC. | dental | Federally Qualified Health Center | 23 |
| BLUE RIDGE HEALTH CENTER INC. | primary care | Federally Qualified Health Center | 20 |
| BLUE RIDGE HEALTH CENTER INC. | mental health | Federally Qualified Health Center | 20 |
In the Type column, a Geographic HPSA covers everyone in the area; and an HPSA Population designation covers one group of people in the area. In HRSA's designation names, LI means low-income residents, and MHCA means mental health catchment area.
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
Health centers
7 active health center sites in Nelson County, run by 1 organization.
| Site ↑ | Health center | Address | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge Dental Center | BLUE RIDGE HEALTH CENTER INC. | 4038 Thomas Nelson Hwy STE B | Arrington 22922 |
| BLUE RIDGE MEDICAL CENTER, INC. | BLUE RIDGE HEALTH CENTER INC. | 4038 Thomas Nelson Hwy | Arrington 22922 |
| MOBILE CLINIC 2 | BLUE RIDGE HEALTH CENTER INC. | 4038 Thomas Nelson Hwy | Arrington 22922 |
| Nelson County High School | BLUE RIDGE HEALTH CENTER INC. | 6919 Thomas Nelson Hwy | Lovingston 22949 |
| Nelson County Middle School | BLUE RIDGE HEALTH CENTER INC. | 6925 Thomas Nelson Hwy | Lovingston 22949 |
| Rockfish River Elementary School | BLUE RIDGE HEALTH CENTER INC. | 200 Chapel Hollow Rd | Afton 22920 |
| Tye River Elementary School | BLUE RIDGE HEALTH CENTER INC. | 5198 Thomas Nelson Hwy | Arrington 22922 |
Source: HRSA health center service delivery and look-alike sites, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
Virginia rural health plan
VA Rural Vitality – transforming health access and outcomes for more than 1.5 million rural residents through technological innovation, workforce development, wellness, and sustainable access
Initiatives, as the state's abstract names them (page 68):
- CareIQ
- Homegrown Health Heroes
- Connected Care, Closer to Home
CMS says the abstract budgets are illustrative and are not award amounts, so none are shown.
Source: CMS Rural Health Transformation Program state project abstracts, as of December 2025. Publisher page
Neighboring counties
Medicare plans in Nelson County, VA
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 accesshospitals 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