County profile
Watauga County, North Carolina
Environmental & community health profile. Fused from EPA, CDC, CMS, and Census data into a single free view.
Opportunity Score
out of 100
Env
36
Disease
30
Provider
37
SDOH
30
Compound Signal Status
No compound signal at the 70th-percentile threshold
Watauga County, North Carolina does not show a compound signal. Scores range from 30 to 37 across the four dimensions, all below the compound-signal threshold. The county sits near the national median on most measures — environmental conditions, disease prevalence, provider access, and social determinants are all within a typical range for US counties.
Environmental Factors
Air, water, and exposure indicators
Top environmental indicators for Watauga County with state and national benchmarks. Full profile covers 40+ metrics on the platform.
| Indicator | Watauga County | NC avg | US avg |
|---|---|---|---|
PM2.5 (annual mean) EPA AQS / EJSCREEN | 5.7 µg/m³ ▼ -12% vs NC | 6.5 | 7.4 |
Ozone EPA AQS / EJSCREEN | 53.3 ppb +0.1% vs NC | 53.3 | 57.1 |
Traffic Proximity EJSCREEN | 266,184 index ▲ +7.4% vs NC | 247,945 | 291,320 |
Superfund Proximity EPA EJSCREEN | 0.00 score ▼ -100% vs NC | 0.08 | 0.16 |
Drinking Water Violations EPA EJSCREEN | 0.16 score ▼ -80% vs NC | 0.82 | 3.39 |
Health Outcomes
Chronic disease prevalence
CDC PLACES model-based prevalence estimates for adults in Watauga County. Full profile covers 15+ health outcomes plus mortality on the platform.
| Condition | Watauga County | NC avg | US avg |
|---|---|---|---|
Current Asthma % of adults with current asthma | 10.9% -1.8% vs NC | 11.1% | 10.6% |
COPD % of adults with diagnosed COPD | 7.0% ▼ -20% vs NC | 8.8% | 8.5% |
Diabetes % of adults with diagnosed diabetes | 9.8% ▼ -30% vs NC | 13.9% | 13.6% |
Coronary Heart Disease % of adults with CHD | 6.3% ▼ -21% vs NC | 8.0% | 7.8% |
Depression % of adults ever diagnosed with depression | 28.5% ▲ +16% vs NC | 24.5% | 22.9% |
Frequent Mental Distress % of adults with 14+ poor mental health days/month | 19.0% ▲ +12% vs NC | 17.0% | 17.1% |
On the full platform
What else is available for Watauga County
The page above is a subset. The free Community account unlocks the full single-county profile — every indicator, every data source, demographics, historical trends, and mortality data. Professional unlocks multi-county comparison, compound signal analysis, service line rankings, and consultant-ready PDF reports.
Full Environmental Profile
All 40+ environmental metrics including toxic releases, hazardous site proximity, PFAS detection, pesticide exposure, and climate stress indicators.
Service Line Opportunities
See how Watauga County ranks for respiratory, oncology, cardiovascular, renal, endocrine, and behavioral health service line opportunity.
Multi-County Comparison
Compare Watauga County side-by-side with neighboring counties across every dimension.
Trend Analysis
5-year sparklines for health outcomes, SDOH measures, and mortality rates so you can see where the county is heading, not just where it is today.
PDF Report Export
Generate a consultant-ready environmental health briefing for Watauga County with methodology citations — drops straight into a CHNA or grant application.
Nearby Counties
Counties bordering Watauga County
Adjacent county profiles with their own scores and environmental health data. Source: Census Bureau County Adjacency File.
Johnson County
Tennessee
68
Elevated
Ashe County
North Carolina
52
Moderate
Caldwell County
North Carolina
52
Moderate
Wilkes County
North Carolina
51
Moderate
Avery County
North Carolina
50
Moderate
Data sources: EPA AQS, EPA EJSCREEN, EPA TRI, CDC PLACES, CDC WONDER, CMS NPPES, Census ACS, County Health Rankings, NOAA ACIS, NCI State Cancer Profiles. Every score on this page is derived from publicly available federal data, fused by the Banana Analytics pipeline.
Methodology: See the full scoring methodology (v1.2.0) for weights, sensitivity analysis, and validation against county-level mortality data.
Last refreshed: April 17, 2026