How many local health departments are there in North Carolina?

• A. 50 across 100 counties.
• B. 86 local health departments across 100 counties.
• C. 100 across 50 counties.
• D. 120 across 150 counties.

Answer: (B)

North Carolina organizes local public health through district or multi-county departments rather than one department per county. The state has 100 counties, but many counties are grouped into district health departments to share resources and coordinate programs. The current arrangement results in 86 local health departments serving all 100 counties. That setup reflects how public health services are delivered more efficiently across districts rather than strictly one department for every county.

The other options don’t fit this structure: one department per two counties would imply 50 departments for 100 counties, which isn’t how NC districts are arranged; one department per county for 50 counties contradicts there being 100 counties; and having 120 departments for 150 counties is not feasible since departments don’t exceed the count of counties in this system.