TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Bexar County, TX
Peak severity leads this reading: Bexar County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 2,009,324.
- Active HPSAs
- 15
- Population
- 2,009,324
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 56.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bexar County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 15 active HPSA designations, more than 91% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 15
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 9%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Bexar County, TX on its own pages , computed from the retained designation mirror as of 2026-08-15. Each line carries its own denominator so it can be quoted as it stands.
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Peak HPSA score 25.0 clears HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Scores at or above 17 on the 0–25/26 scales open NHSC placement priority for the matching provider type; eligibility still follows the designated area, not the county boundary alone.
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Closing Bexar County's active designations would take about 137 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 101 primary care, 36 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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60% of Bexar County's 15 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 9 primary care, 4 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 15).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Bexar County
Bexar County intersects 78 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.
Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county
66 additional ZCTAs intersect this county in the crosswalk (ordered by land share).
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bexar County carries 15 active designations, above 91% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Bexar County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 254. Ties share a rank.
Computed from current designated HPSA rows for every five-digit county FIPS. See the placement methodology.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 48029. Population: 2,009,324.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity scores
Current designated records only. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 15 active (designated) HPSAs in Bexar County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| EL Centro Del Barrio | dental | 25.0 |
| Barrio Comprehensive Family Health Care Center, Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| EL Centro Del Barrio | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Barrio Comprehensive Family Health Care Center, Inc. | primary_care | 21.0 |
| EL Centro Del Barrio | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Barrio Comprehensive Family Health Care Center, Inc. | mental_health | 21.0 |
| LI-San Antonio East SA- Bexar County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI- Bexar- San Antonio Northwest SA | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI-San Antonio Southwest SA | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI-South Bexar County SA | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI - Bexar County | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI-San Antonio South SA- Bexar County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI-San Antonio North SA- Bexar Co | primary_care | 15.0 |
| LI- San Antonio Outer North SA- Bexar Co | primary_care | 15.0 |
| CF-Fabian Dale Dominguez State Jail | mental_health | 12.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Bexar County
Peak severity leads this reading: Bexar County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Bexar County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 21.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 56.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Bexar County above 91% of real US counties (15 active designations: 9 primary care, 4 mental health, 2 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 25.0. The table on this page lists the highest-severity records first so a reader can see which named facilities, geographies, or population groups drive that burden without treating the county total as a personal appointment forecast.
Bexar County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 254. Heavy-burden counties are where NHSC placement, Community Health Center grant geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the county boundary alone.
Bexar County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
9 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
4 designations
- Dental 2
Dental
2 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Bexar County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Bexar County's active designations: about 137 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Bexar County, TX · 2026 HRSA designation data updated quarterly; HPSA scores 0-25 (primary/mental) and 0-26 (dental); higher = greater shortage severity. Coverage tiers from U.S. Census ACS PUMS + KFF state tracker.
Acting on a heavy-burden county
Bexar County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Bexar County's 15 active designations make providers here eligible for National Health Service Corps loan repayment, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's primary care burden compares with the rest of TX before you draw conclusions from a single score. TX overview
- Check whether an area clears HRSA's 3,500:1 population-to-provider threshold with the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score. HPSA score lookup
HPSA scores describe shortage severity within HRSA's designation criteria, not the availability of any individual provider. For a specific appointment, contact a provider or your insurer; use HRSA's current tools to verify a designation.
Counties With a Similar Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Bexar County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Montgomery County, MD and Milwaukee County, WI.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Bexar County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “EL CENTRO DEL BARRIO”).
Montgomery County, MD
25.0 dental score · 1,062,061 pop.
Milwaukee County, WI
25.0 dental score · 939,489 pop.
Hamilton County, OH
25.0 dental score · 830,639 pop.
Miami-Dade County, FL
25.0 dental score · 2,701,767 pop.
Tarrant County, TX
25.0 dental score · 2,110,640 pop.
Sacramento County, CA
25.0 dental score · 1,585,055 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Bexar County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Bexar County carries an MUA designation (index 56.0; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Which record sets Bexar County's peak score of 25.0?
- "EL CENTRO DEL BARRIO" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 460,489 people in the service area; designated 12/02/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 15 active rows: 9 primary care, 4 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Bexar County's severity reading?
- After "EL CENTRO DEL BARRIO", the next active names on this release are "EL CENTRO DEL BARRIO", "Barrio Comprehensive Family Health Care Center, Inc.", "EL CENTRO DEL BARRIO" and "Barrio Comprehensive Family Health Care Center, Inc.". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~137 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Bexar County's high-severity geography?
- Bexar County's 15 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, eligibility follows the designated area and provider type, not merely the county line around "EL CENTRO DEL BARRIO".
- How does Bexar County's peak severity sit inside TX?
- Bexar County holds 15 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Bexar County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 254. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Montgomery County, MD and Milwaukee County, WI.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48029. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) , BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_DH.csv (dental) — download the normalized export on our open data page. PlainHealthAccess is not affiliated with HRSA or any government agency.
HRSA Data Warehouse HPSA + MUA/P records for FIPS 48029 (Bexar County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 15; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.