TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Cottle County, TX
MUA standing opens this profile: Cottle County sits inside a Medically Underserved Area indexed at 47.0 (lower index = greater measured need). Population 1,380.
- Active HPSAs
- 2
- Population
- 1,380
- Peak shortage score
- 13.0
- MUA Index
- 47.0
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Cottle County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 2 active HPSA designations, more than 10% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 2
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 13
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 90%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Cottle County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Cottle County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Cottle 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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Closing Cottle County's active designations would take about 0.3 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0 mental health, 0.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Cottle County's 2 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 2).
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Peak HPSA score 13.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Cottle County carries 2 active designations, above 10% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.
State peer position. Cottle County falls in the lower half of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 204 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: 48101. Population: 1,380.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA 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 2 active (designated) HPSAs in Cottle County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-Cottle County | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Cottle County | dental | 10.0 |
Light-burden reading for Cottle County
MUA standing opens this profile: Cottle County sits inside a Medically Underserved Area indexed at 47.0 (lower index = greater measured need). Cottle County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 13.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Dental care reads 10.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 47.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Cottle County carries 2 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 10% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.
Cottle County falls in the lower half of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 204 of 254. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Light-volume FTE gap for Cottle County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Cottle County's active designations: about 0.3 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Score neighbours for Cottle County's MUA-led profile
One peer set beside the MUA standing: nearest primary-care HPSA score.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Cottle County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Cottle County carries an MUA designation (index 47.0; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- How do Cottle County's HPSA rows sit beside the MUA?
- 2 active HPSA designations (0 primary care / 1 mental health / 1 dental); highest-scored active name is "LI-Cottle County" (score 13.0; mental health; 581 people in the service area; ~0 FTE still needed on the record; designated 02/28/2020). MUA and HPSA are separate tracks, one does not substitute for the other.
- What does the 13.0 HPSA score mean next to the MUA?
- 13.0 sits below the 17-point high-priority HPSA line. MUA index 47.0 remains a separate need measure.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48101. This county’s designations come from 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 48101 (Cottle County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 2; peak score 13.0; signature MUA index 47.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.