TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Ector County, TX
Home to 165,171 residents, with 5 active HRSA shortage designations.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 165,171
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- -
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Ector County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 5
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Ector 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.
-
40% of Ector County's 5 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 5).
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Closing Ector County's active designations would take about 4.2 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0 primary care, 4.1 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
Peak HPSA score 23.0 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Ector County carries 5 active designations, above 47% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Ector County falls in the upper half of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 74 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: 48135. Population: 165,171.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Ector County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Ector County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Ector County Hospital District | dental | 23.0 |
| Ector County Hospital District | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Ector County Hospital District | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Ector County | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Ector County | primary_care | 12.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Ector County
Dental care carries Ector County's deepest shortage reading, 23.0 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. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Ector County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Ector County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Ector County falls in the upper half of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 74 of 254. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Ector 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
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
1 designations
Clinician FTE gap by care type
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Ector County's active designations: 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 Ector 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 Ector County's designations
Ector County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Ector County's 5 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.
Nearby dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Ector County's 23.0. Open Kanawha County, WV or Wood County, OH next.
Showing 3 of 2746 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Nationwide counties with similar HRSA profiles
Two peer sets for Ector County: active designation volume and primary-care HPSA score, ranked across the national county corpus.
Similar designation volume
Nearest active designation count (5 here).
Similar primary-care score
Nearest active primary-care HPSA score (21.0 here).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many healthcare shortage areas does Ector County have?
Ector County, TX has 5 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 2 in primary care, 2 in mental health, and 1 in dental care, according to HRSA data.
Is Ector County a Medically Underserved Area?
Ector County does not currently have a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) designation from HRSA. However, the county may still have individual HPSA designations for specific provider types.
What does Ector County's HPSA score of 23.0 mean?
23.0 in dental care clears 17, HRSA's high-priority line, which is what makes providers here eligible for NHSC placement and enhanced reimbursement.
What healthcare providers are needed in Ector County?
Based on HRSA shortage designations, Ector County needs additional providers in primary care (family physicians, internists, pediatricians), mental health (psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers), and dental care (dentists, dental hygienists). The National Health Service Corps offers loan repayment and scholarship programs for providers who serve in designated shortage areas.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48135. 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.