TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Frio County, TX
Peak severity leads this reading: Frio County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 18,385.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 18,385
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 60.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Frio County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Primary-care shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Frio 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 21.0 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 Frio County's active designations would take about 18 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 6.1 primary care, 4.6 mental health, 6.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Frio County's 9 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Frio County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Frio 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Frio County carries 9 active designations, above 75% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Frio County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 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: 48163. Population: 18,385.
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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Frio County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Immigration Customs Enforcement-S Texas/Pearsall | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Ice - South Texas Family Residential Center | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Ice - South Texas Family Residential Center | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Immigration Customs Enforcement-S Texas/Pearsall | dental | 18.0 |
| Ice - South Texas Family Residential Center | dental | 18.0 |
| Frio County | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Immigration Customs Enforcement-S Texas/Pearsall | mental_health | 15.0 |
| LI - Frio County | dental | 12.0 |
| Frio County | primary_care | 10.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Frio County
Peak severity leads this reading: Frio County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Frio County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health: both scored 21.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Dental care reads 18.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Frio County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 21.0. 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.
Frio County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 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.
Frio 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
3 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Frio County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Frio County's active designations: about 18 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 Frio 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
Frio County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Frio County's 9 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 Primary Care Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA primary-care HPSA score is closest to Frio County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Brazoria County, TX and Forsyth County, GA.
Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Frio County's primary score of 21.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “Immigration Customs Enforcement-S Texas/Pearsall”).
Brazoria County, TX
21.0 primary score · 372,031 pop.
Forsyth County, GA
21.0 primary score · 251,283 pop.
Sumner County, TN
21.0 primary score · 196,281 pop.
Maricopa County, AZ
21.0 primary score · 4,420,568 pop.
Hillsborough County, FL
21.0 primary score · 1,459,762 pop.
Kern County, CA
21.0 primary score · 909,235 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Frio County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Frio County carries an MUA designation (index 60.0; 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 Frio County's peak score of 21.0?
- "Immigration Customs Enforcement-S Texas/Pearsall" leads the active set (score 21.0; primary care; 5,474 people in the service area; ~5.5 FTE still needed on the record; designated 11/15/2005). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 9 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Frio County's severity reading?
- After "Immigration Customs Enforcement-S Texas/Pearsall", the next active names on this release are "Immigration Customs Enforcement-S Texas/Pearsall", "ICE - South Texas Family Residential Center", "ICE - South Texas Family Residential Center" and "Immigration Customs Enforcement-S Texas/Pearsall". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~18 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Frio County's high-severity geography?
- Frio County's 9 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 "Immigration Customs Enforcement-S Texas/Pearsall".
- How does Frio County's peak severity sit inside TX?
- Frio County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 21.0. Frio County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 254. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Brazoria County, TX and Forsyth County, GA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48163. 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 48163 (Frio County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.