TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Karnes County, TX
Peak severity leads this reading: Karnes County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 14,710.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 14,710
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- 61.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Karnes County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Mental-health shortages
- 18
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Karnes 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 18.0 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.
-
Closing Karnes County's active designations would take about 1.4 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.3 primary care, 0.6 mental health, 0.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Karnes County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).
Karnes County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
10 Census ZCTAs intersect Karnes County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
2 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.
Karnes County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
6 Top 46% higher than 54% of 3,289 real US counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026
State peer position. Karnes County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 254. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 48255. Population: 14,710.
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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Karnes County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Karnes County | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Kenedy Family Practice | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI - Karnes County | dental | 17.0 |
| Kenedy Family Practice | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Kenedy Family Practice | dental | 15.0 |
| Karnes County | primary_care | 10.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Karnes County
Peak severity leads this reading: Karnes County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Karnes County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 18.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 15.0 of 25; Dental care reads 17.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Karnes County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Karnes County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 254. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Karnes County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Karnes County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Karnes County's active designations: about 1.4 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 Karnes 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 Karnes County's designations
Karnes County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Karnes County's 6 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 mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Karnes County's 18.0. Open Hendricks County, IN or Berrien County, MI next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Karnes County's mental score of 18.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 18.0 (severity lead on this page is “Karnes County”).
Hendricks County, IN
18.0 mental score · 174,788 pop.
Berrien County, MI
18.0 mental score · 154,316 pop.
Skagit County, WA
18.0 mental score · 129,523 pop.
Northwest Hills County, CT
18.0 mental score · 112,696 pop.
Will County, IL
18.0 mental score · 696,355 pop.
Galveston County, TX
18.0 mental score · 350,682 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Karnes County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Karnes County carries an MUA designation (index 61.0; 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 Karnes County's peak score of 18.0?
- "Karnes County" leads the active set (score 18.0; mental health; 11,353 people in the service area; ~0.6 FTE still needed on the record; designated 02/11/2008). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Karnes County's severity reading?
- After "Karnes County", the next active names on this release are "Karnes County", "KENEDY FAMILY PRACTICE", "LI - Karnes County" and "KENEDY FAMILY PRACTICE". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~1.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Karnes County's high-severity geography?
- Karnes County's 6 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 "Karnes County".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48255. 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 48255 (Karnes County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 18.0; signature peak score 18.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.