TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Shelby County, TX
Peak severity leads this reading: Shelby County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 24,022.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 24,022
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 53.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Shelby 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
- Primary-care shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Shelby County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Shelby County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Shelby 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 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 Shelby County's active designations would take about 10 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 6.7 primary care, 1.2 mental health, 2.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Shelby 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).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Shelby County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Shelby County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 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: 48419. Population: 24,022.
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 Shelby County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Health Opportunities For The People OF East Texas, Inc. | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Health Opportunities For The People OF East Texas, Inc. | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Shelby County | mental_health | 19.0 |
| LI-Shelby County | dental | 19.0 |
| Shelby County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Health Opportunities For The People OF East Texas, Inc. | dental | 17.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Shelby County
Peak severity leads this reading: Shelby County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Shelby 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 19.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 53.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Shelby 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.
Shelby 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.
Shelby 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
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Shelby County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Shelby County's active designations: about 10 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 Shelby 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 Shelby County's designations
Shelby County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Shelby 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 primary-care score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Shelby County's 21.0. Open Cass County, ND or Dallas County, TX next.
Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Shelby 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 “HEALTH OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PEOPLE OF EAST TEXAS, INC.”).
Cass County, ND
21.0 primary score · 184,525 pop.
Dallas County, TX
21.0 primary score · 2,613,539 pop.
Montgomery County, MD
21.0 primary score · 1,062,061 pop.
Davidson County, TN
21.0 primary score · 715,884 pop.
Naugatuck Valley County, CT
21.0 primary score · 451,887 pop.
Greene County, MO
21.0 primary score · 298,915 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Shelby County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Shelby County carries an MUA designation (index 53.0; 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 Shelby County's peak score of 21.0?
- "HEALTH OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PEOPLE OF EAST TEXAS, INC." leads the active set (score 21.0; primary care; 15,144 people in the service area; designated 12/27/2007). 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 Shelby County's severity reading?
- After "HEALTH OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PEOPLE OF EAST TEXAS, INC.", the next active names on this release are "HEALTH OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PEOPLE OF EAST TEXAS, INC.", "HEALTH OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PEOPLE OF EAST TEXAS, INC.", "Shelby County" and "LI-Shelby County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~10 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Shelby County's high-severity geography?
- Shelby 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 "HEALTH OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PEOPLE OF EAST TEXAS, INC.".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48419. 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 48419 (Shelby County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.