0 High-priority · primary care only

TX · Healthcare shortage profile

Walker County, TX

The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Walker County's active designations would take about 34 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 76,400.

Active HPSAs
2
Population
76,400
Peak shortage score
18.0
MUA Index
-
TX state overview → About this data

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Walker County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 2 active HPSA designations, more than 10% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

2
Active HPSA designations
1
Primary-care shortages
18
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 90%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Walker 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.

  1. 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.

  2. Closing Walker County's active designations would take about 34 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 7.4 primary care, 27 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 50% of Walker County's 2 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 2).

Walker County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

11 Census ZCTAs intersect Walker 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

3 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.

Walker County vs. every real US county

Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none

2 Top 90% higher than 10% of 3,289 real US counties

0–20: 3,115 real US counties (95%). This entry sits in this band. 20–40: 128 real US counties (4%). Above this entry. 40–60: 32 real US counties (1%). Above this entry. 60–80: 7 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 80–100: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 100–120: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 120–140: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 140–160: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 160–180: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 180–200: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 200–220: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 220–240: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 240–260: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 260–280: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. This county 0 280 every real US county, bucketed by value

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. Walker County falls in the lower half of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 204 of 254. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.

Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 48471. Population: 76,400.

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 18.0
Mental Health 8.0

Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Walker 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 2 active (designated) HPSAs in Walker County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI-Walker County primary_care 18.0
Mcha 37 - Tri County mental_health 8.0

Light-burden reading for Walker County

The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Walker County's active designations would take about 34 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Primary care is where Walker County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 18.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 8.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Walker County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.

Walker 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.

Walker 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 Walker County

Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 34 FTE across Walker County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.

Acting on Walker County's high-priority primary care

Walker County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Walker County's high-priority primary care designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
  • See how the county's primary care burden compares with the rest of TX before drawing conclusions from a single score. TX overview
  • Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 matching designation count to Walker County's 2

One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 2 - the inventory behind the ~34 FTE published need.

Hartford County, CT

2 active designations

Bell County, TX

2 active designations

Northampton County, PA

2 active designations

St. Johns County, FL

2 active designations

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Walker County?
Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~34 FTE, with mental health the largest slice (27). "LI-Walker County" is the highest-scored active row (score 18.0; primary care; 5,067 people in the service area; ~7.4 FTE still needed on the record; designated 09/11/2001). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Why is Walker County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
Walker County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
Which named designations drive Walker County's FTE reading?
Active names on this release include "LI-Walker County" and "MCHA 37 - Tri County". Discipline counts: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental across 2 designated rows.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48471. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — 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 48471 (Walker County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 2; peak score 18.0; signature 34 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.