TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Wharton County, TX
Peak severity leads this reading: Wharton County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 41,570.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 41,570
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- -
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Wharton County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 3
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Wharton 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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Closing Wharton County's active designations would take about 6 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.7 primary care, 1.3 mental health, 3.1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Wharton County's 3 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 3).
-
Peak HPSA score 16.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.
Wharton County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
13 Census ZCTAs intersect Wharton 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
5 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.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Wharton County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.
State peer position. Wharton County falls in the upper half of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 98 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: 48481. Population: 41,570.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Wharton 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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Wharton County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Wharton County | dental | 16.0 |
| LI-Wharton County | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Wharton County | mental_health | 13.0 |
Light-burden reading for Wharton County
Peak severity leads this reading: Wharton County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Wharton County's deepest shortage reading, 16.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 13.0 of 25; Mental health reads 13.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Wharton County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Wharton County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% 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.
Wharton County falls in the upper half of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 98 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 Wharton County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Wharton County's active designations: about 6 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Wharton County's dental score of 16.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Wharton County”).
Orange County, TX
16.0 dental score · 84,808 pop.
Haywood County, NC
16.0 dental score · 62,089 pop.
Campbell County, VA
16.0 dental score · 55,696 pop.
Caldwell County, TX
16.0 dental score · 45,883 pop.
Vance County, NC
16.0 dental score · 42,578 pop.
Iredell County, NC
16.0 dental score · 186,693 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Wharton County's peak score of 16.0?
- "LI - Wharton County" leads the active set (score 16.0; dental; 2,436 people in the service area; ~3.1 FTE still needed on the record; designated 05/29/2026). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Why is Wharton County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Wharton County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which other active designations sit under Wharton County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Wharton County", the next active names on this release are "LI - Wharton County", "LI-Wharton County" and "Wharton County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~6 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48481. 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 48481 (Wharton County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.