Medically Underserved Area Mono-discipline · mental health

TX · Healthcare shortage profile

Washington County, TX

Peak severity leads this reading: Washington County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 35,805.

Active HPSAs
1
Population
35,805
Peak shortage score
16.0
MUA Index
54.0

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Washington County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 1 active HPSA designation, more than 2% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.

1
Active HPSA designations
1
Mental-health shortages
16
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 98%
US counties by volume
A-
Healthcare Access Score
82/100
Washington County, TX

Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.

Primary care A+
No active shortage
Primary care shortage severity (HPSA score)
Mental health B+
16.0 of 25
Mental health shortage severity (HPSA score)
Dental A+
No active shortage
Dental shortage severity (HPSA score)
Underserved status D
IMU 54.0
Index of Medical Underservice (designated MUA)
Provider gap A+
0.5 per 10K
Unmet provider need (HRSA-estimated) per 10,000 residents

Few Census ZCTAs touch Washington County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Washington 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 Washington 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. Closing Washington County's active designations would take about 1.7 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.7 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 100% of Washington County's 1 active designations are mental health.

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

  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.

Corpus placement

Designated volume without a high-priority score

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Washington County carries 1 active designation, above 2% 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. Washington County falls in the lower half of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 239 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: 48477. Population: 35,805.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 54.0

Active HPSA scores

Mental Health 16.0 Below priority line

Current designated records only · mental health only on this FIPS. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?

Highest-severity HPSA designations

All 1 active (designated) HPSAs in Washington County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Washington County mental_health 16.0

Light-burden reading for Washington County

Peak severity leads this reading: Washington County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Washington County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 16.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 54.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Washington County carries 1 active designation and sits below the national mid-pack (above 2% 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.

Washington County falls in the lower half of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 239 of 254. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.

Counties near Washington County's mental score of 16.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “Washington County”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Washington County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Washington County carries an MUA designation (index 54.0; 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 Washington County's peak score of 16.0?
"Washington County" leads the active set (score 16.0; mental health; 33,890 people in the service area; ~1.7 FTE still needed on the record; designated 02/11/2008). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 1 active rows: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental.
What provider types does Washington County's severity cover?
Active rows break down 0 primary care / 1 mental health / 0 dental. Closing published gaps would take about 1.7 additional clinician FTEs on this release.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48477. This county’s designations come from 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 48477 (Washington County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 1; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.