TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Refugio County, TX
Peak severity leads this reading: Refugio County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 6,741.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 6,741
- Peak shortage score
- 15.0
- MUA Index
- 58.0
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Refugio 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
- 15
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Refugio County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Refugio County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
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 Refugio 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.
-
Closing Refugio County's active designations would take about 1.9 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.9 primary care, 0.3 mental health, 0.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Refugio 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 15.0 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, Refugio 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. Refugio 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: 48391. Population: 6,741.
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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Refugio County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-Refugio County | dental | 15.0 |
| Refugio County | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Refugio County | primary_care | 13.0 |
Light-burden reading for Refugio County
Peak severity leads this reading: Refugio County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Refugio County's deepest shortage reading, 15.0 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 14.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Refugio 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.
Refugio 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 Refugio County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Refugio County's active designations: about 1.9 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Refugio County's dental score of 15.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 15.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI-Refugio County”).
Parker County, TX
15.0 dental score · 148,222 pop.
La Porte County, IN
15.0 dental score · 112,417 pop.
Dubuque County, IA
15.0 dental score · 99,266 pop.
Crawford County, PA
15.0 dental score · 83,938 pop.
Lonoke County, AR
15.0 dental score · 74,015 pop.
Richland County, SC
15.0 dental score · 416,147 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Refugio County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Refugio County carries an MUA designation (index 58.0; 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 Refugio County's peak score of 15.0?
- "LI-Refugio County" leads the active set (score 15.0; dental; 2,762 people in the service area; ~0.7 FTE still needed on the record; designated 01/10/2020). 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.
- Which other active designations sit under Refugio County's severity reading?
- After "LI-Refugio County", the next active names on this release are "LI-Refugio County", "Refugio County" and "Refugio County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~1.9 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48391. 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 48391 (Refugio County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 15.0; signature peak score 15.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.