TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Nueces County, TX
Peak severity leads this reading: Nueces County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 353,178.
- Active HPSAs
- 12
- Population
- 353,178
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 54.2
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Nueces County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 12 active HPSA designations, more than 85% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 12
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 15%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Nueces County
Nueces County intersects 27 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.
Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county
15 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 Nueces 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 25.0 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 Nueces County's active designations would take about 44 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 6 primary care, 6.9 mental health, 31 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Nueces County's 12 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 6 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 12).
Nueces County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
12 Top 15% higher than 85% of 3,289 real US counties
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. Nueces County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 254. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 48355. Population: 353,178.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity 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 12 active (designated) HPSAs in Nueces County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Amistad Community Health Center, Incorporated | dental | 25.0 |
| Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation, Inc. | dental | 23.0 |
| Amistad Community Health Center, Incorporated | mental_health | 20.0 |
| LI-West Corpus Christi | mental_health | 19.0 |
| LI-West SA- Nueces County | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI - Nueces County | dental | 17.0 |
| Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation, Inc. | mental_health | 16.0 |
| East SA - Nueces County | mental_health | 15.0 |
| LI- East Corpus Christi SA- Nueces County | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Amistad Community Health Center, Incorporated | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation, Inc. | primary_care | 12.0 |
| LI-Nueces County | primary_care | 12.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Nueces County
Peak severity leads this reading: Nueces County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Nueces County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 14.0 of 25; Mental health reads 20.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 54.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Nueces County above 85% of real US counties (12 active designations: 3 primary care, 6 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 25.0. The table on this page lists the highest-severity records first so a reader can see which named facilities, geographies, or population groups drive that burden without treating the county total as a personal appointment forecast.
Nueces County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 254. Heavy-burden counties are where NHSC placement, Community Health Center grant geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the county boundary alone.
Nueces County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
6 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Nueces County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Nueces County's active designations: about 44 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 Nueces 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 a heavy-burden county
Nueces County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Nueces County's 12 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 mental health 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.
Counties With a Similar Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Nueces County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Fulton County, GA and Erie County, NY.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Nueces County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “AMISTAD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INCORPORATED”).
Fulton County, GA
25.0 dental score · 1,066,710 pop.
Erie County, NY
25.0 dental score · 954,236 pop.
El Paso County, TX
25.0 dental score · 865,657 pop.
Miami-Dade County, FL
25.0 dental score · 2,701,767 pop.
Tarrant County, TX
25.0 dental score · 2,110,640 pop.
Philadelphia County, PA
25.0 dental score · 1,603,797 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Nueces County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Nueces County carries an MUA designation (index 54.2; 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 Nueces County's peak score of 25.0?
- "AMISTAD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INCORPORATED" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 98,044 people in the service area; designated 01/09/2007). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 12 active rows: 3 primary care, 6 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Nueces County's severity reading?
- After "AMISTAD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INCORPORATED", the next active names on this release are "AMISTAD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INCORPORATED", "COASTAL BEND WELLNESS FOUNDATION, INC.", "AMISTAD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INCORPORATED" and "LI-West Corpus Christi". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~44 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Nueces County's high-severity geography?
- Nueces County's 12 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 "AMISTAD COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INCORPORATED".
- How does Nueces County's peak severity sit inside TX?
- Nueces County holds 12 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Nueces County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 254. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Fulton County, GA and Erie County, NY.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48355. 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 48355 (Nueces County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 12; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.