TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Hidalgo County, TX
Peak severity leads this reading: Hidalgo County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 870,781.
- Active HPSAs
- 10
- Population
- 870,781
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 58.5
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Hidalgo County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 10 active HPSA designations, more than 83% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 10
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 17%
- US counties by volume
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.
Dense ZCTA lattice over Hidalgo County
Hidalgo County intersects 30 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
18 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 Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo County's active designations would take about 104 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 70 primary care, 35 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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70% of Hidalgo County's 10 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 7 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 10).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Hidalgo County carries 10 active designations, above 83% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Hidalgo County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 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: 48215. Population: 870,781.
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 10 active (designated) HPSAs in Hidalgo County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Nuestra Clinica Del Valle, Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| LI - Northwest SA - Hidalgo County | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Nuestra Clinica Del Valle, Inc. | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Nuestra Clinica Del Valle, Inc. | mental_health | 19.0 |
| LI - East SA - Hidalgo County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI - Pharr/ San Juan/ Alamo Service Area | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI - Mission SA - Hidalgo County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI-Edinburg SA - Hidalgo County | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Mhca 38 - Tropical Texas | mental_health | 14.0 |
| LI-McAllen SA- Hidalgo County | primary_care | 11.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Hidalgo County
Peak severity leads this reading: Hidalgo County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Hidalgo 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 19.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Hidalgo County above 83% of real US counties (10 active designations: 7 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 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.
Hidalgo County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 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.
Hidalgo County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
7 designations
- Mental health 2
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental 1
Dental
1 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Hidalgo County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Hidalgo County's active designations: about 104 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 Hidalgo 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
Hidalgo County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Hidalgo County's 10 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 primary care 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 Hidalgo 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Hidalgo County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Hidalgo County carries an MUA designation (index 58.5; 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 Hidalgo County's peak score of 25.0?
- "Nuestra Clinica Del Valle, Inc." leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 359,176 people in the service area; designated 11/26/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 10 active rows: 7 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Hidalgo County's severity reading?
- After "Nuestra Clinica Del Valle, Inc.", the next active names on this release are "Nuestra Clinica Del Valle, Inc.", "LI - Northwest SA - Hidalgo County", "LI - East SA - Hidalgo County" and "LI - Pharr/ San Juan/ Alamo Service Area". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~104 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Hidalgo County's high-severity geography?
- Hidalgo County's 10 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 "Nuestra Clinica Del Valle, Inc.".
- How does Hidalgo County's peak severity sit inside TX?
- Hidalgo County holds 10 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Hidalgo County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 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: 48215. 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 48215 (Hidalgo County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 10; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.