Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

TX · Healthcare shortage profile

Fayette County, TX

Peak severity leads this reading: Fayette County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 24,435.

Active HPSAs
5
Population
24,435
Peak shortage score
25.0
MUA Index
59.0

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Fayette County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.

5
Active HPSA designations
2
Dental shortages
25
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 53%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Fayette 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. 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.

  2. Closing Fayette County's active designations would take about 2.4 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.2 mental health, 1.1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 40% of Fayette County's 5 active designations are mental health.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 5).

Fayette County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

15 Census ZCTAs intersect Fayette 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

7 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

Active-designation volume placement

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Fayette County carries 5 active designations, above 47% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Fayette County falls in the upper half of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 74 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: 48149. Population: 24,435.

2
Dental HPSAs
2
Mental Health HPSAs
1
Primary Care HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 59.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 19.0
Mental Health 22.0
Dental 25.0

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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Fayette County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Tejas Health Care dental 25.0
Tejas Health Care mental_health 22.0
Tejas Health Care primary_care 19.0
Fayette County mental_health 13.0
Fayette County dental 4.0

Moderate-burden reading for Fayette County

Peak severity leads this reading: Fayette County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Fayette 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 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 22.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 59.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Fayette County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (1/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.

Fayette County falls in the upper half of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 74 of 254. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.

Fayette County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Fayette County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Fayette County's active designations: about 2.4 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 Fayette 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 Fayette County's designations

Fayette County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Fayette County's 5 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.

Nearby dental score peers

Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Fayette County's 25.0. Open Fulton County, GA or Erie County, NY next.

Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Counties near Fayette 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 “TEJAS HEALTH CARE”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Fayette County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Fayette County carries an MUA designation (index 59.0; 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 Fayette County's peak score of 25.0?
"TEJAS HEALTH CARE" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 9,843 people in the service area; designated 02/19/2010). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 5 active rows: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Fayette County's severity reading?
After "TEJAS HEALTH CARE", the next active names on this release are "TEJAS HEALTH CARE", "TEJAS HEALTH CARE", "TEJAS HEALTH CARE" and "Fayette County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Fayette County's high-severity geography?
Fayette County's 5 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 "TEJAS HEALTH CARE".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48149. 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 48149 (Fayette County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.