TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Lamb County, TX
Peak severity leads this reading: Lamb County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 13,045.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 13,045
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 60.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lamb County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Dental shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Lamb 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 17.0 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.
-
Closing Lamb County's active designations would take about 3.2 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.6 primary care, 0.3 mental health, 1.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Lamb County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).
Lamb County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
14 Census ZCTAs intersect Lamb 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
6 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.
Lamb County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
6 Top 46% higher than 54% 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. Lamb County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 254. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 48279. Population: 13,045.
Single high-priority discipline
Lamb County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is dental care
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active dental care designations to Lamb County , with a peak score of 17.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the dental care records.
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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Lamb County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lhc Family Medicine | dental | 17.0 |
| LI - Lamb County | dental | 17.0 |
| Lhc Family Medicine | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Lhc Family Medicine | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Lamb County | primary_care | 15.0 |
| LI-Lamb County | mental_health | 14.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Lamb County
Peak severity leads this reading: Lamb County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Lamb County's deepest shortage reading, 17.0 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 15.0 of 25; Mental health reads 16.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Lamb County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Lamb County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 254. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Lamb County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Lamb County's active designations: about 3.2 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Acting on Lamb County's high-priority dental care
Lamb County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Lamb County's high-priority dental care designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's dental care burden compares with the rest of TX before drawing conclusions from a single score. TX overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 Lamb County's 17.0. Open Will County, IL or Jackson County, MI next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Lamb County's dental score of 17.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 17.0 (severity lead on this page is “LHC FAMILY MEDICINE”).
Will County, IL
17.0 dental score · 696,355 pop.
Jackson County, MI
17.0 dental score · 160,366 pop.
Florence County, SC
17.0 dental score · 137,059 pop.
Calhoun County, AL
17.0 dental score · 116,441 pop.
Story County, IA
17.0 dental score · 98,537 pop.
Elmore County, AL
17.0 dental score · 87,977 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Lamb County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Lamb County carries an MUA designation (index 60.0; 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 Lamb County's peak score of 17.0?
- "LHC FAMILY MEDICINE" leads the active set (score 17.0; dental; 126,259 people in the service area; designated 08/06/2021). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Lamb County's severity reading?
- After "LHC FAMILY MEDICINE", the next active names on this release are "LHC FAMILY MEDICINE", "LI - Lamb County", "LHC FAMILY MEDICINE" and "LHC FAMILY MEDICINE". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.2 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Lamb County's high-severity geography?
- Lamb County's 6 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 "LHC FAMILY MEDICINE".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48279. 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 48279 (Lamb County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 17.0; signature peak score 17.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.