TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Kent County, TX
Peak severity leads this reading: Kent County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 753.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 753
- Peak shortage score
- 15.0
- MUA Index
- 50.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Kent 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
- Primary-care shortages
- 15
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Kent County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Kent 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 Kent 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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Closing Kent County's active designations would take about 0.4 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.2 primary care, 0 mental health, 0.1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Kent 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).
-
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, Kent County carries 6 active designations, above 54% 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. Kent County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 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: 48263. Population: 753.
Below high-priority line
Kent County is designated, but no active score clears 17
6 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental), and the peak severity is 15.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.
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 Kent County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Kent County Rural Health Clinic | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Kent County Rural Health Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| Kent County Rural Health Clinic | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Kent County | mental_health | 10.0 |
| Kent County | primary_care | 7.0 |
| Kent County | dental | 4.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Kent County
Peak severity leads this reading: Kent County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Kent County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and dental care: both scored 15.0 by HRSA, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Mental health reads 14.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 50.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Kent 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.
Kent 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 Kent County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Kent County's active designations: about 0.4 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Kent County's primary score of 15.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 15.0 (severity lead on this page is “KENT COUNTY RURAL HEALTH CLINIC”).
Walla Walla County, WA
15.0 primary score · 62,584 pop.
Durham County, NC
15.0 primary score · 324,833 pop.
Beaver County, PA
15.0 primary score · 168,215 pop.
Pickens County, SC
15.0 primary score · 131,404 pop.
Miami County, OH
15.0 primary score · 108,774 pop.
Grafton County, NH
15.0 primary score · 91,118 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Kent County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Kent County carries an MUA designation (index 50.0; 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 Kent County's peak score of 15.0?
- "KENT COUNTY RURAL HEALTH CLINIC" leads the active set (score 15.0; primary care; 4,215 people in the service area; designated 02/04/2025). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Kent County's severity reading?
- After "KENT COUNTY RURAL HEALTH CLINIC", the next active names on this release are "KENT COUNTY RURAL HEALTH CLINIC", "KENT COUNTY RURAL HEALTH CLINIC", "KENT COUNTY RURAL HEALTH CLINIC" and "Kent County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~0.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Kent County's high-severity geography?
- Kent 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 "KENT COUNTY RURAL HEALTH CLINIC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48263. 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 48263 (Kent County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 15.0; signature peak score 15.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.