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
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.
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).
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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" 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.