Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

TX · Healthcare shortage profile

Pecos County, TX

Peak severity leads this reading: Pecos County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 15,193.

Active HPSAs
12
Population
15,193
Peak shortage score
25.0
MUA Index
60.8

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Pecos County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 12 active HPSA designations, more than 85% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

12
Active HPSA designations
4
Dental shortages
25
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 15%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Pecos 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 Pecos County's active designations would take about 2.1 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.4 primary care, 0.6 mental health, 0.1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Pecos County's 12 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 12).

Few Census ZCTAs touch Pecos County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 6 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Pecos County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

1 additional ZCTA 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, Pecos County carries 12 active designations, above 85% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Pecos County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 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: 48371. Population: 15,193.

4
Dental HPSAs
4
Primary Care HPSAs
4
Mental Health HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 60.8

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 22.0
Mental Health 20.0
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 12 active (designated) HPSAs in Pecos County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Cactus Health Services, Inc. dental 25.0
Cactus Health Services, Inc. primary_care 22.0
Pecos County mental_health 20.0
Family Care Center Walk IN Clinic primary_care 19.0
Family Care Center primary_care 19.0
LI- Pecos County primary_care 19.0
Cactus Health Services, Inc. mental_health 19.0
Family Care Center mental_health 18.0
Family Care Center Walk IN Clinic mental_health 18.0
Family Care Center Walk IN Clinic dental 17.0
Family Care Center dental 17.0
Pecos County dental 12.0

Heavy-burden reading for Pecos County

Peak severity leads this reading: Pecos County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Pecos 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 22.0 of 25; Mental health reads 20.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Pecos County above 85% of real US counties (12 active designations: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 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.

Pecos County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 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.

Pecos 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

Heavy-volume FTE gap in Pecos County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Pecos County's active designations: about 2.1 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 Pecos 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

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

  • Pecos County's 12 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 Pecos County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Cook County, IL and Riverside County, CA.

Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Counties near Pecos 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 “CACTUS HEALTH SERVICES, INC.”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Pecos County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Pecos County carries an MUA designation (index 60.8; 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 Pecos County's peak score of 25.0?
"CACTUS HEALTH SERVICES, INC." leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 4,641 people in the service area; designated 09/30/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 12 active rows: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Pecos County's severity reading?
After "CACTUS HEALTH SERVICES, INC.", the next active names on this release are "CACTUS HEALTH SERVICES, INC.", "CACTUS HEALTH SERVICES, INC.", "Pecos County" and "FAMILY CARE CENTER WALK IN CLINIC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2.1 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Pecos County's high-severity geography?
Pecos County's 12 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 "CACTUS HEALTH SERVICES, INC.".
How does Pecos County's peak severity sit inside TX?
Pecos County holds 12 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Pecos County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 254. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Cook County, IL and Riverside County, CA.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48371. 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 48371 (Pecos County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 12; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.