TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Howard County, TX
Designation volume is the standout signal for Howard County: 12 active HPSA records, above 85% of real US counties. Population 34,860.
- Active HPSAs
- 12
- Population
- 34,860
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- -
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Howard 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
- Primary-care shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 15%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Howard 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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Peak HPSA score 21.0 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.
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Closing Howard County's active designations would take about 7.2 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.8 primary care, 2.2 mental health, 3.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Howard 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 Howard County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 6 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Howard 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, Howard 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. Howard 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: 48227. Population: 34,860.
Peak severity scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Howard County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. 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 Howard County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Fci - Big Spring | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Fci - Big Spring | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Howard County | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI - Howard County | dental | 18.0 |
| Fci - Big Spring | dental | 18.0 |
| Access Medical Clinic Texas | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Access Medical Clinic Texas | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Access Medical Clinic Texas | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Access Medical Clinic Texas | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Access Medical Clinic Texas | dental | 15.0 |
| Access Medical Clinic Texas | dental | 15.0 |
| Howard County | primary_care | 13.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Howard County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Howard County: 12 active HPSA records, above 85% of real US counties. Howard County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health: both scored 21.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Dental care reads 18.0 of 26. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Howard County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Volume places Howard 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 21.0. 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.
Howard 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.
Howard County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
4 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
4 designations
- Dental
Dental
4 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Howard County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Howard County's active designations: about 7.2 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 Howard 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
Howard County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Howard 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 Primary Care Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA primary-care HPSA score is closest to Howard County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Honolulu County, HI and Montgomery County, TX.
Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Howard County (12 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 12 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What makes up Howard County's 12 active HPSA designations?
- 12 Designated rows (4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "FCI - Big Spring" (score 21.0; primary care; 1,150 people in the service area; ~1.2 FTE still needed on the record; designated 05/18/2021). Also active: "FCI - Big Spring", "Howard County", "LI - Howard County". Above 85% of real US counties by volume.
- Why is Howard County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Howard County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Howard County?
- Peak active score 21.0 in primary care and mental health clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 12 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Howard County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 7.2 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "FCI - Big Spring" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Howard County's designation volume?
- 12 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
- How does Howard County's volume compare inside TX?
- 12 active HPSA rows · peak 21.0. Howard County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 254. Score-nearest counties on this release include Honolulu County, HI and Montgomery County, TX.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48227. 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 48227 (Howard County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 12; peak score 21.0; signature 12 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.