TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Ector County, TX
Peak severity leads this reading: Ector County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 165,171.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 165,171
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- -
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Ector County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 5
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- 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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Ector 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 23.0 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 Ector County's active designations would take about 4.2 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0 primary care, 4.1 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
40% of Ector County's 5 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 5).
Ector County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 Census ZCTAs intersect Ector 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
3 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Ector County carries 5 active designations, above 47% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Ector County falls in the upper half of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 74 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: 48135. Population: 165,171.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Ector 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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Ector County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Ector County Hospital District | dental | 23.0 |
| Ector County Hospital District | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Ector County Hospital District | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Ector County | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Ector County | primary_care | 12.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Ector County
Peak severity leads this reading: Ector County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Ector County's deepest shortage reading, 23.0 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 21.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Ector County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Ector County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Ector County falls in the upper half of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 74 of 254. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Ector 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
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
1 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Ector County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Ector County's active designations: about 4.2 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 Ector 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 Ector County's designations
Ector County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Ector County's 5 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.
Nearby dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Ector County's 23.0. Open Spartanburg County, SC or McLennan County, TX next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Ector County's peak score of 23.0?
- "ECTOR COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT" leads the active set (score 23.0; dental; 48,946 people in the service area; designated 09/28/2018). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 5 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Why is Ector County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Ector County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which other active designations sit under Ector County's severity reading?
- After "ECTOR COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT", the next active names on this release are "ECTOR COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT" and "Ector County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4.2 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Ector County's high-severity geography?
- Ector County's 5 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 "ECTOR COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48135. 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 48135 (Ector County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 23.0; signature peak score 23.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.