Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

TX · Healthcare shortage profile

Upton County, TX

Peak severity leads this reading: Upton County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 3,308.

Active HPSAs
6
Population
3,308
Peak shortage score
16.0
MUA Index
56.0

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Upton 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
16
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 46%
US counties by volume
C
Healthcare Access Score
59/100
Upton County, TX

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.

Primary care C-
16.0 of 25
Primary care shortage severity (HPSA score)
Mental health A-
15.0 of 25
Mental health shortage severity (HPSA score)
Dental B+
15.0 of 26
Dental shortage severity (HPSA score)
Underserved status C-
IMU 56.0
Index of Medical Underservice (designated MUA)
Provider gap D
3.6 per 10K
Unmet provider need (HRSA-estimated) per 10,000 residents

Few Census ZCTAs touch Upton County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Upton 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 Upton 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. Closing Upton County's active designations would take about 1.2 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.7 primary care, 0.2 mental health, 0.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 33.3% of Upton 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).

  3. Peak HPSA score 16.0 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, Upton 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. Upton 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: 48461. Population: 3,308.

Below high-priority line

Upton 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 16.0. 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

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 56.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 16.0 Below priority line
Mental Health 15.0 Below priority line
Dental 15.0 Below priority line

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 Upton County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Mccamey Hospital Rural Health primary_care 16.0
Mccamey Hospital Rural Health mental_health 15.0
Mccamey Hospital Rural Health dental 15.0
Upton County primary_care 13.0
Upton County mental_health 12.0
LI-Upton County dental 9.0

Moderate-burden reading for Upton County

Peak severity leads this reading: Upton County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Upton County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 16.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Mental health reads 15.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 56.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Upton 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.

Upton 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 Upton County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Upton County's active designations: about 1.2 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Counties near Upton County's primary score of 16.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “MCCAMEY HOSPITAL RURAL HEALTH”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Upton County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Upton County carries an MUA designation (index 56.0; 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 Upton County's peak score of 16.0?
"MCCAMEY HOSPITAL RURAL HEALTH" leads the active set (score 16.0; primary care; 6,923 people in the service area; designated 10/05/2023). 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 Upton County's severity reading?
After "MCCAMEY HOSPITAL RURAL HEALTH", the next active names on this release are "MCCAMEY HOSPITAL RURAL HEALTH", "Upton County" and "LI-Upton County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~1.2 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Upton County's high-severity geography?
Upton 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 "MCCAMEY HOSPITAL RURAL HEALTH".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48461. 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 48461 (Upton County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.