County health data
Cameron County, TX
CDC PLACES estimates diabetes at 18.3% of adults in Cameron County (Texas: 12.7%). This county has 15 HRSA shortage designations (6 area or population, 9 facility), 4 hospitals, and 9 health center sites.
License: a US government work, in the public domain (Public Domain Mark 1.0).
For help with food, housing, utilities, or rides in Cameron County, call 211 or visit 211.org.
Health measures compared with the state
33 measures for adults in Cameron County (about 306,297 adults). 24 have a Texas figure from the same survey.
Largest differences from the Texas figure: no health insurance, ages 18 to 64 35.9% vs 22.0% (+13.9 points), fair or poor health 31.2% vs 21.9% (+9.3 points), and no leisure-time physical activity 36.9% vs 27.8% (+9.1 points).
Health Outcomes
| Measure | Cameron County | Texas | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 20.1% | 21.0% | 26.3% | 2023 |
| High blood pressure | 34.0% | 32.3% | 34.0% | 2023 |
| Cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer | 4.9% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Current asthma | 8.7% | 8.5% | 10.2% | 2023 |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.1% | 3.3% | 4.0% | 2023 |
| COPD | 6.2% | 5.1% | 6.3% | 2023 |
| Depression | 18.9% | 19.7% | 21.8% | 2023 |
| Diagnosed diabetes | 18.3% | 12.7% | 11.8% | 2023 |
| High cholesterol, adults ever screened | 36.5% | 36.3% | 37.2% | 2023 |
| Obesity | 40.3% | 34.4% | 34.4% | 2023 |
| Stroke | 3.9% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 2023 |
| All teeth lost, ages 65 and older | 16.7% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Prevention
| Measure | Cameron County | Texas | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, ages 18 to 64 | 35.9% | 22.0% | 9.3% | 2023 |
| Taking blood pressure medicine, adults with high blood pressure | 75.7% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Routine checkup in the past year | 71.5% | 73.2% | 78.4% | 2023 |
| Cholesterol screening | 82.4% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Colorectal cancer screening, ages 45 to 75 | 48.4% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Dental visit in the past year | 44.5% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Mammogram, women ages 50 to 74 | 72.5% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Risk Behaviors
| Measure | Cameron County | Texas | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking | 15.6% | 17.0% | 15.1% | 2023 |
| Current smoking | 13.0% | 11.3% | 12.1% | 2023 |
| No leisure-time physical activity | 36.9% | 27.8% | 24.5% | 2023 |
| Short sleep | 39.8% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Status
| Measure | Cameron County | Texas | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health | 31.2% | 21.9% | 18.5% | 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress | 16.5% | 16.1% | 15.4% | 2023 |
| Frequent physical distress | 16.2% | 12.2% | 12.6% | 2023 |
Disability
| Measure | Cameron County | Texas | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability | 18.3% | 15.2% | 13.7% | 2023 |
| Any disability | 37.0% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Hearing disability | 8.1% | 6.2% | 7.4% | 2023 |
| Independent living disability | 11.1% | 7.5% | 7.8% | 2023 |
| Mobility disability | 18.7% | 13.2% | 13.4% | 2023 |
| Self-care disability | 6.4% | 3.6% | 3.7% | 2023 |
| Vision disability | 11.1% | 6.8% | 5.0% | 2023 |
Source: CDC PLACES county data, as of December 4, 2025. Publisher page
Source: CDC BRFSS prevalence data, as of September 15, 2026. Publisher page
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Health professional shortage areas
HRSA, the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, designates Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs): places, population groups, or facilities with too few primary care, mental health, or dental providers. An area designation covers a geographic area or a population group, such as low-income residents. A facility designation covers one site, such as a health center or clinic. Each has a score from 0 to 25 (0 to 26 for dental); a higher score means greater need.
HRSA lists 15 designated shortage rows in Cameron County: primary care 7 (highest score 17), mental health 4 (highest score 21), and dental 4 (highest score 23). 6 cover a geographic area or population group; the other 9 are facility designations.
| Discipline | Area or population | Facility | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary care | 4 | 3 | 17 |
| mental health | 1 | 3 | 21 |
| dental | 1 | 3 | 23 |
Area and population designations
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| LI - Cameron County | dental | HPSA Population | 20 |
| Coastal SA-Cameron Co | primary care | Geographic HPSA | 16 |
| LI-West Brownsville SA - Cameron Co | primary care | HPSA Population | 16 |
| LI-West Cameron County SA | primary care | HPSA Population | 14 |
| MHCA 38 - Tropical Texas | mental health | Geographic HPSA | 14 |
| East Brownsville SA - Cameron Co | primary care | High Needs Geographic HPSA | 10 |
Facility designations (9)
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brownsville Community Health Clinic Corporation | dental | Federally Qualified Health Center | 23 |
| SU CLINICA FAMILIAR | dental | Federally Qualified Health Center | 23 |
| ICE - Port Isabel | mental health | Correctional Facility | 21 |
| SU CLINICA FAMILIAR | mental health | Federally Qualified Health Center | 19 |
| Brownsville Community Health Clinic Corporation | primary care | Federally Qualified Health Center | 17 |
| SU CLINICA FAMILIAR | primary care | Federally Qualified Health Center | 17 |
| Brownsville Community Health Clinic Corporation | mental health | Federally Qualified Health Center | 17 |
| ICE - Port Isabel | primary care | Correctional Facility | 15 |
| ICE - Port Isabel | dental | Correctional Facility | 12 |
In the Type column, a Geographic HPSA covers everyone in the area; a High Needs Geographic HPSA is a geographic designation that also meets HRSA's added tests for high need; and an HPSA Population designation covers one group of people in the area. In HRSA's designation names, LI means low-income residents, and MHCA means mental health catchment area.
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
Hospitals and readmission rates
CMS Care Compare lists 4 acute care or critical access hospitals in Cameron County. The CMS file in this snapshot does not compare these rates with the national rate, so none is marked better or worse.
| Hospital | City | Stars | Heart failure | Pneumonia | COPD | Heart attack | Hip or knee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HARLINGEN MEDICAL CENTER | HARLINGEN | 4 | 20.5% | 16.0% | 18.9% | 14.6% | 5.2% |
| VALLEY BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTER- BROWNSVILLE | BROWNSVILLE | 3 | 20.9% | 18.0% | 20.2% | 16.1% | 5.8% |
| VALLEY REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER | BROWNSVILLE | 2 | 21.1% | 18.2% | 19.3% | 14.2% | 6.6% |
| VHS HARLINGEN HOSPITAL COMPANY LLC | HARLINGEN | 2 | 20.1% | 17.9% | 20.4% | 16.3% | 5.6% |
Each rate is the share of patients readmitted within 30 days of discharge, July 2023 to June 2025. "n/a" means CMS did not publish a rate for that hospital.
Source: CMS Care Compare hospital general information, as of August 13, 2026. Publisher page
Source: CMS Care Compare unplanned hospital visits, as of September 30, 2026. Publisher page
Health centers
9 active health center sites in Cameron County, run by 2 organizations.
| Site ↑ | Health center | Address | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| BROWNSVILLE COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC | Brownsville Community Health Clinic Corporation | 2137 E 22nd St | Brownsville 78521 |
| New Horizon Health Center | Brownsville Community Health Clinic Corporation | 723 Santa Isabel Blvd | Laguna Vista 78578 |
| NEW HORIZON MEDICAL | Brownsville Community Health Clinic Corporation | 95 E Price Rd, Building D | Brownsville 78521 |
| New Horizon Medical Center | Brownsville Community Health Clinic Corporation | 191 E Price Rd | Brownsville 78521 |
| Su Clinica - Administrative Annex | SU CLINICA FAMILIAR | 4501 S Expressway 83 | Harlingen 78550 |
| Su Clinica - Brownsville | SU CLINICA FAMILIAR | 105 E Alton Gloor Blvd | Brownsville 78526 |
| Su Clinica - Harlingen | SU CLINICA FAMILIAR | 1706 Treasure Hills Blvd | Harlingen 78550 |
| Su Clinica - Mobile Unit #1 | SU CLINICA FAMILIAR | 1706 Treasure Hills Blvd | Harlingen 78550 |
| Su Clinica - Santa Rosa Medical | SU CLINICA FAMILIAR | TX-107 & La Feria Ave | Santa Rosa 78593 |
Source: HRSA health center service delivery and look-alike sites, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
Texas rural health plan
Rural Texas Strong: Supporting Health and Wellness
Initiatives, as the state's abstract names them (page 64):
- Make Rural Texans Healthy Again
- Rural Texas Patients in the Driver’s Seat
- Lone Star Advanced AI and Telehealth
- The Next Generation of The Small Town Doctor and Team
- Unified Care Infrastructure and Rural Cyber Protection
- Infrastructure and Capital Investments for Rural Texas
CMS says the abstract budgets are illustrative and are not award amounts, so none are shown.
Source: CMS Rural Health Transformation Program state project abstracts, as of December 2025. Publisher page
Neighboring counties
Medicare plans in Cameron County, TX
About this data
County rates are CDC PLACES model-based estimates of adults, built from the CDC BRFSS survey and Census population data. State and US figures are BRFSS survey results for the same year. They are not averages of counties, and small differences may not be meaningful.
Shortage rows are HRSA designations with status Designated. Scores run from 0 to 25 (0 to 26 for dental); a higher score means greater need. Hospitals are acute care and critical accesshospitals CMS lists in the county, with 30-day rates of unplanned readmission. Health centers are active HRSA-funded and look-alike sites.
Rural health plan initiatives are copied as the state wrote them. Nothing here is medical advice.
Source: CDC PLACES county data, as of December 4, 2025. Publisher page
Source: CDC BRFSS prevalence data, as of September 15, 2026. Publisher page
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page