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Best Texas Counties for Healthcare in Retirement
Ranked by CMS hospital ratings & physician access · Data last verified 2026-06-10
Weigh healthcare against cost & climate — free 2-minute tool →Healthcare is the factor retirees most often underweight and later wish they hadn't. A bargain home two hours from a good hospital can cost far more than it saves. This page ranks the 30 major Texas counties by the same two things that matter most: hospital quality (CMS star ratings) and access (physicians per 100,000 residents, and whether there's a trauma center). It's the same healthcare measure the comparison tool uses.
All 30 counties, best healthcare first
| # | County | Major city | CMS rating | Physicians / 100k | Hospitals | Trauma center |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarrant County | Fort Worth | 4.5/5 | 310 | 15 | Yes |
| 2 | Travis County | Austin | 4/5 | 350 | 12 | Yes |
| 3 | Harris County | Houston | 4.1/5 | 340 | 45 | Yes |
| 4 | Collin County | Plano | 4.2/5 | 320 | 8 | Yes |
| 5 | Dallas County | Dallas | 4.1/5 | 330 | 22 | Yes |
| 6 | Fort Bend County | Sugar Land | 4.3/5 | 305 | 5 | Yes |
| 7 | Montgomery County | Conroe | 4.2/5 | 310 | 6 | Yes |
| 8 | Williamson County | Round Rock | 4.1/5 | 290 | 6 | Yes |
| 9 | Denton County | Denton | 4/5 | 295 | 7 | Yes |
| 10 | Bell County | Killeen | 4/5 | 275 | 5 | Yes |
| 11 | Lubbock County | Lubbock | 3.9/5 | 285 | 5 | Yes |
| 12 | Brazos County | College Station | 3.8/5 | 290 | 3 | Yes |
| 13 | Galveston County | Galveston | 3.9/5 | 275 | 5 | Yes |
| 14 | Bexar County | San Antonio | 3.8/5 | 280 | 18 | Yes |
| 15 | Smith County | Tyler | 3.9/5 | 270 | 4 | Yes |
| 16 | Hays County | San Marcos | 3.9/5 | 265 | 3 | No |
| 17 | Midland County | Midland | 3.8/5 | 275 | 2 | No |
| 18 | Randall County | Canyon | 3.9/5 | 265 | 1 | No |
| 19 | Tom Green County | San Angelo | 3.8/5 | 270 | 2 | No |
| 20 | Potter County | Amarillo | 3.7/5 | 280 | 4 | Yes |
| 21 | Brazoria County | Pearland | 3.8/5 | 265 | 4 | No |
| 22 | Jefferson County | Beaumont | 3.7/5 | 265 | 6 | Yes |
| 23 | McLennan County | Waco | 3.7/5 | 260 | 4 | Yes |
| 24 | Comal County | New Braunfels | 3.8/5 | 245 | 2 | No |
| 25 | Nueces County | Corpus Christi | 3.6/5 | 255 | 7 | Yes |
| 26 | El Paso County | El Paso | 3.7/5 | 240 | 10 | Yes |
| 27 | Ector County | Odessa | 3.6/5 | 250 | 3 | Yes |
| 28 | Hidalgo County | McAllen | 3.6/5 | 230 | 8 | Yes |
| 29 | Webb County | Laredo | 3.5/5 | 220 | 3 | Yes |
| 30 | Cameron County | Brownsville | 3.5/5 | 220 | 5 | Yes |
CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings (averaged across a county's hospitals) and physician counts from public data. A county with one excellent hospital can rate higher than one with several average ones.
What the ranking tells you
The top of this list is the big metros, and that's not a quirk — Houston, San Antonio, the Dallas–Fort Worth counties, and Austin have the most hospitals, the most specialists, and the highest-rated academic medical centers in the state. If world-class care nearby is your top priority, that's where it lives. The trade-off is that those same counties tend to cost more and run hotter, so healthcare is exactly the kind of factor worth weighing against taxes and climate rather than chasing alone. Many retirees split the difference — a quieter, cheaper county that's still a comfortable drive from a metro hospital.
See how each county scores on healthcare AND cost — run the free tool →Common Questions
Which Texas county has the best healthcare for retirees?
By a blend of CMS hospital star ratings and physician access, Tarrant County (Fort Worth) ranks at the top of the 30 major counties, anchored by Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth. In general the big metros — Houston, San Antonio, Dallas–Fort Worth, and Austin — lead on healthcare because they have more hospitals, more specialists, and higher-rated academic medical centers.
How important is healthcare when choosing where to retire in Texas?
Very — it's often the factor retirees underweight and later regret. A cheaper county two hours from a good hospital can cost far more in stress and outcomes than it saves. The two things to check are quality (CMS hospital ratings) and access (how many physicians per resident, and whether there's a trauma center). Even if you settle somewhere quieter, it's worth being within a comfortable drive of a strong metro hospital.
Do rural Texas counties have good healthcare for retirees?
Generally less than the metros — fewer hospitals, fewer specialists, and often no trauma center. That's not automatically a dealbreaker if you're near a big-city hospital (a lot of Hill Country and suburban retirees rely on Austin or San Antonio), but it's the trade-off to weigh against the lower cost of living out there.
Related
Cheapest counties to retire → · Texas Hill Country guide → · Senior property-tax breaks → · All 30 county profiles →