AZ · Healthcare shortage profile
Santa Cruz County, AZ
Peak severity leads this reading: Santa Cruz County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 47,669.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 47,669
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 61.2
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Santa Cruz County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Santa Cruz County, AZ 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 25.0 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 Santa Cruz County's active designations would take about 14 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 5.9 primary care, 2.1 mental health, 6.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Santa Cruz County's 9 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Santa Cruz County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Santa Cruz County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
4 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, Santa Cruz County carries 9 active designations, above 75% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Santa Cruz County falls in the lower half of AZ counties by active-designation volume, at rank 14 of 15. 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: 04023. Population: 47,669.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity scores
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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Santa Cruz County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Mariposa Community Health Center, Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| Mariposa Community Health Center, Inc. | mental_health | 23.0 |
| Mariposa Community Health Center, Inc. | primary_care | 21.0 |
| LI-Nogales | dental | 19.0 |
| LI-Nogales | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Rio Rico | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Nogales | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Rio Rico | dental | 14.0 |
| Rio Rico | primary_care | 13.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Santa Cruz County
Peak severity leads this reading: Santa Cruz County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Santa Cruz County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 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 23.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Santa Cruz County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 25.0. 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.
Santa Cruz County falls in the lower half of AZ counties by active-designation volume, at rank 14 of 15. 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.
Santa Cruz 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
3 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Santa Cruz County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Santa Cruz County's active designations: about 14 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 Santa Cruz County, AZ · 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
Santa Cruz County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Santa Cruz County's 9 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 AZ before you draw conclusions from a single score. AZ 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 Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Santa Cruz County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Wayne County, MI and Travis County, TX.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Santa Cruz County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “MARIPOSA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.”).
Wayne County, MI
25.0 dental score · 1,793,561 pop.
Travis County, TX
25.0 dental score · 1,290,188 pop.
Wake County, NC
25.0 dental score · 1,129,410 pop.
Capitol County, CT
25.0 dental score · 977,165 pop.
Macomb County, MI
25.0 dental score · 881,217 pop.
San Diego County, CA
25.0 dental score · 3,298,634 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Santa Cruz County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Santa Cruz County carries an MUA designation (index 61.2; 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 Santa Cruz County's peak score of 25.0?
- "MARIPOSA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC." leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 21,510 people in the service area; designated 08/28/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 9 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Santa Cruz County's severity reading?
- After "MARIPOSA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.", the next active names on this release are "MARIPOSA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.", "MARIPOSA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.", "MARIPOSA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC." and "LI-Nogales". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~14 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Santa Cruz County's high-severity geography?
- Santa Cruz County's 9 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 "MARIPOSA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.".
- How does Santa Cruz County's peak severity sit inside AZ?
- Santa Cruz County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Santa Cruz County falls in the lower half of AZ counties by active-designation volume, at rank 14 of 15. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Wayne County, MI and Travis County, TX.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 04023. 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 04023 (Santa Cruz County, AZ), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.