CA · Healthcare shortage profile
San Bernardino County, CA
Peak severity leads this reading: San Bernardino County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 2,181,654.
- Active HPSAs
- 63
- Population
- 2,181,654
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 48.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, San Bernardino County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 63 active HPSA designations, more than 99% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 63
- Active HPSA designations
- 21
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 1%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for San Bernardino County, CA 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 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 San Bernardino County's active designations would take about 88 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 57 primary care, 13 mental health, 18 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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34.9% of San Bernardino County's 63 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 22 primary care, 20 mental health, 21 dental (denominator 63).
Dense ZCTA lattice over San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County intersects 100 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.
Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county
88 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, San Bernardino County carries 63 active designations, above 99% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. San Bernardino County falls in the upper quarter of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 58. 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: 06071. Population: 2,181,654.
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
Showing the 40 most-severe of 63 active (designated) HPSAs in San Bernardino County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Inland Behavioral And Health Services, Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| Tri-State Community Healthcare Center | dental | 25.0 |
| HI-Desert Memorial Health Care District | dental | 25.0 |
| Sac Health System | dental | 23.0 |
| San Bernardino Public Health | dental | 23.0 |
| Unicare Community Health Center, Inc | dental | 23.0 |
| HI-Desert Memorial Health Care District | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Unicare Community Health Center, Inc | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Sac Health System | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Fcc - Victorville | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Health Service Alliance | dental | 21.0 |
| Health Service Alliance | mental_health | 20.0 |
| LI Mssa 149-Barstow | dental | 20.0 |
| San Manuel Health Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| ME Mssa-144.3 Twentynine Palms | dental | 20.0 |
| Me/mssa 143-Big River/Needles | dental | 20.0 |
| Tri-State Community Healthcare Center | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Inland Behavioral And Health Services, Inc. | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Sac Health System | primary_care | 19.0 |
| San Bernardino Public Health | primary_care | 19.0 |
| HI-Desert Memorial Health Care District | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Barstow Outreach Office | primary_care | 18.0 |
| San Manuel Health Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI-Mssa 151k Highland/San Bernardino East | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Tri-State Community Healthcare Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| San Bernardino Public Health | mental_health | 18.0 |
| San Manuel Health Clinic | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Loma Linda University Children's Hospital | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Mssa 149 - Barstow | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Barstow Outreach Office | dental | 18.0 |
| Family Health Center OF Joshua Tree | primary_care | 17.0 |
| High Desert Family Medical Clinic | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI-Mssa 150/Baker | primary_care | 17.0 |
| High Desert Family Medical Clinic | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Family Health Center OF Joshua Tree | dental | 17.0 |
| High Desert Family Medical Clinic | dental | 17.0 |
| LI Mfw Mssa 144.2_144.3/Morongo Valley/Twentynine | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Inland Behavioral And Health Services, Inc. | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Mssa 145.1b - Hesperia East | mental_health | 16.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for San Bernardino County
Peak severity leads this reading: San Bernardino County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries San Bernardino 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 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 22.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 48.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places San Bernardino County above 99% of real US counties (63 active designations: 22 primary care, 20 mental health, 21 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.
San Bernardino County falls in the upper quarter of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 58. 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.
San Bernardino 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
22 designations
- Dental
Dental
21 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
20 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in San Bernardino County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for San Bernardino County's active designations: about 88 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 San Bernardino County, CA · 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
San Bernardino County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- San Bernardino County's 63 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 CA before you draw conclusions from a single score. CA 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 San Bernardino County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Montgomery County, MD and Milwaukee County, WI.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near San Bernardino 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 “INLAND BEHAVIORAL AND HEALTH SERVICES, INC.”).
Montgomery County, MD
25.0 dental score · 1,062,061 pop.
Milwaukee County, WI
25.0 dental score · 939,489 pop.
Hamilton County, OH
25.0 dental score · 830,639 pop.
Miami-Dade County, FL
25.0 dental score · 2,701,767 pop.
Bexar County, TX
25.0 dental score · 2,009,324 pop.
Sacramento County, CA
25.0 dental score · 1,585,055 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does San Bernardino County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - San Bernardino County carries an MUA designation (index 48.0; 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 San Bernardino County's peak score of 25.0?
- "INLAND BEHAVIORAL AND HEALTH SERVICES, INC." leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 188,016 people in the service area; designated 11/10/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 63 active rows: 22 primary care, 20 mental health, 21 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under San Bernardino County's severity reading?
- After "INLAND BEHAVIORAL AND HEALTH SERVICES, INC.", the next active names on this release are "INLAND BEHAVIORAL AND HEALTH SERVICES, INC.", "TRI-STATE COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE CENTER", "HI-DESERT MEMORIAL HEALTH CARE DISTRICT" and "SAC HEALTH SYSTEM". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~88 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow San Bernardino County's high-severity geography?
- San Bernardino County's 63 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 "INLAND BEHAVIORAL AND HEALTH SERVICES, INC.".
- How does San Bernardino County's peak severity sit inside CA?
- San Bernardino County holds 63 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. San Bernardino County falls in the upper quarter of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 58. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Montgomery County, MD and Milwaukee County, WI.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 06071. 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 06071 (San Bernardino County, CA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 63; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.