CA · Healthcare shortage profile
Sierra County, CA
Peak severity leads this reading: Sierra County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 3,236.
- Active HPSAs
- 4
- Population
- 3,236
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- 57.6
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Sierra County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 4 active HPSA designations, more than 44% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 4
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Primary-care shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 56%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Sierra 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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Closing Sierra County's active designations would take about 0.2 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.2 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
50% of Sierra County's 4 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 4).
-
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.
Sierra County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 Census ZCTAs intersect Sierra County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
3 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
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Sierra County carries 4 active designations, above 44% 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. Sierra County falls in the lower half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 54 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: 06091. Population: 3,236.
Below high-priority line
Sierra County is designated, but no active score clears 17
4 active designations sit on this FIPS (1 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 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
Active HPSA 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 4 active (designated) HPSAs in Sierra County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Plumas Hospital - Loyalton Medical Clinic | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Eastern Plumas Hospital - Loyalton Medical Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| Eastern Plumas Hospital - Loyalton Medical Clinic | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Sierra County | mental_health | 10.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Sierra County
Peak severity leads this reading: Sierra County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Sierra 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 12.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Sierra County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 44% of counties) with 4 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (1/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Sierra County falls in the lower half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 54 of 58. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Counties near Sierra 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 “EASTERN PLUMAS HOSPITAL - LOYALTON MEDICAL CLINIC”).
Madera County, CA
16.0 primary score · 156,255 pop.
Hardin County, KY
16.0 primary score · 110,702 pop.
Garland County, AR
16.0 primary score · 100,180 pop.
San Francisco County, CA
16.0 primary score · 873,965 pop.
Clackamas County, OR
16.0 primary score · 421,401 pop.
Norfolk City County, VA
16.0 primary score · 238,005 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Sierra County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Sierra County carries an MUA designation (index 57.6; 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 Sierra County's peak score of 16.0?
- "EASTERN PLUMAS HOSPITAL - LOYALTON MEDICAL CLINIC" leads the active set (score 16.0; primary care; 7,604 people in the service area; designated 11/24/2025). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 4 active rows: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Sierra County's severity reading?
- After "EASTERN PLUMAS HOSPITAL - LOYALTON MEDICAL CLINIC", the next active names on this release are "EASTERN PLUMAS HOSPITAL - LOYALTON MEDICAL CLINIC", "EASTERN PLUMAS HOSPITAL - LOYALTON MEDICAL CLINIC", "EASTERN PLUMAS HOSPITAL - LOYALTON MEDICAL CLINIC" and "Sierra County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~0.2 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Sierra County's high-severity geography?
- Sierra County's 4 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 "EASTERN PLUMAS HOSPITAL - LOYALTON MEDICAL CLINIC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 06091. 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 06091 (Sierra County, CA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 4; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.