PA · Healthcare shortage profile
Cambria County, PA
Designation volume is the standout signal for Cambria County: 12 active HPSA records, above 85% of real US counties. Population 133,472.
- Active HPSAs
- 12
- Population
- 133,472
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 53.8
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Cambria County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 12 active HPSA designations, more than 85% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 12
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Mental-health shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 15%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Cambria County
Cambria County intersects 52 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
40 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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Cambria County, PA 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 21.0 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 Cambria County's active designations would take about 11 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 4.3 primary care, 5.2 mental health, 1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Cambria County's 12 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 12).
Cambria County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
12 Top 15% higher than 85% of 3,289 real US counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026
State peer position. Cambria County falls in the upper quarter of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 67. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 42021. Population: 133,472.
Single high-priority discipline
Cambria County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 4 active mental health designations to Cambria County , with a peak score of 21.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the mental health records.
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 12 active (designated) HPSAs in Cambria County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Fci - Loretto | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Saint Benedict Rural Health Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Johnstown Free Medical Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Cambria County | mental_health | 15.0 |
| LI - Cambria County | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Fci - Loretto | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Johnstown Free Medical Clinic | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Fci - Loretto | dental | 12.0 |
| Johnstown Free Medical Clinic | dental | 11.0 |
| Saint Benedict Rural Health Center | dental | 11.0 |
| Saint Benedict Rural Health Center | primary_care | 10.0 |
| LI-Cambria County | dental | 8.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Cambria County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Cambria County: 12 active HPSA records, above 85% of real US counties. Cambria County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 21.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 13.0 of 25; Dental care reads 12.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 53.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Cambria County above 85% of real US counties (12 active designations: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 21.0. 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.
Cambria County falls in the upper quarter of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 67. 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.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Cambria County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Cambria County's active designations: about 11 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Acting on Cambria County's high-priority mental health
Cambria County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Cambria County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of PA before drawing conclusions from a single score. PA overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Cambria County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Pinellas County, FL and Ocean County, NJ.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Cambria County (12 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 12 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Cambria County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Cambria County carries an MUA designation (index 53.8; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- What makes up Cambria County's 12 active HPSA designations?
- 12 Designated rows (4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "FCI - Loretto" (score 21.0; mental health; 803 people in the service area; ~0.4 FTE still needed on the record; designated 05/21/2021). Also active: "SAINT BENEDICT RURAL HEALTH CENTER", "JOHNSTOWN FREE MEDICAL CLINIC", "Cambria County". Above 85% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Cambria County?
- Peak active score 21.0 in mental health clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 12 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Cambria County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 11 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "FCI - Loretto" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Cambria County's designation volume?
- 12 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
- How does Cambria County's volume compare inside PA?
- 12 active HPSA rows · peak 21.0. Cambria County falls in the upper quarter of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 67. Score-nearest counties on this release include Pinellas County, FL and Ocean County, NJ.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 42021. 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 42021 (Cambria County, PA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 12; peak score 21.0; signature 12 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.