CA · Healthcare shortage profile
Ventura County, CA
Peak severity leads this reading: Ventura County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 843,843.
- Active HPSAs
- 8
- Population
- 843,843
- Peak shortage score
- 22.0
- MUA Index
- 61.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Ventura County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 8 active HPSA designations, more than 73% of the 3,289 real US counties, with dental the deepest gap.
- 8
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Mental-health shortages
- 22
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 27%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Ventura County
Ventura County intersects 34 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
22 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 Ventura 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 22.0 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.
-
Closing Ventura County's active designations would take about 5.9 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 5.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
50% of Ventura County's 8 active designations are dental.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 8).
Ventura County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
8 Top 27% higher than 73% 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. Ventura County falls in the lower half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 45 of 58. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 06111. Population: 843,843.
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 8 active (designated) HPSAs in Ventura County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| County OF Ventura | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Clinicas Del Camino Real, Inc. | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Clinicas Del Camino Real, Inc. | dental | 21.0 |
| County OF Ventura | dental | 19.0 |
| County OF Ventura | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Clinicas Del Camino Real, Inc. | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI-Mssa 241b Oxnard north | dental | 9.0 |
| ME Mssa 237- Santa Paula | dental | 5.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Ventura County
Peak severity leads this reading: Ventura County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Ventura County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 22.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 18.0 of 25; Dental care reads 21.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Ventura County above 73% of real US counties (8 active designations: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 22.0. 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.
Ventura County falls in the lower half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 45 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.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Ventura 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
Ventura County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Ventura County's 8 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 dental 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 Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Ventura County's 22.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Palm Beach County, FL and Duval County, FL.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Ventura County's mental score of 22.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 22.0 (severity lead on this page is “COUNTY OF VENTURA”).
Palm Beach County, FL
22.0 mental score · 1,492,191 pop.
Duval County, FL
22.0 mental score · 995,567 pop.
DeKalb County, GA
22.0 mental score · 764,382 pop.
Pasco County, FL
22.0 mental score · 561,891 pop.
Hillsborough County, NH
22.0 mental score · 422,937 pop.
Chatham County, GA
22.0 mental score · 295,291 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Ventura County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Ventura County carries an MUA designation (index 61.0; 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 Ventura County's peak score of 22.0?
- "COUNTY OF VENTURA" leads the active set (score 22.0; mental health; 134,321 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 8 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 4 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Ventura County's severity reading?
- After "COUNTY OF VENTURA", the next active names on this release are "COUNTY OF VENTURA", "CLINICAS DEL CAMINO REAL, INC.", "CLINICAS DEL CAMINO REAL, INC." and "COUNTY OF VENTURA". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~5.9 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Ventura County's high-severity geography?
- Ventura County's 8 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 "COUNTY OF VENTURA".
- How does Ventura County's peak severity sit inside CA?
- Ventura County holds 8 active HPSA rows with peak 22.0. Ventura County falls in the lower half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 45 of 58. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Palm Beach County, FL and Duval County, FL.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 06111. 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 06111 (Ventura County, CA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 8; peak score 22.0; signature peak score 22.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.