CA · Healthcare shortage profile
Monterey County, CA
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Monterey County's active designations would take about 49 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 439,035.
- Active HPSAs
- 28
- Population
- 439,035
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 59.8
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Monterey County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 28 active HPSA designations, more than 97% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 28
- Active HPSA designations
- 10
- Dental shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 3%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Monterey 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 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 Monterey County's active designations would take about 49 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 31 primary care, 2.6 mental health, 16 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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35.7% of Monterey County's 28 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 10 primary care, 8 mental health, 10 dental (denominator 28).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Monterey County
Monterey County intersects 33 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
21 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, Monterey County carries 28 active designations, above 97% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Monterey County falls in the upper half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 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: 06053. Population: 439,035.
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 28 active (designated) HPSAs in Monterey County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| County OF Monterey | dental | 21.0 |
| Clinica DE Salud Del Valle DE Salinas | dental | 21.0 |
| County OF Monterey | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Clinica DE Salud Del Valle DE Salinas | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI Mssa 105-King City | dental | 18.0 |
| Clinica DE Salud Del Valle DE Salinas | mental_health | 17.0 |
| County OF Monterey | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Mee Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic | dental | 17.0 |
| Mssa 104-Big Sur | primary_care | 16.0 |
| ME - MSSA109.2/Salinas | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Mee Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Big Sur Health Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
| ME - Mssa 109.1/Prunedale | dental | 16.0 |
| LI Mssa 109.2 - Salinas | dental | 16.0 |
| Big Sur Health Center | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Taylor Farms Family Health And Wellness Center | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Mee Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| ME - Mssa 107/Soledad | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Mee Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Taylor Farms Family Health And Wellness Center | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Taylor Farms Family Health And Wellness Center | dental | 13.0 |
| LI-Mssa 105-King City/San Lucas | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Mee Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Mee Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic | dental | 11.0 |
| ME-Mssa 106 Bradley/San Ardo | dental | 10.0 |
| Big Sur Health Center | dental | 9.0 |
| CF-Correctional Training Facility | mental_health | 6.0 |
| CF-Salinas Valley State Prison | mental_health | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Monterey County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Monterey County's active designations would take about 49 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Dental care carries Monterey County's deepest shortage reading, 21.0 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 17.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 59.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Monterey County above 97% of real US counties (28 active designations: 10 primary care, 8 mental health, 10 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.
Monterey County falls in the upper half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 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.
Monterey 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
10 designations
- Dental
Dental
10 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
8 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Monterey County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 49 FTE across Monterey County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Monterey 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
Monterey County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Monterey County's 28 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 Monterey County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Ventura County, CA and Placer County, CA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Monterey County's 28
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 28 - the inventory behind the ~49 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Monterey County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Monterey County carries an MUA designation (index 59.8; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Monterey County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~49 FTE, with primary care the largest slice (31). "COUNTY OF MONTEREY" is the highest-scored active row (score 21.0; dental; 68,567 people in the service area; designated 02/11/2020). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Monterey County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "COUNTY OF MONTEREY", "CLINICA DE SALUD DEL VALLE DE SALINAS", "COUNTY OF MONTEREY" and "CLINICA DE SALUD DEL VALLE DE SALINAS". Discipline counts: 10 primary care, 8 mental health, 10 dental across 28 designated rows.
- Do Monterey County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
- Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
- How does Monterey County's FTE burden compare inside CA?
- 28 active designations and ~49 FTE published need. Monterey County falls in the upper half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 58. Score-nearest counties on this release include Ventura County, CA and Placer County, CA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 06053. 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 06053 (Monterey County, CA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 28; peak score 21.0; signature 49 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.