CA · Healthcare shortage profile
San Benito County, CA
Peak severity leads this reading: San Benito County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 64,209.
- Active HPSAs
- 14
- Population
- 64,209
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 57.4
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, San Benito County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 14 active HPSA designations, more than 90% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 14
- Active HPSA designations
- 5
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 10%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for San Benito 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 Benito County's active designations would take about 7.4 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.4 mental health, 4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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35.7% of San Benito County's 14 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental (denominator 14).
Few Census ZCTAs touch San Benito County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting San Benito County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
2 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 Benito County carries 14 active designations, above 90% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. San Benito County falls in the lower half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 34 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: 06069. Population: 64,209.
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 14 active (designated) HPSAs in San Benito County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| San Benito Health Foundation | dental | 25.0 |
| San Benito Health Foundation | primary_care | 20.0 |
| San Benito Health Foundation | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Hazel Hawkins Health Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| San Benito SA | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Mabie First Street Healthcare Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Barragan Family Health Care And Diabetes Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
| ME Mssa 140 - Hollister | dental | 16.0 |
| Barragan Family Health Care And Diabetes Center | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Mabie First Street Healthcare Center | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Hazel Hawkins Health Clinic | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Barragan Family Health Care And Diabetes Center | dental | 11.0 |
| Mabie First Street Healthcare Center | dental | 11.0 |
| Hazel Hawkins Health Clinic | dental | 11.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for San Benito County
Peak severity leads this reading: San Benito County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries San Benito 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 19.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.4, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places San Benito County above 90% of real US counties (14 active designations: 4 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 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 Benito County falls in the lower half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 34 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 Benito County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
5 designations
- Dental
Dental
5 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
4 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in San Benito County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for San Benito County's active designations: about 7.4 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 Benito 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 Benito County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- San Benito County's 14 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 mental health 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 Benito County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Fulton County, GA and Erie County, NY.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near San Benito 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 “SAN BENITO HEALTH FOUNDATION”).
Fulton County, GA
25.0 dental score · 1,066,710 pop.
Erie County, NY
25.0 dental score · 954,236 pop.
El Paso County, TX
25.0 dental score · 865,657 pop.
Miami-Dade County, FL
25.0 dental score · 2,701,767 pop.
Tarrant County, TX
25.0 dental score · 2,110,640 pop.
Philadelphia County, PA
25.0 dental score · 1,603,797 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does San Benito County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - San Benito County carries an MUA designation (index 57.4; 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 Benito County's peak score of 25.0?
- "SAN BENITO HEALTH FOUNDATION" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 13,265 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 14 active rows: 4 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under San Benito County's severity reading?
- After "SAN BENITO HEALTH FOUNDATION", the next active names on this release are "SAN BENITO HEALTH FOUNDATION", "SAN BENITO HEALTH FOUNDATION", "SAN BENITO HEALTH FOUNDATION" and "HAZEL HAWKINS HEALTH CLINIC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~7.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow San Benito County's high-severity geography?
- San Benito County's 14 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 "SAN BENITO HEALTH FOUNDATION".
- How does San Benito County's peak severity sit inside CA?
- San Benito County holds 14 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. San Benito County falls in the lower half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 34 of 58. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Fulton County, GA and Erie County, NY.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 06069. 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 06069 (San Benito County, CA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 14; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.