CA · Healthcare shortage profile
Del Norte County, CA
Peak severity leads this reading: Del Norte County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 27,743.
- Active HPSAs
- 17
- Population
- 27,743
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- 61.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Del Norte County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 17 active HPSA designations, more than 93% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 17
- Active HPSA designations
- 5
- Dental shortages
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 7%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Del Norte 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 24.0 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 Del Norte County's active designations would take about 13 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 7.8 primary care, 3.7 mental health, 1.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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35.3% of Del Norte County's 17 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 6 primary care, 6 mental health, 5 dental (denominator 17).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Del Norte County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Del Norte County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
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, Del Norte County carries 17 active designations, above 93% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Del Norte County falls in the upper half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 29 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: 06015. Population: 27,743.
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 17 active (designated) HPSAs in Del Norte County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Klamath Health Center | dental | 24.0 |
| CF-Pelican Bay State Prison | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Elk Valley Health Station | dental | 21.0 |
| Crescent City Medical Clinic | dental | 21.0 |
| Klamath Health Center | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Elk Valley Health Station | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Crescent City Medical Clinic | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Del Norte County | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Klamath Health Center | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Smith River Clinic | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Mssa 19-Del Norte County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI - Del Norte County | dental | 16.0 |
| Crescent City Medical Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Smith River Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| Elk Valley Health Station | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Smith River Clinic | mental_health | 11.0 |
| CF-Pelican Bay State Prison | primary_care | 6.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Del Norte County
Peak severity leads this reading: Del Norte County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Del Norte County's deepest shortage reading, 24.0 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 21.0 of 25. 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 Del Norte County above 93% of real US counties (17 active designations: 6 primary care, 6 mental health, 5 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 24.0. 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.
Del Norte County falls in the upper half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 29 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.
Del Norte 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
6 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
6 designations
- Dental
Dental
5 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Del Norte County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Del Norte County's active designations: about 13 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 Del Norte 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
Del Norte County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Del Norte County's 17 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 Del Norte County's 24.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with El Paso County, CO and Jackson County, OR.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Del Norte County's dental score of 24.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 24.0 (severity lead on this page is “Klamath Health Center”).
El Paso County, CO
24.0 dental score · 730,395 pop.
Jackson County, OR
24.0 dental score · 223,259 pop.
Navajo County, AZ
24.0 dental score · 106,717 pop.
St. Mary County, LA
24.0 dental score · 49,406 pop.
Aguada County, PR
24.0 dental score · 38,136 pop.
Yabucoa County, PR
24.0 dental score · 30,426 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Del Norte County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Del Norte 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 Del Norte County's peak score of 24.0?
- "Klamath Health Center" leads the active set (score 24.0; dental; 3,277 people in the service area; designated 08/18/2019). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 17 active rows: 6 primary care, 6 mental health, 5 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Del Norte County's severity reading?
- After "Klamath Health Center", the next active names on this release are "Klamath Health Center", "CF-Pelican Bay State Prison", "Elk Valley Health Station" and "Crescent City Medical Clinic". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~13 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Del Norte County's high-severity geography?
- Del Norte County's 17 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 "Klamath Health Center".
- How does Del Norte County's peak severity sit inside CA?
- Del Norte County holds 17 active HPSA rows with peak 24.0. Del Norte County falls in the upper half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 29 of 58. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include El Paso County, CO and Jackson County, OR.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 06015. 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 06015 (Del Norte County, CA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 17; peak score 24.0; signature peak score 24.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.