CA · Healthcare shortage profile
Sacramento County, CA
Peak severity leads this reading: Sacramento County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 1,585,055.
- Active HPSAs
- 22
- Population
- 1,585,055
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 57.3
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Sacramento County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 22 active HPSA designations, more than 96% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 22
- Active HPSA designations
- 7
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 4%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Sacramento 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 Sacramento County's active designations would take about 1.4 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.4 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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36.4% of Sacramento County's 22 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 7 primary care, 8 mental health, 7 dental (denominator 22).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Sacramento County
Sacramento County intersects 58 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
46 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, Sacramento County carries 22 active designations, above 96% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Sacramento County falls in the upper half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 23 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: 06067. Population: 1,585,055.
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 22 active (designated) HPSAs in Sacramento County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Wellspace Health | dental | 25.0 |
| Health And Life Organization, Inc. (h.a.l.o) | dental | 25.0 |
| Sacramento County Primary | dental | 25.0 |
| Cares Community Health | dental | 23.0 |
| Health And Life Organization, Inc. (h.a.l.o) | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Wellspace Health | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Sacramento County Primary | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Wellspace Health | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Cares Community Health | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Sacramento Native American Health Center, Inc. | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Sacramento Native American Health Center, Inc. | dental | 18.0 |
| Cares Community Health | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Health And Life Organization, Inc. (h.a.l.o) | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Sacramento County Primary | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Sacramento Native American Health Center, Inc. | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Snahc - Florin Road | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Snahc - Florin Road | dental | 17.0 |
| Snahc - Florin Road | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Galt Medical Services | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Galt Medical Services | dental | 15.0 |
| Galt Medical Services | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Folsom State Prison | mental_health | 6.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Sacramento County
Peak severity leads this reading: Sacramento County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Sacramento 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 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.3, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Sacramento County above 96% of real US counties (22 active designations: 7 primary care, 8 mental health, 7 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.
Sacramento County falls in the upper half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 23 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.
Sacramento 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
8 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
7 designations
- Dental
Dental
7 designations
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Sacramento 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
Sacramento County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Sacramento County's 22 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 Sacramento County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Wayne County, MI and Hennepin County, MN.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Sacramento 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 “WELLSPACE HEALTH”).
Wayne County, MI
25.0 dental score · 1,793,561 pop.
Hennepin County, MN
25.0 dental score · 1,281,565 pop.
Mecklenburg County, NC
25.0 dental score · 1,115,482 pop.
Gwinnett County, GA
25.0 dental score · 957,062 pop.
Hidalgo County, TX
25.0 dental score · 870,781 pop.
San Diego County, CA
25.0 dental score · 3,298,634 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Sacramento County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Sacramento County carries an MUA designation (index 57.3; 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 Sacramento County's peak score of 25.0?
- "WELLSPACE HEALTH" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 360,181 people in the service area; designated 06/16/2008). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 22 active rows: 7 primary care, 8 mental health, 7 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Sacramento County's severity reading?
- After "WELLSPACE HEALTH", the next active names on this release are "WELLSPACE HEALTH", "HEALTH AND LIFE ORGANIZATION, INC. (H.A.L.O)", "Sacramento County Primary" and "CARES COMMUNITY HEALTH". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~1.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Sacramento County's high-severity geography?
- Sacramento County's 22 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 "WELLSPACE HEALTH".
- How does Sacramento County's peak severity sit inside CA?
- Sacramento County holds 22 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Sacramento County falls in the upper half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 23 of 58. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Wayne County, MI and Hennepin County, MN.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 06067. 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 06067 (Sacramento County, CA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 22; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.