CA · Healthcare shortage profile
Butte County, CA
Designation volume is the standout signal for Butte County: 23 active HPSA records, above 96% of real US counties. Population 211,632.
- Active HPSAs
- 23
- Population
- 211,632
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- 50.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Butte County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 23 active HPSA designations, more than 96% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 23
- Active HPSA designations
- 7
- Dental shortages
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 4%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Butte 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 20.0 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 Butte County's active designations would take about 20 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 9.4 primary care, 7.6 mental health, 2.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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39.1% of Butte County's 23 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 9 primary care, 7 mental health, 7 dental (denominator 23).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Butte County
Butte County intersects 21 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
9 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, Butte County carries 23 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. Butte County falls in the upper half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 21 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: 06007. Population: 211,632.
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 23 active (designated) HPSAs in Butte County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Valley Indian Health - Chico | dental | 20.0 |
| Feather River Tribal Health, Inc. | dental | 20.0 |
| Northern Valley Indian Health - Children's Center | dental | 20.0 |
| Feather River Tribal Health, Inc. | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Northern Valley Indian Health - Chico Cohasset | dental | 19.0 |
| Northern Valley Indian Health - Chico | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Northern Valley Indian Health - Chico Cohasset | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Northern Valley Indian Health - Children's Center | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Northern Valley Indian Health - Chico | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Feather River Tribal Health, Inc. | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Northern Valley Indian Health - Chico Cohasset | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Adventist Health Clearlake | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Northern Valley Indian Health - Children's Center | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Adventist Health Clearlake | dental | 17.0 |
| Mssa 11 - Berry Creek | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Northern Valley Inian Health - Concord Ave | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Butte County | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Northern Valley Inian Health - Concord Ave | dental | 15.0 |
| Adventist Health Clearlake | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Northern Valley Inian Health - Concord Ave | mental_health | 14.0 |
| ME Mssa 7.1 - Chico | dental | 14.0 |
| Mssa 10/Oroville/Palermo/Thermalito | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Mssa 9-Biggs/East Biggs/Gridley | primary_care | 12.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Butte County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Butte County: 23 active HPSA records, above 96% of real US counties. Dental care carries Butte County's deepest shortage reading, 20.0 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 17.0 of 25; Mental health reads 19.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 50.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Butte County above 96% of real US counties (23 active designations: 9 primary care, 7 mental health, 7 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 20.0. 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.
Butte County falls in the upper half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 21 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.
Butte 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
9 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
7 designations
- Dental
Dental
7 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Butte County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Butte County's active designations: about 20 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 Butte 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
Butte County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Butte County's 23 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 Butte County's 20.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Isabella County, MI and Carroll County, NH.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Butte County (23 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 23 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Butte County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Butte County carries an MUA designation (index 50.0; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- What makes up Butte County's 23 active HPSA designations?
- 23 Designated rows (9 primary care, 7 mental health, 7 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "Northern Valley Indian Health - Chico" (score 20.0; dental; 12,093 people in the service area; designated 01/13/2011). Also active: "Feather River Tribal Health, Inc.", "Northern Valley Indian Health - Children's Center", "Feather River Tribal Health, Inc.". Above 96% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Butte County?
- Peak active score 20.0 in dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 23 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Butte County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 20 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "Northern Valley Indian Health - Chico" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Butte County's designation volume?
- 23 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
- How does Butte County's volume compare inside CA?
- 23 active HPSA rows · peak 20.0. Butte County falls in the upper half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 21 of 58. Score-nearest counties on this release include Isabella County, MI and Carroll County, NH.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 06007. 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 06007 (Butte County, CA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 23; peak score 20.0; signature 23 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.