CA · Healthcare shortage profile
Nevada County, CA
Peak severity leads this reading: Nevada County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 102,241.
- Active HPSAs
- 7
- Population
- 102,241
- Peak shortage score
- 22.0
- MUA Index
- 49.7
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Nevada County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 7 active HPSA designations, more than 70% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 7
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Dental shortages
- 22
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 30%
- US counties by volume
Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Nevada 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 22.0 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 Nevada County's active designations would take about 4.3 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 4.3 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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42.9% of Nevada County's 7 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 7).
Nevada County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 Census ZCTAs intersect Nevada County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
4 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, Nevada County carries 7 active designations, above 70% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Nevada County falls in the lower half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 48 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: 06057. Population: 102,241.
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 7 active (designated) HPSAs in Nevada County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Grass Valley Clinic | dental | 22.0 |
| Grass Valley Clinic | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Grass Valley Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Western Sierra Medical Clinic, Inc. | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Western Sierra Medical Clinic, Inc. | dental | 15.0 |
| Nevada County | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Western Sierra Medical Clinic, Inc. | primary_care | 11.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Nevada County
Peak severity leads this reading: Nevada County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Nevada County's deepest shortage reading, 22.0 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 18.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 49.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Nevada County above 70% of real US counties (7 active designations: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 22.0. 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.
Nevada County falls in the lower half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 48 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.
Nevada 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
3 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 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 Nevada 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
Nevada County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Nevada County's 7 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 Nevada County's 22.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Rio Grande County, PR and Carlton County, MN.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Nevada County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Nevada County carries an MUA designation (index 49.7; 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 Nevada County's peak score of 22.0?
- "Grass Valley Clinic" leads the active set (score 22.0; dental; 9,689 people in the service area; designated 05/15/2012). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 7 active rows: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Nevada County's severity reading?
- After "Grass Valley Clinic", the next active names on this release are "Grass Valley Clinic", "WESTERN SIERRA MEDICAL CLINIC, INC." and "Nevada County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Nevada County's high-severity geography?
- Nevada County's 7 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 "Grass Valley Clinic".
- How does Nevada County's peak severity sit inside CA?
- Nevada County holds 7 active HPSA rows with peak 22.0. Nevada County falls in the lower half of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 48 of 58. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Rio Grande County, PR and Carlton County, MN.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 06057. 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 06057 (Nevada County, CA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 7; peak score 22.0; signature peak score 22.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.