Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

CA · Healthcare shortage profile

Shasta County, CA

Peak severity leads this reading: Shasta County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 182,155.

Active HPSAs
40
Population
182,155
Peak shortage score
25.0
MUA Index
58.8

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Shasta County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 40 active HPSA designations, more than 99% of the 3,289 real US counties, with dental the deepest gap.

40
Active HPSA designations
16
Dental shortages
25
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 1%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Shasta 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.

  1. 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.

  2. Closing Shasta County's active designations would take about 22 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.6 primary care, 4.9 mental health, 13 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 40% of Shasta County's 40 active designations are dental.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 13 primary care, 11 mental health, 16 dental (denominator 40).

Dense ZCTA lattice over Shasta County

Shasta County intersects 30 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

18 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, Shasta County carries 40 active designations, above 99% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Shasta County falls in the upper quarter of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 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: 06089. Population: 182,155.

16
Dental HPSAs
13
Primary Care HPSAs
11
Mental Health HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 58.8

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 18.0
Mental Health 17.0
Dental 25.0

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 40 active (designated) HPSAs in Shasta County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Hill Country Community Clinic dental 25.0
Shasta Community Health Center dental 23.0
Redding Rancheria Indian Health Clinic dental 21.0
Hill Country Community Clinic primary_care 18.0
Redding Rancheria Indian Health Clinic primary_care 18.0
ME Mssa 188.1- Big Bend/Montgomery Creek/Oak Run/Round Mount dental 18.0
Shasta Community Health Center primary_care 17.0
Hill Country Community Clinic mental_health 17.0
Redding Rancheria Indian Health Clinic mental_health 17.0
Central Valley Health Care dental 17.0
Shingletown Medical Center primary_care 16.0
Central Valley Health Care primary_care 16.0
Churn Creek Healthcare primary_care 16.0
Churn Creek Healthcare mental_health 16.0
Shasta Community Health Center mental_health 16.0
Central Valley Health Care mental_health 16.0
ME - Mssa 189.2/Redding dental 16.0
Mssa 188.2 - Shingletown dental 16.0
LI-Mssa 186 - Anderson dental 16.0
LI-Mssa 189.3 - City of Shasta Lake dental 16.0
Mayers Rural Health Center dental 15.0
Shingletown Medical Center dental 15.0
Churn Creek Healthcare dental 15.0
Pit River Health Service, Inc dental 15.0
Mayers Rural Health Center primary_care 14.0
Pit River Health Service, Inc primary_care 14.0
Shingletown Medical Center mental_health 14.0
Dignity Health Lassen Medical Clinic- Cottonwood mental_health 14.0
Dignity Health Lassen Medical Clinic- Cottonwood primary_care 13.0
LI-Mfw/mssa 186 Anderson primary_care 13.0
Pit River Health Service, Inc. (Burney) mental_health 13.0
Mayers Rural Health Center mental_health 13.0
Pit River Health Service, Inc mental_health 13.0
Shasta County mental_health 13.0
Pit River Health Service, Inc. (Burney) primary_care 12.0
Mssa 190 - Burney primary_care 12.0
Pit River Health Service, Inc. (Burney) dental 12.0
Mssa 187-Castella dental 12.0
Dignity Health Lassen Medical Clinic- Cottonwood dental 11.0
Mssa 187/Castella/Lakehead/O primary_care 10.0

Heavy-burden reading for Shasta County

Peak severity leads this reading: Shasta County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Shasta 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 18.0 of 25; Mental health reads 17.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Shasta County above 99% of real US counties (40 active designations: 13 primary care, 11 mental health, 16 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.

Shasta County falls in the upper quarter of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 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.

Shasta County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Heavy-volume FTE gap in Shasta County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Shasta County's active designations: about 22 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 Shasta 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

Shasta County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Shasta County's 40 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 dental 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 Shasta 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 Shasta 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 “HILL COUNTRY COMMUNITY CLINIC”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Shasta County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Shasta County carries an MUA designation (index 58.8; 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 Shasta County's peak score of 25.0?
"HILL COUNTRY COMMUNITY CLINIC" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 48,628 people in the service area; designated 09/30/2004). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 40 active rows: 13 primary care, 11 mental health, 16 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Shasta County's severity reading?
After "HILL COUNTRY COMMUNITY CLINIC", the next active names on this release are "HILL COUNTRY COMMUNITY CLINIC", "SHASTA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER", "Redding Rancheria Indian Health Clinic" and "HILL COUNTRY COMMUNITY CLINIC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~22 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Shasta County's high-severity geography?
Shasta County's 40 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 "HILL COUNTRY COMMUNITY CLINIC".
How does Shasta County's peak severity sit inside CA?
Shasta County holds 40 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Shasta County falls in the upper quarter of CA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 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: 06089. 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 06089 (Shasta County, CA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 40; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.