CA · 58 Counties
California Rural Health FAQ
Data-driven answers about California's 477 hospitals, federal grants, health metrics, and access gaps.
🏥Hospital Access & Infrastructure
How many rural hospitals are in California?
California has 477 active hospitals across 58 counties, including 39 Critical Access Hospitals and 34 rural-designated facilities. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
How many hospital beds are available in California?
California's 477 hospitals collectively operate 103,831 beds. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
Which counties in California have no hospital?
2 of California's 58 counties (3%) are hospital deserts — counties with no hospital facility. Residents must travel to neighboring areas for inpatient care. Source: CMS Provider of Services, RHT Compass analysis.
What is the hospital ownership breakdown in California?
Of California's 477 hospitals, 223 are not-for-profit, 8 are for-profit, and 246 are government-owned. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
How many hospitals have closed in California?
10 rural hospitals have closed in California since 2005. Source: UNC Sheps Center for Health Services Research.
💰Financial Health
What is the median operating margin for hospitals in California?
The median operating margin for California's hospitals is -7.3% as of FY2025. 112 hospitals are operating at a loss. Source: CMS Healthcare Cost Report Information System (HCRIS).
How many hospitals in California have negative operating margins?
112 of California's hospitals reported negative operating margins in FY2025, meaning their operating expenses exceeded revenue. Source: CMS HCRIS.
What is the average hospital occupancy rate in California?
The average occupancy rate across California's hospitals is 61.7% as of FY2025. Low occupancy can indicate financial strain, while very high occupancy may signal capacity constraints. Source: CMS HCRIS.
💵Grants & Programs
What federal grants are available for rural hospitals in California?
California receives 20 active HRSA grants totaling $20.7M in FY2025. Programs include Rural Health Outreach ($13.6M), Small Hospital Improvement (SHIP) ($3.0M), Flex Program ($3.0M), State Office of Rural Health ($1.1M). Source: USAspending.gov.
What is the Rural Health Care Services Outreach program in California?
Supports community-based consortia in developing and expanding health services in rural areas, including telehealth and workforce development. In California, this program (CFDA 93.912) provides $13.6M across 17 grants. Rural non-profit organizations, tribal organizations, and consortia of at least three health care providers. Source: USAspending.gov, HRSA.
What is the Small Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) program in California?
Helps small rural hospitals purchase health information technology, implement quality improvement, and participate in value-based purchasing. In California, this program (CFDA 93.301) provides $3.0M across 1 grant. Hospitals with 49 or fewer beds that are not Critical Access Hospitals. Administered through state offices of rural health. Source: USAspending.gov, HRSA.
What is the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant (Flex) program in California?
Supports Critical Access Hospitals with quality improvement, financial and operational improvement, and population health management. In California, this program (CFDA 93.241) provides $3.0M across 1 grant. State offices of rural health apply on behalf of CAHs. Funds flow to state agencies, which distribute to eligible facilities. Source: USAspending.gov, HRSA.
What is the State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) program in California?
Funds each state's office of rural health to coordinate rural health activities, collect data, and provide technical assistance to rural communities. In California, this program (CFDA 93.913) provides $1.1M across 1 grant. One award per state to the designated state office of rural health. Source: USAspending.gov, HRSA.
Who are the largest grant recipients in California?
The largest rural health grant recipients in California are: California Department Of Health Care Access And Information ($7.1M); Reach Out West End ($2.8M); Tahoe Forest Health System Foundation ($1.9M); Open Door Community Health Centers ($1.5M); Ampla Health ($1.0M). Source: USAspending.gov, FY2025.
🎯AHEAD & RHT Transformation
How much RHT Transformation funding did California receive?
California receives $233.6M/year under the CMS Rural Health Transformation Program (CFDA 93.798) for FY2026–2030 — approximately $1.2B over the full five-year period. The lead agency is California Department of Health Care Access and Information. Source: USAspending.gov.
Who manages the RHT Transformation award in California?
California Department of Health Care Access and Information is the designated lead agency managing California's $233.6M/year RHT Transformation award. The performance period runs from 2025-12-29 to 2030-10-30. Source: USAspending.gov.
What is the CMS AHEAD model and how does it affect California?
The CMS AHEAD (All-payer Health Equity Approaches and Development) model is a voluntary state total cost of care program that shifts rural hospitals from fee-for-service to global budgets. California's $233.6M/year RHT award supports the transition. Hospitals can use the AHEAD Readiness checklist at rhtcompass.com/ahead to assess preparedness.
❤️Community Health
What are the key health indicators for California's counties?
Across California's 58 counties, the average diabetes rate is 10.3%, obesity rate is 30.4%, and uninsured rate is 7.2%. There are 6.9 primary care physicians per 10,000 residents on average (2025). Source: County Health Rankings.
How vulnerable are California's communities?
California has 30 high-vulnerability counties based on CDC Social Vulnerability Index scores, with a statewide average SVI of 0.69 (on a 0-1 scale where 1 is most vulnerable). Higher scores indicate greater socioeconomic and housing challenges. Source: CDC SVI (2022).
What health professional shortages exist in California?
California has 3152 Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations: 1255 in primary care, 1258 in dental health, and 639 in mental health. An estimated 54,188,275 people live in underserved areas. Source: HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce.
How many healthcare providers does California have?
California has 32,792 primary care physicians (84.2/100k population), 29,975 nurse practitioners, 16,648 physician assistants, and 37,726 dentists. Average Medicare per capita cost is $13,627 with a 17.2% readmission rate. Source: AHRF 2024-2025.
What are the key health indicators for California at the census tract level?
CDC PLACES data shows California's average county-level rates: diabetes 12.1%, obesity 30.1%, depression 22.4%, frequent mental distress 17.5%, smoking 12.7%, and high blood pressure 33.3%. These are derived from census-tract-level BRFSS estimates. Source: CDC PLACES 2023-2024.
How many Federally Qualified Health Centers are in California?
California has 2703 FQHC sites operated by 170 grantee organizations. 259 sites (9.6%) are in rural areas and 2444 are in urban areas. FQHCs are a critical safety-net for underserved populations. Source: HRSA GIS Portal.
How many Medically Underserved Areas are in California?
California has 214 HRSA medically underserved designations: 172 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) and 42 Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs). The average MUA score is 56.5 (lower scores indicate greater need). Source: HRSA GIS Portal.
🛠️Tools & Resources
Who can help rural hospitals in California prepare for the CMS AHEAD model?
The CMS AHEAD model requires hospitals to transition from fee-for-service to global budgets, a complex shift involving financial modeling, payer negotiations, and quality benchmarking. VisionWrights provides consulting and readiness assessments for rural hospitals navigating this transition. A free AHEAD Readiness checklist is available at rhtcompass.com/ahead.
Where can I find comprehensive data on rural hospitals in California?
Federal data on California's rural hospitals is spread across CMS, HRSA, CDC, and other agencies. RHT Compass integrates 15 federal data sources into a single platform with hospital profiles, county health dashboards, financial benchmarks, and grant tracking for all 477 hospitals in California.
How can I assess my hospital's AHEAD readiness?
The free AHEAD Readiness checklist at rhtcompass.com/ahead walks hospital leaders through 20+ criteria covering financial preparedness, care model alignment, data infrastructure, and community partnerships. It takes about 10 minutes and produces an actionable readiness score.
See the Full California Dashboard
Interactive dashboards, AI queries, and hospital risk scoring for California's 477 hospitals.
Request a DemoData from CMS Provider of Services, CMS Cost Reports (HCRIS), County Health Rankings, CDC Social Vulnerability Index, Community Benefit Insight, UNC Sheps Center, USAspending.gov, and HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce. Last updated: 2026-03-11.