Health · Bear Creek

Bear Creek, CA health

On most measures Bear Creek looks like California as a whole. It has fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth (4.7% vs 10.6%) and more adults screened for colon cancer (63.2% vs 57.5%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · CDC's estimate for Bear Creek
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 346 people are less certain, so we show Bear Creek's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Bear Creek compares with California

Each theme counts how many of its measures are better, worse or too close to call against the state. Tap one to jump to it.

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Bear Creek adults…

32 of every 100 Bear Creek adults have high blood pressure
California: 31 in 100 · too close to call · margin 27.8–35.9%

Bars show Bear Creek; the black tick is California. Tap a condition to see it as people.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Bear Creek, betterBear Creek, worseToo close to callCalifornia
Get no exerciseshare of adults 26.8% Bear Creek
CA 24.6%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 34.1% Bear Creek
CA 35.1%
Binge drinkshare of adults 15.8% Bear Creek
CA 15.3%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 8.9% Bear Creek
CA 10.9%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Bear Creek adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks California.

73%
Yearly checkup
CA 72%
67%
Dentist visit
CA 63%
87%
Cholesterol check
CA 85%
63%
Colon screening
CA 58%
74%
Mammogram
CA 76%
72%
Taking BP meds
CA 71%
1 in 8
working-age adults has no health insurance
Bear Creek 12.8% · California 1 in 9 (10.6%)
Mind & connection

How Bear Creek adults are doing

1 in 3Bear Creek adults feel lonely
35.2% · California 37.3% · too close to call
1 in 5Bear Creek adults have been diagnosed with depression
19.2% · California 20.1% · too close to call
1 in 4Bear Creek adults lack social or emotional support
25.9% · California 28.6% · too close to call
1 in 6Bear Creek adults are in frequent mental distress
15.4% · California 16.4% · too close to call
Everyday needs

Making ends meet

Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.

1 in 5
Bear Creek adults worry about having enough food
18.4% · CA 17.9% · about the same
1 in 6
Bear Creek adults worry about keeping their housing
16.4% · CA 14.9% · about the same
1 in 12
Bear Creek adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
8.2% · CA 7.3% · about the same
1 in 10
Bear Creek adults lack reliable transportation
9.6% · CA 9.3% · about the same

14.8% of Bear Creek adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 15.6% across California.

Disability

Living with a disability

30.5%

of Bear Creek adults live with a disability (California 30.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs14.6%
Thinking or memory14.1%
Hearing6.4%
Errands alone7.8%
Vision6.3%
Dressing or bathing4.1%

Black tick: California. Shown without a better/worse judgment.

Getting care

Care in and near Bear Creek

No hospital or community health center in Bear Creek itself. These are the nearest.

HNearest ERMercy Medical CenterMerced · 4 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyMemorial Hospital Los Banos★★★★★ · 29.2 miDirections →
+Low-cost careCommunity Health Centers of AmericaMerced · 3.2 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
3.2 mi
Community Health Centers of America
2 sites · nearest in Merced
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
3.9 mi
Golden Valley Health Centers
6 sites · nearest in Merced
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
4 mi
Mercy Medical Center
Merced · ★★★★★
ER
27.5 mi
Emanuel Medical Center
Turlock · ★★★★★
ER
28 mi
John C Fremont Healthcare District
Mariposa · not rated
ERRural critical access
29.2 mi
Memorial Hospital Los Banos
Los Banos · ★★★★★
ER
✓ Primary careBear Creek is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careBear Creek is not a shortage area
! Mental healthBear Creek's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Merced County · need score 12 of 25

Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Community health centers charge on a sliding scale by income. Distances are straight-line from the center of Bear Creek. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Bear Creek
MeasureBear CreekMarginCalifornia
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure31.8%27.8–35.9%30.5%about the same
High cholesterol36.7%32.5–40.9%35.4%about the same
Obesity32.2%25.2–39.8%27.8%about the same
Arthritis21.1%18.3–24.2%20.8%about the same
Depression19.2%16.2–22.5%20.1%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)4.7%3.7–5.8%10.6%better
Asthma9.2%8–10.4%9.3%about the same
Cancer (not skin)6.1%5.4–6.8%6.4%about the same
Diabetes13.2%11.2–15.3%11.7%about the same
COPD4.4%3.6–5.3%5.1%about the same
Heart disease5.9%5–6.8%5.6%about the same
Stroke3.2%2.8–3.7%3.1%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes8.9%7.1–11.2%10.9%about the same
Binge drink15.8%13–18.9%15.3%about the same
Get no exercise26.8%21.7–32.2%24.6%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours34.1%28.2–40.6%35.1%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup72.8%68.9–76.5%71.9%about the same
Dentist visit67.3%64–70.7%62.8%better
Cholesterol check86.6%84.1–88.7%85.4%about the same
Colon screening63.2%58.2–68.3%57.5%better
Mammogram74%66.3–81.3%75.7%about the same
Taking BP meds72.4%69.2–75.4%71.3%about the same
No health insurance12.8%9.7–16.7%10.6%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely35.2%29.9–40.5%37.3%about the same
Lack emotional support25.9%22–30.2%28.6%about the same
Frequent mental distress15.4%13.3–17.7%16.4%about the same
Fair or poor health23%19.1–27.3%22.1%about the same
Frequent physical distress13.6%11.5–15.8%13.4%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity18.4%14.1–23%17.9%about the same
Housing insecurity16.4%13–19.9%14.9%about the same
Utility shut-off threat8.2%6.7–9.9%7.3%about the same
No reliable transportation9.6%7.8–11.6%9.3%about the same
Receive SNAP14.8%11.3–18.8%15.6%
Disability
Any disability30.5%25.8–35.5%30.4%
Walking or climbing stairs14.6%12.1–17.6%13.8%
Thinking or memory14.1%11.8–16.8%14.6%
Hearing6.4%5.5–7.3%5.9%
Vision6.3%5.3–7.5%5.6%
Dressing or bathing4.1%3.4–4.9%3.9%
Errands alone7.8%6.5–9.3%8.1%
About these numbers

How CDC estimates town health

They're modeled estimatesCDC combines a large national health survey with each area's age, sex, race and income mix to estimate local rates. Nobody surveyed Bear Creek door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the California figure falls inside it, we don't call Bear Creek better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Bear Creek directly, so these are its own figures.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The California figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population.

Health estimates: CDC PLACES. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01