Desert Center, CA health
Desert Center differs from California on 26 of 40 measures. It has fewer binge drinkers (10.7% vs 15.3%) and more adults treating high blood pressure (79.2% vs 71.3%). Where it trails the state: more adults with COPD (14.5% vs 5.1%).
CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · CDC's estimate for Desert CenterNot graded
Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 144 people are less certain, so we show Desert Center's figures without a grade.
How Desert Center 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
Habits
Care & screenings
Mind & connection
Everyday needs
Disability
Out of every 100 Desert Center adults…
Bars show Desert Center; the black tick is California. Tap a condition to see it as people.
Everyday habits, side by side with the state
CA 24.6%
CA 35.1%
CA 15.3%
CA 10.9%
Keeping up with care
Share of Desert Center adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks California.
How Desert Center adults are doing
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
31.8% of Desert Center adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 15.6% across California.
Living with a disability
of Desert Center adults live with a disability (California 30.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Black tick: California. Shown without a better/worse judgment.
Care in and near Desert Center
No hospital or community health center in Desert Center itself. These are the nearest.
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 Desert Center. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
All 40 measures for Desert Center
| Measure | Desert Center | Margin | California | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions | ||||
| High blood pressure | 49% | 45.9–52.3% | 30.5% | worse |
| High cholesterol | 45.8% | 42.6–49.2% | 35.4% | worse |
| Obesity | 43.2% | 38.7–48% | 27.8% | worse |
| Arthritis | 40.1% | 37.2–43.3% | 20.8% | worse |
| Depression | 25.9% | 23–29.3% | 20.1% | worse |
| Lost all teeth (65+) | 17% | 14–20.3% | 10.6% | worse |
| Asthma | 11.2% | 10–12.7% | 9.3% | worse |
| Cancer (not skin) | 11.1% | 10–12.3% | 6.4% | worse |
| Diabetes | 19.7% | 17.5–22.2% | 11.7% | worse |
| COPD | 14.5% | 12.3–16.9% | 5.1% | worse |
| Heart disease | 12.9% | 11.4–14.6% | 5.6% | worse |
| Stroke | 6.8% | 6–7.7% | 3.1% | worse |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 20.7% | 17.6–24.1% | 10.9% | worse |
| Binge drink | 10.7% | 9.1–12.5% | 15.3% | better |
| Get no exercise | 39.2% | 34.7–44% | 24.6% | worse |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 38% | 34–42.2% | 35.1% | about the same |
| Care & screenings | ||||
| Yearly checkup | 76.6% | 74–79.2% | 71.9% | better |
| Dentist visit | 55% | 51.7–58.3% | 62.8% | worse |
| Cholesterol check | 86% | 84.2–87.7% | 85.4% | about the same |
| Colon screening | 58.5% | 54.1–63% | 57.5% | about the same |
| Mammogram | 75.5% | 69.2–81.5% | 75.7% | about the same |
| Taking BP meds | 79.2% | 76.8–81.7% | 71.3% | better |
| No health insurance | 14.6% | 11.5–17.8% | 10.6% | worse |
| Mind & connection | ||||
| Feel lonely | 35.3% | 31.5–39.2% | 37.3% | about the same |
| Lack emotional support | 26.8% | 23.4–30.4% | 28.6% | about the same |
| Frequent mental distress | 19.6% | 17.5–22% | 16.4% | worse |
| Fair or poor health | 37.4% | 33.2–42% | 22.1% | worse |
| Frequent physical distress | 22.8% | 20.3–25.7% | 13.4% | worse |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Food insecurity | 28% | 23.8–32.2% | 17.9% | worse |
| Housing insecurity | 19.6% | 16.9–22.5% | 14.9% | worse |
| Utility shut-off threat | 12% | 10.3–13.7% | 7.3% | worse |
| No reliable transportation | 13.3% | 11.5–15.3% | 9.3% | worse |
| Receive SNAP | 31.8% | 27.1–36.4% | 15.6% | |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 49.8% | 45.6–54.3% | 30.4% | |
| Walking or climbing stairs | 30.3% | 26.8–34% | 13.8% | |
| Thinking or memory | 20.7% | 18.2–23.5% | 14.6% | |
| Hearing | 12.6% | 11.2–14.1% | 5.9% | |
| Vision | 10.5% | 9.2–12% | 5.6% | |
| Dressing or bathing | 8.3% | 7.1–9.6% | 3.9% | |
| Errands alone | 15.6% | 13.6–17.9% | 8.1% | |
How CDC estimates town health
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.