Boulder, CO health
Boulder differs from Colorado on 20 of 33 measures. It has fewer adults with obesity (16.5% vs 26.1%) and fewer adults with diabetes (5.7% vs 8.6%). Where it trails the state: more adults in frequent mental distress (17.9% vs 16%).
CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · CDC's estimate for BoulderBoulder’s Health Grade: A
On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Boulder is healthier than 92% of U.S. towns and 66% of Colorado towns.
About what its income would suggest. Boulder does about as well against towns with similar incomes as against all towns.
How the Health Grade works
- Seven CDC estimates. Adults in fair or poor health, frequent physical distress, frequent mental distress, obesity, diabetes, smoking and no exercise (CDC PLACES, 2025 release). On each one a town earns the share of U.S. towns doing worse, and those shares are averaged. It’s the same score as our Healthiest towns in Colorado ranking.
- Graded on a national curve. Every U.S. town with 1,000+ residents and all seven estimates (19,420 places) is lined up by score: A+ top 5%A next 10%A- next 10%B B+ to B−, next 30%C C+ to C−, next 30%D D and D−, bottom 15%
- Not adjusted for income. Wealthier towns are usually healthier, and the grade shows that as it is. The similar-incomes bar compares Boulder with U.S. towns whose median household income is within 25% of its own.
- Modeled, not measured. CDC combines national survey answers with each area’s age, sex, race and income mix. Boulder uses CDC’s own estimate for it. High blood pressure is left out because it tracks age more than anything else. The confidence line recomputes the grade with every estimate at the low, then the high, end of its range.
How Boulder compares with Colorado
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
Disability
Out of every 100 Boulder adults…
Bars show Boulder; the black tick is Colorado. Tap a condition to see it as people.
Everyday habits, side by side with the state
CO 17.7%
CO 30.7%
CO 19%
CO 10.9%
Keeping up with care
Share of Boulder adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Colorado.
How Boulder adults are doing
Living with a disability
of Boulder adults live with a disability (Colorado 27.1%). Thinking or memory is the most common.
Black tick: Colorado. Shown without a better/worse judgment.
Boulder and the towns around it
Pick a measure to shade the map. Darker is worse for health. Pins are the nearest hospitals and community health centers.
Obesity
Care nearby
Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes). Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Distances are straight-line from the center of Boulder. Nearby towns are shaded from CDC's estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC's own figure for cities and villages.
All 33 measures for Boulder
| Measure | Boulder | Margin | Colorado | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions | ||||
| High blood pressure | 18.6% | 16.6–20.7% | 27% | better |
| High cholesterol | 26.2% | 23.8–28.8% | 31.5% | better |
| Obesity | 16.5% | 13.7–19.6% | 26.1% | better |
| Arthritis | 16.7% | 15–18.5% | 22.9% | better |
| Depression | 25.5% | 22.7–28.5% | 22.7% | about the same |
| Lost all teeth (65+) | 7.3% | 5.9–8.9% | 9.2% | better |
| Asthma | 10.7% | 9.6–11.9% | 10.9% | about the same |
| Cancer (not skin) | 6.5% | 5.9–7.1% | 7.8% | better |
| Diabetes | 5.7% | 4.9–6.4% | 8.6% | better |
| COPD | 4.3% | 3.9–4.8% | 5.3% | better |
| Heart disease | 3.9% | 3.5–4.3% | 5.1% | better |
| Stroke | 2% | 1.9–2.2% | 2.7% | better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 9% | 7.8–10.2% | 10.9% | better |
| Binge drink | 19.8% | 17.2–22.6% | 19% | about the same |
| Get no exercise | 12.3% | 10.4–14.4% | 17.7% | better |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 24.4% | 21–28% | 30.7% | better |
| Care & screenings | ||||
| Yearly checkup | 66.2% | 62.9–69.6% | 71.4% | worse |
| Dentist visit | 67.3% | 64.3–70.1% | 64.6% | about the same |
| Cholesterol check | 78.8% | 76.6–80.8% | 85.2% | worse |
| Colon screening | 66% | 61.9–69.8% | 62.4% | about the same |
| Mammogram | 73.9% | 67.4–79.5% | 71.6% | about the same |
| Taking BP meds | 62.4% | 59.4–65.3% | 69.5% | worse |
| No health insurance | 8.6% | 7.5–9.9% | 11.1% | better |
| Mind & connection | ||||
| Frequent mental distress | 17.9% | 16.2–19.8% | 16% | worse |
| Fair or poor health | 13.2% | 11.7–14.9% | 15.5% | better |
| Frequent physical distress | 10.2% | 9.1–11.4% | 11.9% | better |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 24.1% | 21.4–26.9% | 27.1% | |
| Walking or climbing stairs | 7.2% | 6.3–8.1% | 10.4% | |
| Thinking or memory | 15.6% | 14.1–17.3% | 13.9% | |
| Hearing | 5.2% | 4.7–5.8% | 6.4% | |
| Vision | 4.1% | 3.7–4.4% | 4.2% | |
| Dressing or bathing | 2.4% | 2.2–2.6% | 2.9% | |
| Errands alone | 7.3% | 6.5–8.1% | 6.7% | |
How CDC estimates town health
CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Colorado 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.