Health · Beacon

Beacon, IA health

Beacon differs from Iowa on 8 of 40 measures. It has more adults getting cholesterol checked (86.2% vs 84.1%). Where it trails the state: more adults with COPD (8.5% vs 6.9%).

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

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 425 people are less certain, so we show Beacon's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Beacon compares with Iowa

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 Beacon adults…

39 of every 100 Beacon adults have high blood pressure
Iowa: 34 in 100 · worse · margin 34.5–43.1%

Bars show Beacon; the black tick is Iowa. Tap a condition to see it as people.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Beacon, betterBeacon, worseToo close to callIowa
Get no exerciseshare of adults 29.1% Beacon
IA 24.8%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 34.5% Beacon
IA 32.5%
Binge drinkshare of adults 18.5% Beacon
IA 20.5%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 17.6% Beacon
IA 14.5%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Beacon adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Iowa.

78%
Yearly checkup
IA 78%
68%
Dentist visit
IA 67%
86%
Cholesterol check
IA 84%
65%
Colon screening
IA 67%
81%
Mammogram
IA 79%
81%
Taking BP meds
IA 78%
1 in 16
working-age adults has no health insurance
Beacon 6.4% · Iowa 1 in 14 (7.3%)
Mind & connection

How Beacon adults are doing

1 in 3Beacon adults feel lonely
31.2% · Iowa 32.3% · too close to call
1 in 5Beacon adults have been diagnosed with depression
20.7% · Iowa 20.7% · too close to call
1 in 4Beacon adults lack social or emotional support
24.1% · Iowa 23.3% · too close to call
1 in 6Beacon adults are in frequent mental distress
16.3% · Iowa 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 9
Beacon adults worry about having enough food
11.4% · IA 12% · about the same
1 in 11
Beacon adults worry about keeping their housing
8.7% · IA 9.4% · about the same
1 in 16
Beacon adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
6.1% · IA 6.4% · about the same
1 in 16
Beacon adults lack reliable transportation
6.4% · IA 6.8% · about the same

9.6% of Beacon adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 10% across Iowa.

Disability

Living with a disability

30.2%

of Beacon adults live with a disability (Iowa 28.1%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs15%
Thinking or memory13.7%
Hearing8.4%
Errands alone7.8%
Vision4.5%
Dressing or bathing3.9%

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

Getting care

Care in and near Beacon

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

HNearest ERMahaska Health PartnershipOskaloosa · 3.1 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyPella Regional Health Center★★★★★ · 15.2 miDirections →
+Low-cost careRiver Hills Community Health CenterOskaloosa · 3.1 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
3.1 mi
Mahaska Health Partnership
Oskaloosa · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
3.1 mi
River Hills Community Health Center
6 sites · nearest in Oskaloosa
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
15.2 mi
Pella Regional Health Center
Pella · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
17.1 mi
Monroe County Hospital
Albia · not rated
ERRural critical access
22.4 mi
Knoxville Hospital & Clinics
Knoxville · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
37.6 mi
Infinity Health
2 sites · nearest in Chariton
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
! Primary careBeacon's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Mahaska County · need score 16 of 25
! Dental careBeacon's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Mahaska County · need score 15 of 25
! Mental healthBeacon's county is a federal shortage area.Mahaska County · need score 18 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 Beacon. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Beacon
MeasureBeaconMarginIowa
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure38.9%34.5–43.1%33.9%worse
High cholesterol38.6%34.1–43%35.3%about the same
Obesity39.3%31.6–46.4%37.7%about the same
Arthritis31.6%28–35.2%27%worse
Depression20.7%17.5–23.9%20.7%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)9.4%7.4–11.8%11.6%about the same
Asthma10.3%9.1–11.5%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)10.1%9.1–11.1%8.7%worse
Diabetes12.8%11–14.8%11.2%about the same
COPD8.5%7.2–9.9%6.9%worse
Heart disease7.7%6.8–8.7%6.6%worse
Stroke3.9%3.5–4.4%3.3%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes17.6%14.7–20.6%14.5%worse
Binge drink18.5%15.3–21.7%20.5%about the same
Get no exercise29.1%24.1–34.2%24.8%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours34.5%28–41.3%32.5%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup78.4%74.8–81.4%77.5%about the same
Dentist visit67.8%64.1–71.3%66.8%about the same
Cholesterol check86.2%84.2–88%84.1%better
Colon screening65.3%60–70.3%66.6%about the same
Mammogram80.7%73.8–86.5%78.7%about the same
Taking BP meds80.5%77.5–83.3%77.8%about the same
No health insurance6.4%5.1–8.1%7.3%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely31.2%26.5–36.3%32.3%about the same
Lack emotional support24.1%20.6–28.1%23.3%about the same
Frequent mental distress16.3%14.4–18.3%16.4%about the same
Fair or poor health19.6%16.6–22.8%17.8%about the same
Frequent physical distress14.5%12.6–16.5%12.7%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity11.4%9.2–14%12%about the same
Housing insecurity8.7%7.2–10.5%9.4%about the same
Utility shut-off threat6.1%5.2–7.2%6.4%about the same
No reliable transportation6.4%5.4–7.5%6.8%about the same
Receive SNAP9.6%7.8–11.9%10%
Disability
Any disability30.2%25.8–34.7%28.1%
Walking or climbing stairs15%12.7–17.5%12.7%
Thinking or memory13.7%11.8–15.7%13.5%
Hearing8.4%7.4–9.5%7.4%
Vision4.5%4–5.2%4.3%
Dressing or bathing3.9%3.4–4.5%3.4%
Errands alone7.8%6.7–9%7.4%
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 Beacon door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Iowa figure falls inside it, we don't call Beacon better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Beacon directly, so these are its own figures.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Iowa 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/18 · 2025-01-01