Health · Benton

Benton, IA health

Benton differs from Iowa on 17 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing housing insecurity (5.8% vs 9.4%) and fewer adults facing a utility shut-off (4.1% vs 6.4%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (14.1% vs 8.7%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 50835 (all of Benton)
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 27 people are less certain, so we show Benton's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Benton 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 Benton adults…

43 of every 100 Benton adults have high blood pressure
Iowa: 34 in 100 · worse · margin 38.5–48.1%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Benton, betterBenton, worseToo close to callIowa
Get no exerciseshare of adults 26.5% Benton
IA 24.8%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 32.2% Benton
IA 32.5%
Binge drinkshare of adults 16.5% Benton
IA 20.5%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 12.5% Benton
IA 14.5%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

83%
Yearly checkup
IA 78%
68%
Dentist visit
IA 67%
90%
Cholesterol check
IA 84%
69%
Colon screening
IA 67%
81%
Mammogram
IA 79%
85%
Taking BP meds
IA 78%
1 in 19
working-age adults has no health insurance
Benton 5.3% · Iowa 1 in 14 (7.3%)
Mind & connection

How Benton adults are doing

1 in 3Benton adults feel lonely
29.6% · Iowa 32.3% · too close to call
1 in 5Benton adults have been diagnosed with depression
18.3% · Iowa 20.7% · too close to call
1 in 5Benton adults lack social or emotional support
21.1% · Iowa 23.3% · too close to call
1 in 8Benton adults are in frequent mental distress
13% · Iowa 16.4% · better
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 13
Benton adults worry about having enough food
7.9% · IA 12% · better
1 in 17
Benton adults worry about keeping their housing
5.8% · IA 9.4% · better
1 in 24
Benton adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
4.1% · IA 6.4% · better
1 in 22
Benton adults lack reliable transportation
4.6% · IA 6.8% · better

6.3% of Benton adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 10% across Iowa.

Disability

Living with a disability

32%

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

Walking or climbing stairs16.7%
Thinking or memory11.3%
Hearing11.1%
Errands alone7.5%
Vision4.5%
Dressing or bathing3.6%

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

Getting care

Care in and near Benton

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

HNearest ERRinggold County HospitalMount Ayr · 7.9 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyGreater Regional Medical Center★★★★★ · 25.4 miDirections →
+Low-cost careInfinity HealthMount Ayr · 6.4 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
6.4 mi
Infinity Health
7 sites · nearest in Mount Ayr
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
7.9 mi
Ringgold County Hospital
Mount Ayr · not rated
ERRural critical access
25.4 mi
Greater Regional Medical Center
Creston · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
28.2 mi
Chi Health - Mercy Corning
Corning · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
31.3 mi
Mosaic Medical Center Albany
Albany · not rated
ERRural critical access
35.8 mi
Cainsville Medical Clinic
Cainsville · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
✓ Primary careBenton is not a shortage area
! Dental careBenton's county is a federal shortage area.Ringgold County · need score 13 of 25
! Mental healthBenton's county is a federal shortage area.MHCA-14 · need score 13 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 Benton. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Benton
MeasureBentonMarginIowa
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure43.4%38.5–48.1%33.9%worse
High cholesterol41.8%37–46.5%35.3%worse
Obesity40.8%32.3–49.5%37.7%about the same
Arthritis36.3%32–40.4%27%worse
Depression18.3%15.3–21.5%20.7%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)11.2%9–13.8%11.6%about the same
Asthma9.4%8.3–10.7%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)14.1%12.7–15.5%8.7%worse
Diabetes13.7%11.4–16%11.2%worse
COPD8.5%6.8–10.3%6.9%about the same
Heart disease9.7%8.3–11.3%6.6%worse
Stroke4.6%3.9–5.4%3.3%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes12.5%9.8–15.3%14.5%about the same
Binge drink16.5%13.6–19.6%20.5%better
Get no exercise26.5%21.2–32%24.8%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours32.2%26–38.5%32.5%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup83.1%80.1–85.9%77.5%better
Dentist visit67.5%64.1–70.9%66.8%about the same
Cholesterol check89.9%88.2–91.4%84.1%better
Colon screening68.9%64.1–73.4%66.6%about the same
Mammogram80.7%74.2–86.4%78.7%about the same
Taking BP meds85.2%82.6–87.4%77.8%better
No health insurance5.3%3.9–7.1%7.3%better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely29.6%24.3–35.1%32.3%about the same
Lack emotional support21.1%17.4–25.2%23.3%about the same
Frequent mental distress13%11.2–14.9%16.4%better
Fair or poor health18.2%14.7–21.8%17.8%about the same
Frequent physical distress13.9%11.7–16.1%12.7%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity7.9%6–10.2%12%better
Housing insecurity5.8%4.6–7.2%9.4%better
Utility shut-off threat4.1%3.3–5%6.4%better
No reliable transportation4.6%3.8–5.6%6.8%better
Receive SNAP6.3%4.6–8.4%10%
Disability
Any disability32%26.8–37.1%28.1%
Walking or climbing stairs16.7%13.6–19.9%12.7%
Thinking or memory11.3%9.4–13.2%13.5%
Hearing11.1%9.6–12.7%7.4%
Vision4.5%3.7–5.3%4.3%
Dressing or bathing3.6%3–4.4%3.4%
Errands alone7.5%6.1–8.9%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 Benton door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Iowa figure falls inside it, we don't call Benton better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Benton by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Benton by how much of its land each one covers.

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.

The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Benton, IAView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map
Loading boundary…

Benton is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01