Health · Colo

Colo, IA health

On most measures Colo looks like Iowa as a whole. It has fewer adults facing food insecurity (9% vs 12%) and fewer adults without reliable transportation (5.4% vs 6.8%).

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

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 686 people are less certain, so we show Colo's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Colo 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 Colo adults…

34 of every 100 Colo adults have high blood pressure
Iowa: 34 in 100 · too close to call · margin 29.7–37.3%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Colo, betterColo, worseToo close to callIowa
Get no exerciseshare of adults 21.9% Colo
IA 24.8%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 29.7% Colo
IA 32.5%
Binge drinkshare of adults 22% Colo
IA 20.5%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 14% Colo
IA 14.5%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

78%
Yearly checkup
IA 78%
66%
Dentist visit
IA 67%
86%
Cholesterol check
IA 84%
71%
Colon screening
IA 67%
77%
Mammogram
IA 79%
77%
Taking BP meds
IA 78%
1 in 18
working-age adults has no health insurance
Colo 5.7% · Iowa 1 in 14 (7.3%)
Mind & connection

How Colo adults are doing

1 in 3Colo adults feel lonely
31.7% · Iowa 32.3% · too close to call
1 in 5Colo adults have been diagnosed with depression
21.1% · Iowa 20.7% · too close to call
1 in 5Colo adults lack social or emotional support
20.9% · Iowa 23.3% · too close to call
1 in 6Colo adults are in frequent mental distress
15.6% · 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 11
Colo adults worry about having enough food
9% · IA 12% · better
1 in 13
Colo adults worry about keeping their housing
7.6% · IA 9.4% · about the same
1 in 20
Colo adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5.1% · IA 6.4% · better
1 in 19
Colo adults lack reliable transportation
5.4% · IA 6.8% · better

6.9% of Colo adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 10% across Iowa.

Disability

Living with a disability

26.1%

of Colo adults live with a disability (Iowa 28.1%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs11.4%
Thinking or memory12.6%
Hearing7%
Errands alone6.6%
Vision3.6%
Dressing or bathing3%

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

Getting care

Care in and near Colo

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

HNearest ERStory County HospitalNevada · 6 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyMary Greeley Medical Center★★★★★ · 15 miDirections →
+Low-cost carePrimary Health CareAmes · 17.9 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
6 mi
Story County Hospital
Nevada · not rated
ERRural critical access
15 mi
Mary Greeley Medical Center
Ames · ★★★★★
ER
17.9 mi
Primary Health Care
8 sites · nearest in Ames
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
21.6 mi
Unitypoint Health - Marshalltown
Marshalltown · ★★★★★
ER
25.6 mi
Mercyone Newton Medical Center
Newton · ★★★★★
ER
! Primary careColo's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Story County · need score 17 of 25
! Dental careColo's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Story County · need score 17 of 25
! Mental healthColo's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Story 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 Colo. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Colo
MeasureColoMarginIowa
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure33.5%29.7–37.3%33.9%about the same
High cholesterol37.6%33.6–41.4%35.3%about the same
Obesity34.3%28.7–40%37.7%about the same
Arthritis26.4%23.4–29.5%27%about the same
Depression21.1%18.2–24.3%20.7%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)9.5%7.5–11.7%11.6%about the same
Asthma10%8.8–11.3%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.3%8.3–10.3%8.7%about the same
Diabetes10.2%8.7–12%11.2%about the same
COPD6.3%5–7.8%6.9%about the same
Heart disease6.1%5.3–7.1%6.6%about the same
Stroke3.1%2.6–3.6%3.3%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes14%10.9–17.5%14.5%about the same
Binge drink22%18.8–25.3%20.5%about the same
Get no exercise21.9%17.7–26.7%24.8%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours29.7%24.6–34.6%32.5%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup78%74.6–80.9%77.5%about the same
Dentist visit66.4%63–69.6%66.8%about the same
Cholesterol check86.2%83.9–88.3%84.1%about the same
Colon screening70.5%66–74.5%66.6%about the same
Mammogram77.2%69.8–83.1%78.7%about the same
Taking BP meds76.6%73.2–79.4%77.8%about the same
No health insurance5.7%4.2–7.6%7.3%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely31.7%27.2–36.2%32.3%about the same
Lack emotional support20.9%17.4–24.4%23.3%about the same
Frequent mental distress15.6%13.6–17.9%16.4%about the same
Fair or poor health15.7%12.9–19.2%17.8%about the same
Frequent physical distress12%10.2–14.1%12.7%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity9%6.8–11.5%12%better
Housing insecurity7.6%5.9–9.4%9.4%about the same
Utility shut-off threat5.1%4.1–6.1%6.4%better
No reliable transportation5.4%4.5–6.5%6.8%better
Receive SNAP6.9%5.1–9.1%10%
Disability
Any disability26.1%22.1–30.8%28.1%
Walking or climbing stairs11.4%9.3–13.9%12.7%
Thinking or memory12.6%10.4–15%13.5%
Hearing7%6.1–8.1%7.4%
Vision3.6%3–4.3%4.3%
Dressing or bathing3%2.5–3.6%3.4%
Errands alone6.6%5.4–8%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 Colo door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Iowa figure falls inside it, we don't call Colo better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Colo 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