Health · Marathon

Marathon, IA health

On most measures Marathon looks like Iowa as a whole. It has more adults getting cholesterol checked (86.3% vs 84.1%).

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

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 234 people are less certain, so we show Marathon's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Marathon 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 Marathon adults…

37 of every 100 Marathon adults have high blood pressure
Iowa: 34 in 100 · too close to call · margin 32.8–41.4%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Marathon, betterMarathon, worseToo close to callIowa
Get no exerciseshare of adults 25.4% Marathon
IA 24.8%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 33.7% Marathon
IA 32.5%
Binge drinkshare of adults 19.3% Marathon
IA 20.5%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 16.7% Marathon
IA 14.5%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

79%
Yearly checkup
IA 78%
68%
Dentist visit
IA 67%
86%
Cholesterol check
IA 84%
65%
Colon screening
IA 67%
74%
Mammogram
IA 79%
79%
Taking BP meds
IA 78%
1 in 14
working-age adults has no health insurance
Marathon 7.3% · Iowa 1 in 14 (7.3%)
Mind & connection

How Marathon adults are doing

1 in 3Marathon adults feel lonely
31.6% · Iowa 32.3% · too close to call
1 in 5Marathon adults have been diagnosed with depression
19.9% · Iowa 20.7% · too close to call
1 in 4Marathon adults lack social or emotional support
24% · Iowa 23.3% · too close to call
1 in 6Marathon adults are in frequent mental distress
16.1% · 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
Marathon adults worry about having enough food
11.6% · IA 12% · about the same
1 in 11
Marathon adults worry about keeping their housing
9.4% · IA 9.4% · about the same
1 in 15
Marathon adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
6.6% · IA 6.4% · about the same
1 in 15
Marathon adults lack reliable transportation
6.5% · IA 6.8% · about the same

9.8% of Marathon adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 10% across Iowa.

Disability

Living with a disability

27.9%

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

Walking or climbing stairs13.8%
Thinking or memory13.4%
Hearing8%
Errands alone7.4%
Vision4.4%
Dressing or bathing3.8%

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

Getting care

Care in and near Marathon

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

HNearest ERPocahontas Community HospitalPocahontas · 17.4 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbySpencer Municipal Hospital★★★★★ · 21.6 miDirections →
+Low-cost careUnited Community Health Center of Storm Lake - ReplacementStorm Lake · 18.6 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
17.4 mi
Pocahontas Community Hospital
Pocahontas · not rated
ERRural critical access
18.6 mi
United Community Health Center of Storm Lake - Replacement
Storm Lake · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
19.2 mi
Buena Vista Regional Medical Center
Storm Lake · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
21.3 mi
Community Health Center of Fort Dodge
4 sites · nearest in Spencer
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
21.6 mi
Spencer Municipal Hospital
Spencer · ★★★★★
ER
23.2 mi
Palo Alto County Hospital
Emmetsburg · not rated
ERRural critical access
! Primary careMarathon's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Buena Vista County · need score 14 of 25
! Dental careMarathon's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Buena Vista · need score 9 of 25
! Mental healthMarathon's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Buena Vista County · need score 16 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 Marathon. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Marathon
MeasureMarathonMarginIowa
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure37%32.8–41.4%33.9%about the same
High cholesterol38.9%34.5–43.3%35.3%about the same
Obesity39.6%32.4–47.1%37.7%about the same
Arthritis29.3%26–32.8%27%about the same
Depression19.9%16.8–23.3%20.7%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)10%8–12.3%11.6%about the same
Asthma9.9%8.7–11.2%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.5%8.5–10.6%8.7%about the same
Diabetes12.4%10.6–14.4%11.2%about the same
COPD7.9%6.4–9.5%6.9%about the same
Heart disease7.5%6.4–8.6%6.6%about the same
Stroke3.6%3.1–4.2%3.3%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes16.7%13.2–20.3%14.5%about the same
Binge drink19.3%16.1–22.8%20.5%about the same
Get no exercise25.4%20.5–30.6%24.8%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours33.7%28.4–39.3%32.5%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup78.8%75.4–82%77.5%about the same
Dentist visit67.8%64.4–71%66.8%about the same
Cholesterol check86.3%84.2–88.2%84.1%better
Colon screening64.5%59.6–69.2%66.6%about the same
Mammogram73.9%66.2–80.9%78.7%about the same
Taking BP meds78.9%75.7–81.9%77.8%about the same
No health insurance7.3%5.7–9.3%7.3%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely31.6%26.8–36.7%32.3%about the same
Lack emotional support24%20.3–28.1%23.3%about the same
Frequent mental distress16.1%13.9–18.4%16.4%about the same
Fair or poor health19.4%15.8–23.1%17.8%about the same
Frequent physical distress13.8%11.7–16%12.7%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity11.6%9.1–14.4%12%about the same
Housing insecurity9.4%7.7–11.3%9.4%about the same
Utility shut-off threat6.6%5.5–7.7%6.4%about the same
No reliable transportation6.5%5.5–7.6%6.8%about the same
Receive SNAP9.8%7.7–12.3%10%
Disability
Any disability27.9%23.3–32.7%28.1%
Walking or climbing stairs13.8%11.4–16.5%12.7%
Thinking or memory13.4%11.2–15.7%13.5%
Hearing8%7–9.2%7.4%
Vision4.4%3.7–5.2%4.3%
Dressing or bathing3.8%3.2–4.5%3.4%
Errands alone7.4%6.2–8.7%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 Marathon door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Iowa figure falls inside it, we don't call Marathon better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Marathon 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.

We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Marathon, IAView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map
Loading boundary…

Marathon 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