Health · Thayer

Thayer, IA health

On most measures Thayer looks like Iowa as a whole. It has fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth (9.1% vs 11.6%) and more adults getting cholesterol checked (86.4% vs 84.1%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (10% vs 8.7%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 50254 (all of Thayer)
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 45 people are less certain, so we show Thayer's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Thayer 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 Thayer adults…

38 of every 100 Thayer adults have high blood pressure
Iowa: 34 in 100 · too close to call · margin 33.3–42%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Thayer, betterThayer, worseToo close to callIowa
Get no exerciseshare of adults 25.8% Thayer
IA 24.8%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 31.1% Thayer
IA 32.5%
Binge drinkshare of adults 18.9% Thayer
IA 20.5%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 15.8% Thayer
IA 14.5%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

79%
Yearly checkup
IA 78%
67%
Dentist visit
IA 67%
86%
Cholesterol check
IA 84%
70%
Colon screening
IA 67%
78%
Mammogram
IA 79%
80%
Taking BP meds
IA 78%
1 in 16
working-age adults has no health insurance
Thayer 6.4% · Iowa 1 in 14 (7.3%)
Mind & connection

How Thayer adults are doing

1 in 3Thayer adults feel lonely
30.7% · Iowa 32.3% · too close to call
1 in 5Thayer adults have been diagnosed with depression
20.6% · Iowa 20.7% · too close to call
1 in 4Thayer adults lack social or emotional support
22.8% · Iowa 23.3% · too close to call
1 in 6Thayer adults are in frequent mental distress
16% · 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
Thayer adults worry about having enough food
10.8% · IA 12% · about the same
1 in 12
Thayer adults worry about keeping their housing
8.3% · IA 9.4% · about the same
1 in 18
Thayer adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5.7% · IA 6.4% · about the same
1 in 16
Thayer adults lack reliable transportation
6.1% · IA 6.8% · about the same

9.1% of Thayer adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 10% across Iowa.

Disability

Living with a disability

28.7%

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

Walking or climbing stairs13.7%
Thinking or memory13.3%
Hearing8%
Errands alone7.5%
Vision4.2%
Dressing or bathing3.6%

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

Getting care

Care in and near Thayer

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

HNearest ERClarke County HospitalOsceola · 14.7 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyGreater Regional Medical Center★★★★★ · 17.7 miDirections →
+Low-cost careInfinity HealthOsceola · 14.7 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
14.7 mi
Clarke County Hospital
Osceola · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
14.7 mi
Infinity Health
8 sites · nearest in Osceola
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
17.7 mi
Greater Regional Medical Center
Creston · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
20.8 mi
Madison County Health Care System
Winterset · not rated
ERRural critical access
24.9 mi
Decatur County Hospital
Leon · not rated
ERRural critical access
✓ Primary careThayer is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careThayer is not a shortage area
! Mental healthThayer'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 Thayer. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Thayer
MeasureThayerMarginIowa
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure37.6%33.3–42%33.9%about the same
High cholesterol38.4%34.1–42.9%35.3%about the same
Obesity36.7%29.2–44.9%37.7%about the same
Arthritis29.7%26.3–33.4%27%about the same
Depression20.6%17.4–24.1%20.7%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)9.1%7.3–11.1%11.6%better
Asthma10.2%9–11.6%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)10%8.9–11.1%8.7%worse
Diabetes12%10.3–14%11.2%about the same
COPD7.8%6.6–9.3%6.9%about the same
Heart disease7.2%6.3–8.2%6.6%about the same
Stroke3.6%3.2–4.1%3.3%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes15.8%12.9–19.1%14.5%about the same
Binge drink18.9%15.7–22.4%20.5%about the same
Get no exercise25.8%21.1–31.1%24.8%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours31.1%25.3–37.6%32.5%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup79.2%75.6–82.5%77.5%about the same
Dentist visit67.2%63.7–70.6%66.8%about the same
Cholesterol check86.4%84.5–88.2%84.1%better
Colon screening69.8%64.9–74.4%66.6%about the same
Mammogram78%70.8–84.3%78.7%about the same
Taking BP meds80%77.1–82.8%77.8%about the same
No health insurance6.4%5–8.1%7.3%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely30.7%25.8–36%32.3%about the same
Lack emotional support22.8%19.2–26.7%23.3%about the same
Frequent mental distress16%14–18.3%16.4%about the same
Fair or poor health18.1%15.2–21.5%17.8%about the same
Frequent physical distress13.6%11.7–15.8%12.7%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity10.8%8.6–13.4%12%about the same
Housing insecurity8.3%6.8–10%9.4%about the same
Utility shut-off threat5.7%4.8–6.7%6.4%about the same
No reliable transportation6.1%5.2–7.1%6.8%about the same
Receive SNAP9.1%7–11.3%10%
Disability
Any disability28.7%24.4–33.6%28.1%
Walking or climbing stairs13.7%11.6–16.5%12.7%
Thinking or memory13.3%11.3–15.6%13.5%
Hearing8%7–9.1%7.4%
Vision4.2%3.7–4.9%4.3%
Dressing or bathing3.6%3.1–4.3%3.4%
Errands alone7.5%6.4–8.8%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 Thayer door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Iowa figure falls inside it, we don't call Thayer better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Thayer by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Thayer 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.

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