Health · Challis

Challis, ID health

Challis differs from Idaho on 12 of 40 measures. It has more adults treating high blood pressure (78% vs 70.5%) and more adults getting cholesterol checked (86% vs 81.1%). Where it trails the state: more adults with heart disease (9.1% vs 6.2%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · CDC's estimate for Challis

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 854 people are less certain, so we show Challis's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Challis compares with Idaho

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 Challis adults…

40 of every 100 Challis adults have high blood pressure

Idaho: 32 in 100 · worse · margin 36–44.5%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Challis, betterChallis, worseToo close to callIdaho

Get no exerciseshare of adults 24.8% Challis
ID 22.2%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 29.8% Challis
ID 32.7%

Binge drinkshare of adults 12.8% Challis
ID 15.5%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 13.1% Challis
ID 12%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

Yearly checkup

ID 74%

Dentist visit

ID 67%

Cholesterol check

ID 81%

Colon screening

ID 62%

Mammogram

ID 69%

Taking BP meds

ID 71%

1 in 11

working-age adults has no health insurance

Challis 8.9% · Idaho 1 in 9 (10.7%)

Mind & connection

How Challis adults are doing

1 in 4Challis adults feel lonely

26.2% · Idaho 29.2% · too close to call

1 in 5Challis adults have been diagnosed with depression

21.1% · Idaho 23.7% · too close to call

1 in 5Challis adults lack social or emotional support

18.3% · Idaho 19.6% · too close to call

1 in 7Challis adults are in frequent mental distress

14.4% · Idaho 16.2% · 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

Challis adults worry about having enough food

11.7% · ID 12.8% · about the same

1 in 11

Challis adults worry about keeping their housing

8.8% · ID 10.3% · about the same

1 in 16

Challis adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

6.2% · ID 6.6% · about the same

1 in 15

Challis adults lack reliable transportation

6.7% · ID 7.5% · about the same

8.8% of Challis adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 8.8% across Idaho.

Disability

Living with a disability

37.1%

of Challis adults live with a disability (Idaho 34.7%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs19%

Thinking or memory14.9%

Hearing12.6%

Errands alone9%

Vision5.7%

Dressing or bathing4.6%

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

Around Challis

Challis and the towns around it

Care nearby

Steele Memorial Medical CenterSalmon · 49 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Cascade Medical CenterCascade · 58.1 mi · ER Directions Medicare profile

St. Luke's Wood River Medical CenterKetchum · 59.4 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Lost Rivers Medical CenterArco · 75.6 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Challis Area Health CenterChallis · 0.4 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Cahc Behavioral HealthChallis · 0.4 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

! Primary careChallis's county is a federal shortage area.Custer County · need score 12 of 25

! Dental careChallis's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Custer County · need score 8 of 25

! Mental healthChallis's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Eastern District 7 · need score 16 of 25

Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes). Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Distances are straight-line from the center of Challis. Nearby towns are shaded from CDC's estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC's own figure for cities and villages.

All 40 measures for Challis

Measure	Challis	Margin	Idaho
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	40.1%	36–44.5%	31.5%	worse
High cholesterol	40.8%	36.3–45.4%	33.2%	worse
Obesity	32.1%	25.9–39.2%	32.1%	about the same
Arthritis	34.8%	31.1–38.9%	26.6%	worse
Depression	21.1%	17.9–24.5%	23.7%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	16.1%	13.1–19.5%	16.2%	about the same
Asthma	10.9%	9.6–12.3%	10.7%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	11.5%	10.4–12.8%	8.3%	worse
Diabetes	13.6%	11.5–15.9%	10.1%	worse
COPD	9.2%	7.6–11.1%	6.6%	worse
Heart disease	9.1%	7.9–10.5%	6.2%	worse
Stroke	4.7%	4–5.4%	3.3%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	13.1%	10.3–16.1%	12%	about the same
Binge drink	12.8%	10.6–15.5%	15.5%	about the same
Get no exercise	24.8%	20.1–29.8%	22.2%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	29.8%	23.8–36.5%	32.7%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	78.4%	74.8–81.6%	74.3%	better
Dentist visit	65.5%	62–68.9%	66.6%	about the same
Cholesterol check	86%	83.8–87.9%	81.1%	better
Colon screening	66.3%	61.5–71%	61.8%	about the same
Mammogram	70.4%	61.4–78.2%	69.1%	about the same
Taking BP meds	78%	74.6–81.1%	70.5%	better
No health insurance	8.9%	6.9–11.4%	10.7%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	26.2%	21.9–31%	29.2%	about the same
Lack emotional support	18.3%	15.1–21.7%	19.6%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	14.4%	12.5–16.5%	16.2%	about the same
Fair or poor health	20.1%	16.5–23.6%	17.8%	about the same
Frequent physical distress	16.1%	13.7–18.5%	13.6%	worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	11.7%	9.2–14.6%	12.8%	about the same
Housing insecurity	8.8%	7.2–10.9%	10.3%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	6.2%	5.2–7.6%	6.6%	about the same
No reliable transportation	6.7%	5.6–8%	7.5%	about the same
Receive SNAP	8.8%	6.7–11.3%	8.8%
Disability
Any disability	37.1%	32.1–42.2%	34.7%
Walking or climbing stairs	19%	15.9–22.1%	14.5%
Thinking or memory	14.9%	12.6–17.2%	16%
Hearing	12.6%	11–14.2%	9.3%
Vision	5.7%	4.9–6.6%	4.9%
Dressing or bathing	4.6%	3.8–5.4%	3.5%
Errands alone	9%	7.5–10.4%	8.2%

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 Challis door to door.

Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Idaho figure falls inside it, we don't call Challis better or worse.

CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Challis directly, so these are its own figures.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Idaho 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.