Health · Gays

Gays, IL health

Gays differs from Illinois on 12 of 40 measures. Where it trails the state most: more older adults who have lost all their teeth (17.5% vs 10.3%) and more adults with COPD (10.2% vs 6.3%).

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

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 165 people are less certain, so we show Gays's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Gays compares with Illinois

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 Gays adults…

40 of every 100 Gays adults have high blood pressure
Illinois: 33 in 100 · worse · margin 34.6–44.3%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Gays, betterGays, worseToo close to callIllinois
Get no exerciseshare of adults 26.6% Gays
IL 23%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 34.5% Gays
IL 35.4%
Binge drinkshare of adults 17.2% Gays
IL 17.8%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 18.2% Gays
IL 12.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

78%
Yearly checkup
IL 78%
57%
Dentist visit
IL 63%
87%
Cholesterol check
IL 87%
61%
Colon screening
IL 60%
69%
Mammogram
IL 74%
78%
Taking BP meds
IL 76%
1 in 11
working-age adults has no health insurance
Gays 9.1% · Illinois 1 in 10 (9.9%)
Mind & connection

How Gays adults are doing

1 in 3Gays adults feel lonely
33.9% · Illinois 33.5% · too close to call
1 in 4Gays adults have been diagnosed with depression
23.3% · Illinois 19.8% · too close to call
1 in 4Gays adults lack social or emotional support
26.4% · Illinois 25.4% · too close to call
1 in 6Gays adults are in frequent mental distress
17.6% · Illinois 15.6% · 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 7
Gays adults worry about having enough food
15.2% · IL 15.9% · about the same
1 in 9
Gays adults worry about keeping their housing
11.3% · IL 13.2% · about the same
1 in 15
Gays adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
6.8% · IL 7.8% · about the same
1 in 13
Gays adults lack reliable transportation
7.5% · IL 8% · about the same

14% of Gays adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 13.8% across Illinois.

Disability

Living with a disability

34%

of Gays adults live with a disability (Illinois 27.6%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs17.2%
Thinking or memory15.2%
Hearing8.5%
Errands alone9.5%
Vision5.4%
Dressing or bathing4.6%

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

Getting care

Care in and near Gays

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

HNearest ERSarah Bush Lincoln Health CenterMattoon · 11.9 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyPana Community Hospital★★★★★ · 31.9 miDirections →
+Low-cost careSouthern Illinois Healthcare FoundationMattoon · 8.8 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
8.8 mi
Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation
5 sites · nearest in Mattoon
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
11.9 mi
Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center
Mattoon · ★★★★★
ER
17 mi
Hshs Good Shepherd Hospital
Shelbyville · not rated
ERRural critical access
23.1 mi
St. Anthonys Memorial Hospital
Effingham · ★★★★★
ER
31.9 mi
Pana Community Hospital
Pana · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
36.3 mi
Community Health Improvement Center
3 sites · nearest in Decatur
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
✓ Primary careGays is not a shortage area
! Dental careGays's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.ME - Moultrie/Shelby Counties · need score 15 of 25
! Mental healthGays's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.LI Central Area MHCA · 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 Gays. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Gays
MeasureGaysMarginIllinois
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure39.5%34.6–44.3%33%worse
High cholesterol40.6%35.6–45.5%35.4%worse
Obesity39.2%30.3–48.3%34%about the same
Arthritis32.1%28.2–36.3%24.2%worse
Depression23.3%19.5–27.5%19.8%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)17.5%13.7–21.3%10.3%worse
Asthma11%9.6–12.5%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)10.1%9–11.3%7.6%worse
Diabetes13.4%11.1–15.8%11.7%about the same
COPD10.2%8.2–12.4%6.3%worse
Heart disease8.3%7–9.6%5.9%worse
Stroke4.2%3.6–4.9%3.3%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes18.2%14.1–22.3%12.1%worse
Binge drink17.2%14.1–20.7%17.8%about the same
Get no exercise26.6%21–32.5%23%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours34.5%27.3–42.4%35.4%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup78.1%74.2–81.8%77.8%about the same
Dentist visit57.4%53–61.5%63.4%worse
Cholesterol check87.4%85–89.6%87.4%about the same
Colon screening60.6%54.3–66.4%60.2%about the same
Mammogram69.4%59.4–78.1%73.5%about the same
Taking BP meds78.2%74.6–81.4%75.7%about the same
No health insurance9.1%6.3–12.3%9.9%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely33.9%28.2–40%33.5%about the same
Lack emotional support26.4%21.6–31.4%25.4%about the same
Frequent mental distress17.6%15.1–20.2%15.6%about the same
Fair or poor health23.1%18.7–28%18.6%worse
Frequent physical distress16.2%13.6–18.9%12.2%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity15.2%11.1–19.4%15.9%about the same
Housing insecurity11.3%8.7–14.1%13.2%about the same
Utility shut-off threat6.8%5.5–8.2%7.8%about the same
No reliable transportation7.5%6–9.1%8%about the same
Receive SNAP14%10.1–17.9%13.8%
Disability
Any disability34%28.3–40%27.6%
Walking or climbing stairs17.2%13.9–20.7%12.8%
Thinking or memory15.2%12.5–18%12.6%
Hearing8.5%7.3–9.8%6.2%
Vision5.4%4.4–6.4%4.8%
Dressing or bathing4.6%3.7–5.6%3.5%
Errands alone9.5%7.8–11.3%7.6%
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 Gays door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Illinois figure falls inside it, we don't call Gays better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Gays directly, so these are its own figures.

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