Health · Lawrence

Lawrence, KS health

Lawrence differs from Kansas on 18 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults with diabetes (7.9% vs 11.4%) and fewer adults with heart disease (4.5% vs 6.4%). Where it trails the state: more adults without reliable transportation (8.9% vs 7.1%).

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

Report card

How Lawrence compares with Kansas

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 Lawrence adults…

26 of every 100 Lawrence adults have high blood pressure

Kansas: 34 in 100 · better · margin 23.3–28.7%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Lawrence, betterLawrence, worseToo close to callKansas

Get no exerciseshare of adults 19.7% Lawrence
KS 25.6%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 32.6% Lawrence
KS 34.3%

Binge drinkshare of adults 19.3% Lawrence
KS 16.3%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 12.3% Lawrence
KS 14%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

Yearly checkup

KS 77%

Dentist visit

KS 65%

Cholesterol check

KS 84%

Colon screening

KS 64%

Mammogram

KS 75%

Taking BP meds

KS 78%

1 in 12

working-age adults has no health insurance

Lawrence 8.5% · Kansas 1 in 10 (9.9%)

Mind & connection

How Lawrence adults are doing

1 in 3Lawrence adults feel lonely

31.4% · Kansas 30.9% · too close to call

1 in 4Lawrence adults have been diagnosed with depression

25.4% · Kansas 20.8% · worse

1 in 5Lawrence adults lack social or emotional support

21.5% · Kansas 21.1% · too close to call

1 in 5Lawrence adults are in frequent mental distress

18.4% · Kansas 16% · worse

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

Lawrence adults worry about having enough food

14% · KS 13% · about the same

1 in 9

Lawrence adults worry about keeping their housing

11.3% · KS 11.2% · about the same

1 in 11

Lawrence adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

9.3% · KS 8.2% · about the same

1 in 11

Lawrence adults lack reliable transportation

8.9% · KS 7.1% · worse

8.8% of Lawrence adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.4% across Kansas.

Disability

Living with a disability

29.4%

of Lawrence adults live with a disability (Kansas 30.4%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs10.1%

Thinking or memory16.5%

Hearing5.9%

Errands alone8.2%

Vision4.3%

Dressing or bathing2.9%

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

Around Lawrence

Lawrence and the towns around it

Pick a measure to shade the map. Darker is worse for health. Pins are the nearest hospitals and community health centers.

29.7%38.2%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#3 of 17towns on this map, healthiest first

Kanwaka31.3%

Lawrence31.5%

Wakarusa31.7%

Grant32.8%

Eudora33.2%

Clinton33.5%

Care nearby

LmhLawrence · 1.7 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Stormont Vail HospitalTopeka · 24 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

University of Kansas Health System - St. Francis CampusTopeka · 24.1 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

University of Kansas Health System Olathe HospitalOlathe · 24.9 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Heartland at Panda PediatricsLawrence · 1 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Heartland Community Health Center - 6th StreetLawrence · 1.3 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

! Primary careLawrence's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Douglas County · need score 16 of 25

! Dental careLawrence's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Douglas County · need score 17 of 25

✓ Mental healthLawrence is not a shortage area

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 Lawrence. 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 Lawrence

Measure	Lawrence	Margin	Kansas
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	25.9%	23.3–28.7%	34.4%	better
High cholesterol	30.4%	27.5–33.5%	36.7%	better
Obesity	31.5%	27.3–36.2%	36.5%	better
Arthritis	19.9%	17.9–22.1%	25.5%	better
Depression	25.4%	22.5–28.7%	20.8%	worse
Lost all teeth (65+)	10.3%	8.5–12.3%	11.3%	about the same
Asthma	10.5%	9.4–11.8%	9.9%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	6.2%	5.6–6.8%	8.1%	better
Diabetes	7.9%	6.9–9%	11.4%	better
COPD	5.3%	4.7–5.9%	6.7%	better
Heart disease	4.5%	4–4.9%	6.4%	better
Stroke	2.4%	2.2–2.6%	3.2%	better
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	12.3%	10.8–14%	14%	about the same
Binge drink	19.3%	16.6–22.3%	16.3%	worse
Get no exercise	19.7%	17–22.8%	25.6%	better
Sleep under 7 hours	32.6%	28.7–36.7%	34.3%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	75.9%	72.7–78.9%	76.6%	about the same
Dentist visit	63.6%	60.6–66.6%	64.9%	about the same
Cholesterol check	78.5%	76.3–80.6%	84.1%	worse
Colon screening	62.6%	58.5–66.5%	63.5%	about the same
Mammogram	72.4%	66–78.2%	74.6%	about the same
Taking BP meds	71%	68.5–73.5%	77.6%	worse
No health insurance	8.5%	7.4–9.8%	9.9%	better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	31.4%	27.7–35.5%	30.9%	about the same
Lack emotional support	21.5%	18.8–24.6%	21.1%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	18.4%	16.6–20.4%	16%	worse
Fair or poor health	15.8%	14–17.8%	18%	better
Frequent physical distress	11%	9.8–12.4%	12.3%	about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	14%	12.2–16%	13%	about the same
Housing insecurity	11.3%	9.9–13%	11.2%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	9.3%	8.2–10.6%	8.2%	about the same
No reliable transportation	8.9%	7.9–10%	7.1%	worse
Receive SNAP	8.8%	7.6–10.2%	7.4%
Disability
Any disability	29.4%	26.3–32.8%	30.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	10.1%	8.9–11.4%	13.4%
Thinking or memory	16.5%	14.9–18.4%	14.4%
Hearing	5.9%	5.3–6.6%	7.4%
Vision	4.3%	4–4.8%	4.6%
Dressing or bathing	2.9%	2.7–3.1%	3.5%
Errands alone	8.2%	7.4–9.2%	7.7%

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 Lawrence door to door.

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

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

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