Health · Central

Central, MO health

Central differs from Missouri on 16 of 40 measures. Where it trails the state most: more older adults who have lost all their teeth (24.8% vs 15.8%) and more adults with COPD (12.2% vs 8%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 64759, 64762

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 340 people are less certain, so we show Central's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Central compares with Missouri

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 Central adults…

42 of every 100 Central adults have high blood pressure

Missouri: 37 in 100 · worse · margin 37.1–46.2%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Central, betterCentral, worseToo close to callMissouri

Get no exerciseshare of adults 35.4% Central
MO 28.8%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 38.3% Central
MO 36.5%

Binge drinkshare of adults 14.9% Central
MO 16.3%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 21.9% Central
MO 16%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

Yearly checkup

MO 78%

Dentist visit

MO 60%

Cholesterol check

MO 85%

Colon screening

MO 64%

Mammogram

MO 75%

Taking BP meds

MO 77%

1 in 10

working-age adults has no health insurance

Central 10.4% · Missouri 1 in 11 (8.7%)

Mind & connection

How Central adults are doing

1 in 3Central adults feel lonely

30.9% · Missouri 31.7% · too close to call

1 in 4Central adults have been diagnosed with depression

26.1% · Missouri 24.3% · too close to call

1 in 5Central adults lack social or emotional support

20.1% · Missouri 20.1% · too close to call

1 in 5Central adults are in frequent mental distress

19.4% · Missouri 17.5% · 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 6

Central adults worry about having enough food

18% · MO 13.7% · worse

1 in 7

Central adults worry about keeping their housing

13.7% · MO 12.1% · about the same

1 in 9

Central adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

10.8% · MO 9% · worse

1 in 10

Central adults lack reliable transportation

10.5% · MO 8.4% · worse

16.4% of Central adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 10.8% across Missouri.

Disability

Living with a disability

43.6%

of Central adults live with a disability (Missouri 36.2%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs21.7%

Thinking or memory21%

Hearing11.1%

Errands alone12.4%

Vision7.1%

Dressing or bathing5.7%

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

Around Central

Central and the towns around it

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

36%41.5%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#14 of 17towns on this map, healthiest first

Ozark39.1%

Nashville39.5%

Barton City39.9%

Northfork40.3%

Central40.8%

Union40.8%

Lamar41.5%

Care nearby

Cox Barton County HospitalLamar · 6.5 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Mercy Hospital PittsburgPittsburg · 18.2 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Nevada Regional Medical CenterNevada · 21.8 mi · ER Directions Medicare profile

Mercy Hospital CarthageCarthage · 24 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Access Family Care - LamarLamar · 7.8 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas/ArmaArma · 15.5 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

! Primary careCentral's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Vernon/Barton Counties · need score 17 of 25

! Dental careCentral's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Barton County · need score 20 of 25

! Mental healthCentral's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Joplin MHCA #9 · need score 18 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 Central. 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 Central

Measure	Central	Margin	Missouri
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	41.5%	37.1–46.2%	36.5%	worse
High cholesterol	40.5%	35.9–45.4%	37.5%	about the same
Obesity	40.8%	32.3–50.3%	36.6%	about the same
Arthritis	34.4%	30.8–38.4%	28.8%	worse
Depression	26.1%	22.3–30.5%	24.3%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	24.8%	20.9–29.2%	15.8%	worse
Asthma	11.4%	10.1–13%	10.6%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	9.7%	8.8–10.7%	8.6%	worse
Diabetes	15%	13–17.3%	12.1%	worse
COPD	12.2%	10.7–14%	8%	worse
Heart disease	9.3%	8.3–10.4%	6.8%	worse
Stroke	4.9%	4.4–5.4%	3.6%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	21.9%	18.7–25.1%	16%	worse
Binge drink	14.9%	12.1–18.3%	16.3%	about the same
Get no exercise	35.4%	30.1–41.1%	28.8%	worse
Sleep under 7 hours	38.3%	31.2–45.9%	36.5%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	78.6%	74.8–82.3%	78.4%	about the same
Dentist visit	50.5%	46.6–54.4%	60.4%	worse
Cholesterol check	82.7%	80.3–84.9%	84.5%	about the same
Colon screening	60.6%	54.9–65.9%	64%	about the same
Mammogram	68.5%	59.2–76.6%	74.7%	about the same
Taking BP meds	79.2%	76.4–82%	77.2%	about the same
No health insurance	10.4%	8.6–12.7%	8.7%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	30.9%	25.8–36.2%	31.7%	about the same
Lack emotional support	20.1%	16.8–23.6%	20.1%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	19.4%	17.1–21.9%	17.5%	about the same
Fair or poor health	27.1%	23.6–30.8%	20.5%	worse
Frequent physical distress	18.4%	16.2–20.8%	14.2%	worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	18%	15–21.2%	13.7%	worse
Housing insecurity	13.7%	11.6–16%	12.1%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	10.8%	9.3–12.5%	9%	worse
No reliable transportation	10.5%	9.1–12%	8.4%	worse
Receive SNAP	16.4%	13.8–19.3%	10.8%
Disability
Any disability	43.6%	38.7–48.9%	36.2%
Walking or climbing stairs	21.7%	18.9–24.6%	15.8%
Thinking or memory	21%	18.5–23.6%	17.2%
Hearing	11.1%	9.9–12.5%	8.3%
Vision	7.1%	6.3–8%	5.1%
Dressing or bathing	5.7%	5–6.4%	3.9%
Errands alone	12.4%	10.9–14.1%	9.2%

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 Central door to door.

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

Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Central by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Central by how much of its land each one covers.

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