Health · Liberal

Liberal, MO health

Liberal differs from Missouri on 5 of 40 measures. Where it trails the state most: more older adults who have lost all their teeth (21.9% vs 15.8%) and more adults with COPD (10.2% vs 8%).

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

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 747 people are less certain, so we show Liberal's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Liberal 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 Liberal adults…

38 of every 100 Liberal adults have high blood pressure
Missouri: 37 in 100 · too close to call · margin 33.8–43.2%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Liberal, betterLiberal, worseToo close to callMissouri
Get no exerciseshare of adults 32.2% Liberal
MO 28.8%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 38.1% Liberal
MO 36.5%
Binge drinkshare of adults 15.8% Liberal
MO 16.3%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 19.9% Liberal
MO 16%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

78%
Yearly checkup
MO 78%
55%
Dentist visit
MO 60%
84%
Cholesterol check
MO 85%
56%
Colon screening
MO 64%
70%
Mammogram
MO 75%
78%
Taking BP meds
MO 77%
1 in 11
working-age adults has no health insurance
Liberal 9.5% · Missouri 1 in 11 (8.7%)
Mind & connection

How Liberal adults are doing

1 in 3Liberal adults feel lonely
31% · Missouri 31.7% · too close to call
1 in 4Liberal adults have been diagnosed with depression
25.8% · Missouri 24.3% · too close to call
1 in 5Liberal adults lack social or emotional support
20% · Missouri 20.1% · too close to call
1 in 5Liberal adults are in frequent mental distress
18.9% · 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 7
Liberal adults worry about having enough food
15% · MO 13.7% · about the same
1 in 8
Liberal adults worry about keeping their housing
12.3% · MO 12.1% · about the same
1 in 11
Liberal adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
9.2% · MO 9% · about the same
1 in 11
Liberal adults lack reliable transportation
8.9% · MO 8.4% · about the same

12.7% of Liberal adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 10.8% across Missouri.

Disability

Living with a disability

40.1%

of Liberal adults live with a disability (Missouri 36.2%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs18.5%
Thinking or memory19.5%
Hearing9.8%
Errands alone10.8%
Vision5.8%
Dressing or bathing4.6%

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

Getting care

Care in and near Liberal

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

HNearest ERCox Barton County HospitalLamar · 12.5 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyMercy Hospital Pittsburg★★★★★ · 15.6 miDirections →
+Low-cost careCommunity Health Center of Southeast KansasArma · 10 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
10 mi
Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas
6 sites · nearest in Arma
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
12.5 mi
Cox Barton County Hospital
Lamar · not rated
ERRural critical access
13.8 mi
Ozark Tri-County Health Care Consortium
2 sites · nearest in Lamar
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
15.6 mi
Mercy Hospital Pittsburg
Pittsburg · ★★★★★
ER
19 mi
Girard Medical Center
Girard · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
20.6 mi
Nevada Regional Medical Center
Nevada · not rated
ER
! Primary careLiberal's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Vernon/Barton Counties · need score 17 of 25
! Dental careLiberal's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Barton County · need score 20 of 25
! Mental healthLiberal's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Joplin MHCA #9 · 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 Liberal. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Liberal
MeasureLiberalMarginMissouri
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure38.3%33.8–43.2%36.5%about the same
High cholesterol38.7%34.1–43.7%37.5%about the same
Obesity38.9%30.2–48.8%36.6%about the same
Arthritis31.9%28.1–36.1%28.8%about the same
Depression25.8%21.9–30.4%24.3%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)21.9%18–26.4%15.8%worse
Asthma11.2%9.8–12.9%10.6%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.3%8.3–10.4%8.6%about the same
Diabetes12.8%10.8–15%12.1%about the same
COPD10.2%8.4–12.2%8%worse
Heart disease7.9%6.8–9.1%6.8%about the same
Stroke4.1%3.5–4.8%3.6%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes19.9%16.1–24.3%16%worse
Binge drink15.8%12.9–19.4%16.3%about the same
Get no exercise32.2%26.3–38.9%28.8%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours38.1%30.9–45.6%36.5%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup78%74.2–81.8%78.4%about the same
Dentist visit55.2%51.1–59.2%60.4%worse
Cholesterol check83.5%80.9–86.1%84.5%about the same
Colon screening56.3%50.6–61.8%64%worse
Mammogram69.7%60.4–78%74.7%about the same
Taking BP meds77.9%74.7–81%77.2%about the same
No health insurance9.5%7.1–12.5%8.7%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely31%25.8–36.7%31.7%about the same
Lack emotional support20%16.8–24%20.1%about the same
Frequent mental distress18.9%16.3–21.8%17.5%about the same
Fair or poor health23.7%19.6–28.3%20.5%about the same
Frequent physical distress16.6%14.1–19.4%14.2%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity15%11.7–18.9%13.7%about the same
Housing insecurity12.3%9.8–15%12.1%about the same
Utility shut-off threat9.2%7.6–11%9%about the same
No reliable transportation8.9%7.4–10.7%8.4%about the same
Receive SNAP12.7%9.8–16%10.8%
Disability
Any disability40.1%34.4–46.5%36.2%
Walking or climbing stairs18.5%15.5–22.1%15.8%
Thinking or memory19.5%16.4–23%17.2%
Hearing9.8%8.5–11.2%8.3%
Vision5.8%4.9–6.8%5.1%
Dressing or bathing4.6%3.8–5.5%3.9%
Errands alone10.8%9–12.8%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 Liberal door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Missouri figure falls inside it, we don't call Liberal better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Liberal directly, so these are its own figures.

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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01