Health · Helena

Helena, MS health

Helena differs from Mississippi on 8 of 40 measures. It has fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth (14.2% vs 18.5%) and fewer adults facing a utility shut-off (9.2% vs 11.2%). Where it trails the state: more adults with COPD (11.8% vs 8.6%).

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

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 975 people are less certain, so we show Helena's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Helena compares with Mississippi

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 Helena adults…

48 of every 100 Helena adults have high blood pressure
Mississippi: 45 in 100 · too close to call · margin 44–52.2%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Helena, betterHelena, worseToo close to callMississippi
Get no exerciseshare of adults 36.8% Helena
MS 34%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 36.1% Helena
MS 38.4%
Binge drinkshare of adults 14.6% Helena
MS 13.6%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 21.5% Helena
MS 16.9%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

80%
Yearly checkup
MS 82%
10%
Dentist visit
MS 9%
85%
Cholesterol check
MS 86%
65%
Colon screening
MS 62%
72%
Mammogram
MS 74%
80%
Taking BP meds
MS 80%
1 in 7
working-age adults has no health insurance
Helena 14.8% · Mississippi 1 in 9 (11.5%)
Mind & connection

How Helena adults are doing

1 in 3Helena adults feel lonely
37.8% · Mississippi 36.4% · too close to call
1 in 4Helena adults have been diagnosed with depression
22.5% · Mississippi 19.5% · too close to call
1 in 3Helena adults lack social or emotional support
29.2% · Mississippi 28.9% · too close to call
1 in 5Helena adults are in frequent mental distress
19% · Mississippi 17.3% · 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 5
Helena adults worry about having enough food
22.2% · MS 22.4% · about the same
1 in 6
Helena adults worry about keeping their housing
15.4% · MS 16.8% · about the same
1 in 11
Helena adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
9.2% · MS 11.2% · better
1 in 9
Helena adults lack reliable transportation
11.3% · MS 11.9% · about the same

12.2% of Helena adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 13.6% across Mississippi.

Disability

Living with a disability

43.3%

of Helena adults live with a disability (Mississippi 38.1%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs22.6%
Thinking or memory20.5%
Hearing10.3%
Errands alone11.8%
Vision7.6%
Dressing or bathing6%

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

Getting care

Care in and near Helena

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

HNearest ERSinging River Health SystemPascagoula · 8 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyUsa Health Hca Providence Hospital★★★★★ · 18.1 miDirections →
+Low-cost careCoastal Family Health CenterMoss Point · 3.1 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
3.1 mi
Coastal Family Health Center
3 sites · nearest in Moss Point
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
8 mi
Singing River Health System
Pascagoula · ★★★★★
ER
16.2 mi
Bayou La Batre Area Health Development Board
3 sites · nearest in Bayou La Batre
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
18.1 mi
Usa Health Hca Providence Hospital
Mobile · ★★★★★
ER
23.8 mi
Memorial Hospital Biloxi
Biloxi · ★★★★★
ER
24.8 mi
81st Medical Group (Keesler Afb)
Biloxi · not rated
ER
! Primary careHelena's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Jackson County · need score 16 of 25
! Dental careHelena's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Jackson County · need score 16 of 25
✓ Mental healthHelena is not a shortage area

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 Helena. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Helena
MeasureHelenaMarginMississippi
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure48.1%44–52.2%44.9%about the same
High cholesterol42.1%37.9–46.3%38.8%about the same
Obesity41.8%35.4–48.3%40.4%about the same
Arthritis33.9%30.5–37.4%29.9%worse
Depression22.5%19–26%19.5%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)14.2%11.4–17.1%18.5%better
Asthma10.5%9.1–11.8%10%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.1%8.1–10.1%7.6%worse
Diabetes17.3%15–19.7%15.5%about the same
COPD11.8%9.9–13.9%8.6%worse
Heart disease9.2%8–10.4%7.5%worse
Stroke5.1%4.4–5.7%4.5%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes21.5%18.1–25.1%16.9%worse
Binge drink14.6%12.1–17.6%13.6%about the same
Get no exercise36.8%31.4–42.1%34%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours36.1%30.4–41.5%38.4%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup79.9%76.6–83.1%81.5%about the same
Dentist visit10%8.4–11.6%9.3%about the same
Cholesterol check84.5%82.2–86.7%86.2%about the same
Colon screening64.6%59.6–68.7%61.8%about the same
Mammogram72.3%63.8–78.8%74%about the same
Taking BP meds80%77.4–82.4%79.7%about the same
No health insurance14.8%11.5–18.4%11.5%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely37.8%33–43%36.4%about the same
Lack emotional support29.2%25.2–33.5%28.9%about the same
Frequent mental distress19%16.7–21.4%17.3%about the same
Fair or poor health28.1%24–32.4%24.4%about the same
Frequent physical distress17.9%15.5–20.3%14.8%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity22.2%18.6–26.5%22.4%about the same
Housing insecurity15.4%13–18.1%16.8%about the same
Utility shut-off threat9.2%7.9–10.7%11.2%better
No reliable transportation11.3%9.7–13.2%11.9%about the same
Receive SNAP12.2%9.9–15%13.6%
Disability
Any disability43.3%38.1–48.3%38.1%
Walking or climbing stairs22.6%19.3–25.9%18.8%
Thinking or memory20.5%17.8–23.3%17.5%
Hearing10.3%9–11.7%8.1%
Vision7.6%6.6–8.8%7%
Dressing or bathing6%5.1–6.9%5.3%
Errands alone11.8%10.2–13.6%10.4%
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 Helena door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Mississippi figure falls inside it, we don't call Helena better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Helena directly, so these are its own figures.

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

We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Helena, MSView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map
Loading boundary…

Helena is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01