Health · Whittier

Whittier, NC health

Whittier differs from North Carolina on 16 of 40 measures. Where it trails the state most: more adults with COPD (10.8% vs 7.1%) and more older adults who have lost all their teeth (19.8% vs 13.9%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 28789 (all of Whittier)
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

CDC doesn't publish all seven estimates the grade is built on for Whittier, so we show its figures without a grade.

Report card

How Whittier compares with North Carolina

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 Whittier adults…

42 of every 100 Whittier adults have high blood pressure
North Carolina: 37 in 100 · worse · margin 37.9–45.4%

Bars show Whittier; the black tick is North Carolina. Tap a condition to see it as people.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Whittier, betterWhittier, worseToo close to callNorth Carolina
Get no exerciseshare of adults 28.2% Whittier
NC 23.8%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 34% Whittier
NC 34.2%
Binge drinkshare of adults 14.1% Whittier
NC 14.7%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 18.9% Whittier
NC 13.5%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Whittier adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks North Carolina.

80%
Yearly checkup
NC 80%
57%
Dentist visit
NC 64%
87%
Cholesterol check
NC 88%
65%
Colon screening
NC 66%
75%
Mammogram
NC 79%
79%
Taking BP meds
NC 77%
1 in 9
working-age adults has no health insurance
Whittier 10.9% · North Carolina 1 in 10 (10.4%)
Mind & connection

How Whittier adults are doing

1 in 3Whittier adults feel lonely
33.2% · North Carolina 32.5% · too close to call
1 in 4Whittier adults have been diagnosed with depression
27.2% · North Carolina 24.2% · too close to call
1 in 4Whittier adults lack social or emotional support
22.3% · North Carolina 22.5% · too close to call
1 in 5Whittier adults are in frequent mental distress
18.4% · North Carolina 16.5% · 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
Whittier adults worry about having enough food
18.1% · NC 15.2% · worse
1 in 8
Whittier adults worry about keeping their housing
13% · NC 12.2% · about the same
1 in 11
Whittier adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
9.2% · NC 8.1% · about the same
1 in 10
Whittier adults lack reliable transportation
10% · NC 8.4% · worse

15.7% of Whittier adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 12.3% across North Carolina.

Disability

Living with a disability

39.2%

of Whittier adults live with a disability (North Carolina 32%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs19.4%
Thinking or memory17.6%
Hearing10.3%
Errands alone10.7%
Vision7%
Dressing or bathing5.3%

Black tick: North Carolina. Shown without a better/worse judgment.

Getting care

Care in and near Whittier

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

HNearest ERDlp Swain County HospitalBryson City · 5.1 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyHarris Regional Hospital★★★★★ · 9.2 miDirections →
+Low-cost careBlue Ridge Community Health ServicesBryson City · 5.5 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
5.1 mi
Dlp Swain County Hospital
Bryson City · not rated
ERRural critical access
5.5 mi
Blue Ridge Community Health Services
3 sites · nearest in Bryson City
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
5.9 mi
Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority
Cherokee · not rated
ER
9.2 mi
Harris Regional Hospital
Sylva · ★★★★★
ER
9.2 mi
Appalachian Mountain Health at Sylva
Sylva · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
17.4 mi
Angel Medical Center
Franklin · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
! Primary careWhittier's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Jackson County · need score 15 of 25
! Dental careWhittier's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Jackson County · need score 18 of 25
! Mental healthWhittier's county is a federal shortage area.Jackson County · need score 11 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 Whittier. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Whittier
MeasureWhittierMarginNorth Carolina
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure41.6%37.9–45.4%36.8%worse
High cholesterol40%36.3–43.9%35.6%worse
Obesity38.7%32.4–45.3%35.1%about the same
Arthritis33.5%30.3–36.6%26.9%worse
Depression27.2%23.8–30.7%24.2%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)19.8%17–22.8%13.9%worse
Asthma11.8%10.5–13.1%10.8%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.7%8.9–10.6%7.9%worse
Diabetes15.2%13.4–17%12%worse
COPD10.8%9.5–12%7.1%worse
Heart disease9%8.1–9.8%6.6%worse
Stroke4.7%4.4–5.1%3.6%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes18.9%16.5–21.2%13.5%worse
Binge drink14.1%11.8–16.6%14.7%about the same
Get no exercise28.2%24.3–32.2%23.8%worse
Sleep under 7 hours34%28.4–39.8%34.2%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup80.2%77.1–83%80%about the same
Dentist visit57.4%54.1–60.5%63.6%worse
Cholesterol check87%85.2–88.5%87.5%about the same
Colon screening64.9%60.5–68.9%65.7%about the same
Mammogram75.1%68.4–80.8%78.7%about the same
Taking BP meds78.8%76.2–81.2%76.7%about the same
No health insurance10.9%9.2–12.9%10.4%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely33.2%28.9–37.8%32.5%about the same
Lack emotional support22.3%19.3–25.6%22.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress18.4%16.5–20.4%16.5%about the same
Fair or poor health24%21.3–26.7%19%worse
Frequent physical distress16.4%14.6–18.2%12.7%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity18.1%15.9–20.8%15.2%worse
Housing insecurity13%11.3–14.8%12.2%about the same
Utility shut-off threat9.2%8.1–10.4%8.1%about the same
No reliable transportation10%8.9–11.2%8.4%worse
Receive SNAP15.7%13.6–18.3%12.3%
Disability
Any disability39.2%35–43.1%32%
Walking or climbing stairs19.4%17.2–21.6%14.2%
Thinking or memory17.6%15.7–19.5%14.8%
Hearing10.3%9.2–11.3%7.3%
Vision7%6.4–7.6%5.3%
Dressing or bathing5.3%4.8–5.9%4%
Errands alone10.7%9.6–11.9%8.2%
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 Whittier door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the North Carolina figure falls inside it, we don't call Whittier better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Whittier by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Whittier by how much of its land each one covers.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The North Carolina 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/19 · 2025-01-01