Health · Reading

Reading, NE health

Reading differs from Nebraska on 5 of 40 measures. Where it trails the state most: more adults with heart disease (7.4% vs 6.1%) and more adults who have had cancer (10% vs 8.3%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 68658 (all of Reading)
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 485 people are less certain, so we show Reading's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Reading compares with Nebraska

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 Reading adults…

36 of every 100 Reading adults have high blood pressure
Nebraska: 33 in 100 · too close to call · margin 31.8–39.3%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Reading, betterReading, worseToo close to callNebraska
Get no exerciseshare of adults 27.4% Reading
NE 24.3%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 31% Reading
NE 31.3%
Binge drinkshare of adults 20.6% Reading
NE 19.7%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 14.5% Reading
NE 13.2%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

76%
Yearly checkup
NE 76%
65%
Dentist visit
NE 64%
85%
Cholesterol check
NE 84%
61%
Colon screening
NE 62%
73%
Mammogram
NE 75%
80%
Taking BP meds
NE 78%
1 in 12
working-age adults has no health insurance
Reading 8.1% · Nebraska 1 in 10 (9.9%)
Mind & connection

How Reading adults are doing

1 in 4Reading adults feel lonely
28.3% · Nebraska 29.3% · too close to call
1 in 6Reading adults have been diagnosed with depression
16.4% · Nebraska 18.3% · too close to call
1 in 5Reading adults lack social or emotional support
20.1% · Nebraska 20.5% · too close to call
1 in 7Reading adults are in frequent mental distress
13.7% · Nebraska 14.1% · 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 10
Reading adults worry about having enough food
10.4% · NE 12.3% · about the same
1 in 13
Reading adults worry about keeping their housing
8% · NE 9.5% · about the same
1 in 18
Reading adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5.5% · NE 6.4% · about the same
1 in 17
Reading adults lack reliable transportation
5.8% · NE 6.7% · about the same

7.2% of Reading adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 8.5% across Nebraska.

Disability

Living with a disability

27.9%

of Reading adults live with a disability (Nebraska 27.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs13.1%
Thinking or memory11.7%
Hearing8.8%
Errands alone7.1%
Vision4.3%
Dressing or bathing3.4%

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

Around Reading

Reading 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 Reading.

Summit: 38.9% Read: 38% Union: 38.5% Alexis: 39.9% Olive: 38.2% Ulysses: 38.4% Center: 38.1% Reading: 38.8% Reading Summit Read Union Butler County Health · David City · 10.8 miH
38%39.9%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#6 of 8towns on this map, healthiest first
Read38%
Union38.5%
Reading38.8%
Summit38.9%
6 places to get careNearest ER 10.8 mi

Nearby towns are shaded from CDC's estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC's own figure for cities and villages.

Getting care

Care in and near Reading

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

HNearest ERButler County HealthDavid City · 10.8 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyColumbus Community Hospital★★★★★ · 19.4 miDirections →
+Low-cost careEast Central District Health DepartmentColumbus · 19.7 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
10.8 mi
Butler County Health
David City · not rated
ERRural critical access
12.5 mi
Annie Jeffrey Memorial County Health Center
Osceola · not rated
ERRural critical access
19.4 mi
Columbus Community Hospital
Columbus · ★★★★★
ER
19.7 mi
East Central District Health Department
2 sites · nearest in Columbus
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
21.7 mi
Memorial Health Care Systems
Seward · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
39.3 mi
Bluestem Health
4 sites · nearest in Lincoln
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
✓ Primary careReading is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careReading is not a shortage area
! Mental healthReading's county is a federal shortage area.Mental Health Catchment Area 5 · need score 12 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 Reading. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Reading
MeasureReadingMarginNebraska
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure35.5%31.8–39.3%32.6%about the same
High cholesterol34.6%30.8–38.5%33%about the same
Obesity38.8%32.4–45.4%37.7%about the same
Arthritis27.5%24.4–30.6%24%worse
Depression16.4%13.9–19.1%18.3%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)11.5%9.4–14.1%12.4%about the same
Asthma9.2%8.1–10.3%9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)10%9–11%8.3%worse
Diabetes11.5%9.8–13.1%10.7%about the same
COPD7.1%6.2–8.2%6.1%worse
Heart disease7.4%6.6–8.3%6.1%worse
Stroke3.6%3.2–4%3.1%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes14.5%12.4–17.1%13.2%about the same
Binge drink20.6%17.4–24.1%19.7%about the same
Get no exercise27.4%23.2–31.9%24.3%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours31%25.5–37%31.3%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup76.3%72.7–79.6%75.9%about the same
Dentist visit65%61.5–68.4%64.3%about the same
Cholesterol check85.3%83.3–87%83.7%about the same
Colon screening61.1%55.8–66.2%62.3%about the same
Mammogram73.1%64.9–80.1%75%about the same
Taking BP meds80.2%77.3–82.6%77.5%about the same
No health insurance8.1%6.6–9.9%9.9%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely28.3%23.9–33.3%29.3%about the same
Lack emotional support20.1%16.9–23.8%20.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress13.7%12.1–15.4%14.1%about the same
Fair or poor health16.8%14.4–19.5%16.1%about the same
Frequent physical distress12.5%11–14.2%11.6%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity10.4%8.5–12.8%12.3%about the same
Housing insecurity8%6.7–9.7%9.5%about the same
Utility shut-off threat5.5%4.6–6.5%6.4%about the same
No reliable transportation5.8%4.9–6.8%6.7%about the same
Receive SNAP7.2%5.8–8.9%8.5%
Disability
Any disability27.9%24.2–31.9%27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs13.1%11.2–15%12%
Thinking or memory11.7%10.3–13.4%12.1%
Hearing8.8%7.8–9.8%7.3%
Vision4.3%3.8–4.8%4.4%
Dressing or bathing3.4%3–3.9%3.2%
Errands alone7.1%6.2–8%6.9%
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 Reading door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Nebraska figure falls inside it, we don't call Reading better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Reading by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Reading by how much of its land each one covers.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Nebraska 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/15 · 2025-01-01