Health · Pennington
Pennington, NJ health
Pennington differs from New Jersey on 21 of 40 measures. It has fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth (2.6% vs 9.6%) and fewer adults facing food insecurity (5.4% vs 14.3%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (11.1% vs 7.5%).
CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · CDC's estimate for PenningtonTownTapestry Health GradeNew
A+
Pennington’s Health Grade: A+
On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Pennington is healthier than 99% of U.S. towns and 94% of New Jersey towns.
A+Self-rated healthA+Physical distressA+Mental distressA+ObesityA+DiabetesA+SmokingA+Exercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 99%
Less healthyHealthier
New Jersey towns we grade (529)Healthier than 94%
Towns with similar incomes, $144K–$241K (1,035)Healthier than 93%
About what its income would suggest. Pennington does about as well against towns with similar incomes as against all towns.
These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Pennington could be anywhere from A to A+.
How the Health Grade works
- Seven CDC estimates. Adults in fair or poor health, frequent physical distress, frequent mental distress, obesity, diabetes, smoking and no exercise (CDC PLACES, 2025 release). On each one a town earns the share of U.S. towns doing worse, and those shares are averaged. It’s the same score as our Healthiest towns in New Jersey ranking.
- Graded on a national curve. Every U.S. town with 1,000+ residents and all seven estimates (19,420 places) is lined up by score: A+ top 5%A next 10%A- next 10%B B+ to B−, next 30%C C+ to C−, next 30%D D and D−, bottom 15%
- Not adjusted for income. Wealthier towns are usually healthier, and the grade shows that as it is. The similar-incomes bar compares Pennington with U.S. towns whose median household income is within 25% of its own.
- Modeled, not measured. CDC combines national survey answers with each area’s age, sex, race and income mix. Pennington uses CDC’s own estimate for it. High blood pressure is left out because it tracks age more than anything else. The confidence line recomputes the grade with every estimate at the low, then the high, end of its range.
Report card
How Pennington compares with New Jersey
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
21.1% have obesity
3 better8 close1 worse
Habits
16% get no exercise
3 better1 close0 worse
Care & screenings
81.4% had a checkup
5 better2 close0 worse
Mind & connection
26.8% feel lonely
5 better0 close0 worse
Everyday needs
5.4% face food insecurity
4 better1 close0 worse
Disability
18.5% have a disability
7 measures · shown without a better/worse judgment
Chronic conditions
Out of every 100 Pennington adults…
30 of every 100 Pennington adults have high blood pressure
New Jersey: 33 in 100 · too close to call · margin 26.7–33.2%
Bars show Pennington; the black tick is New Jersey. Tap a condition to see it as people.
Habits
Everyday habits, side by side with the state
Pennington, betterPennington, worseToo close to callNew Jersey
Get no exerciseshare of adults
16% Pennington
NJ 24.8%
NJ 24.8%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults
29.5% Pennington
NJ 37.5%
NJ 37.5%
Binge drinkshare of adults
15.3% Pennington
NJ 15.5%
NJ 15.5%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults
6.7% Pennington
NJ 10.9%
NJ 10.9%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings
Keeping up with care
Share of Pennington adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks New Jersey.
Yearly checkup
NJ 78%Dentist visit
NJ 66%Cholesterol check
NJ 89%Colon screening
NJ 63%Mammogram
NJ 76%Taking BP meds
NJ 77%1 in 22
working-age adults has no health insurance
Pennington 4.5% · New Jersey 1 in 9 (11.3%)
Mind & connection
How Pennington adults are doing
1 in 4Pennington adults feel lonely
26.8% · New Jersey 32.4% · better
1 in 6Pennington adults have been diagnosed with depression
15.6% · New Jersey 15.1% · too close to call
1 in 6Pennington adults lack social or emotional support
17.6% · New Jersey 24% · better
1 in 8Pennington adults are in frequent mental distress
11.8% · New Jersey 14.7% · better
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 19
Pennington adults worry about having enough food
5.4% · NJ 14.3% · better
1 in 19
Pennington adults worry about keeping their housing
5.4% · NJ 12.3% · better
1 in 30
Pennington adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
3.3% · NJ 7% · better
1 in 28
Pennington adults lack reliable transportation
3.6% · NJ 7.4% · better
2.8% of Pennington adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 8.4% across New Jersey.
Disability
Living with a disability
18.5%
of Pennington adults live with a disability (New Jersey 24.8%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Walking or climbing stairs8.5%
Thinking or memory7.9%
Hearing5.6%
Errands alone4.7%
Vision2.8%
Dressing or bathing2.1%
Black tick: New Jersey. Shown without a better/worse judgment.
Getting care
Care in and near Pennington
1 hospital in Pennington, plus the nearest just outside it.
HNearest ERCapital Health Medical Center - HopewellPennington · 0.4 miDirections →
+Low-cost careHenry J. Austin Health CenterTrenton · 6.7 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
6.7 mi
Henry J. Austin Health Center
8 sites · nearest in Trenton
Henry J. Austin Health Center-BellevueTrenton · 6.7 mi
Henry J. Austin Health Center-WarrenTrenton · 7 mi
Henry J. Austin Health Center-EwingTrenton · 7.1 mi
Henry J. Austin Health Center at the Rescue Mission of TrentonTrenton · 7.2 mi
Henry J. Austin Health Center at Oaks Integrated CareTrenton · 7.4 mi
Henry J. Austin Health Center-ChambersTrenton · 7.7 mi
Henry J. Austin Health Center at All Access Mental HealthPrinceton · 8.3 mi
8.6 mi
University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro
Plainsboro · ★★★★★
9.6 mi
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton
Hamilton · ★★★★★
Nothing matches.
✓ Primary carePennington is not a shortage area
✓ Dental carePennington is not a shortage area
✓ Mental healthPennington 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 Pennington. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
All 40 measures for Pennington
| Measure | Pennington | Margin | New Jersey | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions | ||||
| High blood pressure | 30% | 26.7–33.2% | 32.8% | about the same |
| High cholesterol | 39.5% | 35.9–43.1% | 39.3% | about the same |
| Obesity | 21.1% | 17.4–25% | 28.9% | better |
| Arthritis | 23.4% | 20.7–26.1% | 22.2% | about the same |
| Depression | 15.6% | 13.3–18.1% | 15.1% | about the same |
| Lost all teeth (65+) | 2.6% | 2–3.2% | 9.6% | better |
| Asthma | 8.7% | 7.6–9.8% | 8.9% | about the same |
| Cancer (not skin) | 11.1% | 9.9–12.2% | 7.5% | worse |
| Diabetes | 8.2% | 7–9.6% | 10.9% | better |
| COPD | 4.1% | 3.2–5.2% | 5.1% | about the same |
| Heart disease | 5.3% | 4.6–6.2% | 5.6% | about the same |
| Stroke | 2.7% | 2.3–3.2% | 3.1% | about the same |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 6.7% | 5–9% | 10.9% | better |
| Binge drink | 15.3% | 12.9–17.9% | 15.5% | about the same |
| Get no exercise | 16% | 12.9–19.6% | 24.8% | better |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 29.5% | 25.3–33.6% | 37.5% | better |
| Care & screenings | ||||
| Yearly checkup | 81.4% | 78.6–84.1% | 78% | better |
| Dentist visit | 77.7% | 75.2–80% | 65.9% | better |
| Cholesterol check | 92.9% | 91.5–94% | 89.1% | better |
| Colon screening | 70.5% | 66.5–74.2% | 63.4% | better |
| Mammogram | 77.2% | 70.8–82.8% | 75.7% | about the same |
| Taking BP meds | 78.8% | 75.7–81.6% | 77.2% | about the same |
| No health insurance | 4.5% | 3.3–6.2% | 11.3% | better |
| Mind & connection | ||||
| Feel lonely | 26.8% | 23.2–30.7% | 32.4% | better |
| Lack emotional support | 17.6% | 14.8–20.7% | 24% | better |
| Frequent mental distress | 11.8% | 10.1–13.7% | 14.7% | better |
| Fair or poor health | 10.9% | 8.9–13.5% | 17.1% | better |
| Frequent physical distress | 9.6% | 8.2–11.4% | 12.2% | better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Food insecurity | 5.4% | 4–7.2% | 14.3% | better |
| Housing insecurity | 5.4% | 4.2–6.9% | 12.3% | better |
| Utility shut-off threat | 3.3% | 2.6–4.1% | 7% | better |
| No reliable transportation | 3.6% | 2.9–4.4% | 7.4% | better |
| Receive SNAP | 2.8% | 2–4% | 8.4% | |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 18.5% | 15.5–21.9% | 24.8% | |
| Walking or climbing stairs | 8.5% | 6.8–10.5% | 11.3% | |
| Thinking or memory | 7.9% | 6.5–9.6% | 11.5% | |
| Hearing | 5.6% | 4.8–6.5% | 5.7% | |
| Vision | 2.8% | 2.3–3.4% | 4.7% | |
| Dressing or bathing | 2.1% | 1.8–2.6% | 3.3% | |
| Errands alone | 4.7% | 3.8–5.8% | 6.6% | |
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 Pennington door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the New Jersey figure falls inside it, we don't call Pennington better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Pennington directly, so these are its own figures.
CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The New Jersey 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.