Health · Portales

Portales, NM health

Portales differs from New Mexico on 11 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults who have had cancer (5.6% vs 7.4%) and fewer adults with diabetes (10.2% vs 13.2%). Where it trails the state: more adults in frequent mental distress (18.5% vs 16.1%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · CDC's estimate for Portales

Report card

How Portales compares with New Mexico

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 Portales adults…

28 of every 100 Portales adults have high blood pressure

New Mexico: 34 in 100 · better · margin 24.8–31.8%

Bars show Portales; the black tick is New Mexico. Tap a condition to see it as people.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Portales, betterPortales, worseToo close to callNew Mexico

Get no exerciseshare of adults 25.4% Portales
NM 25.6%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 35.5% Portales
NM 32.7%

Binge drinkshare of adults 15.5% Portales
NM 13.7%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 12.5% Portales
NM 13.4%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Portales adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks New Mexico.

Yearly checkup

NM 69%

Dentist visit

NM 61%

Cholesterol check

NM 83%

Colon screening

NM 58%

Mammogram

NM 70%

Taking BP meds

NM 73%

1 in 6

working-age adults has no health insurance

Portales 15.7% · New Mexico 1 in 6 (15.6%)

Mind & connection

How Portales adults are doing

1 in 3Portales adults feel lonely

37.1% · New Mexico 34.1% · too close to call

1 in 4Portales adults have been diagnosed with depression

24.3% · New Mexico 23.2% · too close to call

1 in 4Portales adults lack social or emotional support

24.4% · New Mexico 24.5% · too close to call

1 in 5Portales adults are in frequent mental distress

18.5% · New Mexico 16.1% · worse

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

Portales adults worry about having enough food

21.5% · NM 20.9% · about the same

1 in 6

Portales adults worry about keeping their housing

16.8% · NM 16.5% · about the same

1 in 9

Portales adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

11.2% · NM 11.2% · about the same

1 in 8

Portales adults lack reliable transportation

11.8% · NM 11% · about the same

17% of Portales adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 16.9% across New Mexico.

Disability

Living with a disability

34.7%

of Portales adults live with a disability (New Mexico 34%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs13%

Thinking or memory18%

Hearing6.9%

Errands alone9.7%

Vision6.5%

Dressing or bathing4.1%

Black tick: New Mexico. Shown without a better/worse judgment.

Around Portales

Portales and the towns around it

Care nearby

Roosevelt General HospitalPortales · 0.7 mi · ER

Plains Regional Medical CenterClovis · 18.1 mi · ★★★★★ · ER

Muleshoe Area Medical CenterMuleshoe · 32.3 mi · ER · rural critical access

Cochran Memorial HospitalMorton · 46.6 mi · ER · rural critical access

Dba La Casa Family Health CenterPortales · 0.6 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees

La Casa De Buena Salud - ClovisClovis · 17.8 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees

! Primary carePortales's county is a federal shortage area.Roosevelt County · need score 15 of 25

! Dental carePortales's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Roosevelt County · need score 19 of 25

! Mental healthPortales's county is a federal shortage area.Roosevelt County · need score 19 of 25

Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes). Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Distances are straight-line from the center of Portales. Nearby towns are shaded from CDC's estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC's own figure for cities and villages.

All 40 measures for Portales

Measure	Portales	Margin	New Mexico
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	28.3%	24.8–31.8%	34.3%	better
High cholesterol	31.6%	27.7–35.4%	35.1%	about the same
Obesity	31.7%	25–39%	34.1%	about the same
Arthritis	20.8%	18.3–23.4%	25.6%	better
Depression	24.3%	20.8–28.2%	23.2%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	14.2%	11.7–17.1%	14.2%	about the same
Asthma	10.1%	8.9–11.3%	9.9%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	5.6%	5.1–6.2%	7.4%	better
Diabetes	10.2%	8.9–11.7%	13.2%	better
COPD	5.7%	5–6.5%	6.6%	better
Heart disease	5.6%	5–6.2%	7.2%	better
Stroke	3%	2.8–3.3%	3.8%	better
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	12.5%	10.6–14.6%	13.4%	about the same
Binge drink	15.5%	12.6–18.6%	13.7%	about the same
Get no exercise	25.4%	21.2–29.9%	25.6%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	35.5%	29.2–42.2%	32.7%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	63.9%	59.1–68.6%	69%	worse
Dentist visit	59%	55–62.8%	61.4%	about the same
Cholesterol check	77.6%	74.9–80.4%	83.4%	worse
Colon screening	54%	48.6–59.3%	57.5%	about the same
Mammogram	67.8%	59–75.6%	70.3%	about the same
Taking BP meds	67.9%	64.8–70.8%	73.3%	worse
No health insurance	15.7%	13.4–18.5%	15.6%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	37.1%	31.7–42.8%	34.1%	about the same
Lack emotional support	24.4%	20.7–28.5%	24.5%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	18.5%	16.2–20.8%	16.1%	worse
Fair or poor health	21.8%	18.9–24.8%	24%	about the same
Frequent physical distress	14.1%	12.4–15.9%	15.5%	about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	21.5%	18.3–24.8%	20.9%	about the same
Housing insecurity	16.8%	14.4–19.3%	16.5%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	11.2%	9.7–12.9%	11.2%	about the same
No reliable transportation	11.8%	10.2–13.4%	11%	about the same
Receive SNAP	17%	14.3–20%	16.9%
Disability
Any disability	34.7%	30.2–39.4%	34%
Walking or climbing stairs	13%	11.3–14.8%	15.5%
Thinking or memory	18%	15.8–20.4%	15.5%
Hearing	6.9%	6.1–7.8%	8.5%
Vision	6.5%	5.9–7.2%	7.2%
Dressing or bathing	4.1%	3.7–4.5%	4.7%
Errands alone	9.7%	8.5–10.9%	9.3%

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 Portales door to door.

Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the New Mexico figure falls inside it, we don't call Portales better or worse.

CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Portales directly, so these are its own figures.

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