Ithaca, NY health
Ithaca differs from New York on 25 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults with diabetes (6.2% vs 11.5%) and fewer adults who have had a stroke (2% vs 3.4%). Where it trails the state: more adults with depression (22.8% vs 17.5%).
CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 14850 (all of Ithaca)Ithaca’s Health Grade: A
On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Ithaca is healthier than 94% of U.S. towns and 90% of New York towns.
About what its income would suggest. Ithaca does about as well against towns with similar incomes as against all towns.
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 York 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 Ithaca 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. Ithaca’s figures come from the ZIP codes that cover it, weighted by land area. 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.
How Ithaca compares with New York
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
Habits
Care & screenings
Mind & connection
Everyday needs
Disability
Out of every 100 Ithaca adults…
Bars show Ithaca; the black tick is New York. Tap a condition to see it as people.
Everyday habits, side by side with the state
NY 25.9%
NY 37.9%
NY 16.3%
NY 11.3%
Keeping up with care
Share of Ithaca adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks New York.
How Ithaca adults are doing
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
9.1% of Ithaca adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.1% across New York.
Living with a disability
of Ithaca adults live with a disability (New York 27.2%). Thinking or memory is the most common.
Black tick: New York. Shown without a better/worse judgment.
Ithaca and the towns around it
Pick a measure to shade the map. Darker is worse for health. Pins are the nearest hospitals and community health centers.
Obesity
Care nearby
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 Ithaca. 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 Ithaca
| Measure | Ithaca | Margin | New York | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions | ||||
| High blood pressure | 22.5% | 20–25.1% | 32.6% | better |
| High cholesterol | 26.8% | 23.9–29.7% | 37.7% | better |
| Obesity | 23.2% | 19.1–27.6% | 28.8% | better |
| Arthritis | 17.6% | 15.7–19.5% | 24% | better |
| Depression | 22.8% | 19.9–25.8% | 17.5% | worse |
| Lost all teeth (65+) | 8.7% | 7.2–10.6% | 12.8% | better |
| Asthma | 10.5% | 9.4–11.7% | 10.3% | about the same |
| Cancer (not skin) | 6.2% | 5.7–6.8% | 7.7% | better |
| Diabetes | 6.2% | 5.4–7.1% | 11.5% | better |
| COPD | 3.9% | 3.5–4.3% | 6% | better |
| Heart disease | 3.8% | 3.4–4.1% | 6.1% | better |
| Stroke | 2% | 1.8–2.1% | 3.4% | better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 7.9% | 6.8–9% | 11.3% | better |
| Binge drink | 18.8% | 16–21.9% | 16.3% | about the same |
| Get no exercise | 17% | 14.3–19.8% | 25.9% | better |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 34% | 29.2–39.1% | 37.9% | about the same |
| Care & screenings | ||||
| Yearly checkup | 75% | 71.6–78.2% | 80.8% | worse |
| Dentist visit | 64.3% | 61.1–67.4% | 63.5% | about the same |
| Cholesterol check | 83.9% | 82.1–85.6% | 89.2% | worse |
| Colon screening | 72.8% | 68.9–76.6% | 66.8% | better |
| Mammogram | 82% | 76.4–86.8% | 78.9% | about the same |
| Taking BP meds | 67.2% | 64.7–69.4% | 77.2% | worse |
| No health insurance | 4.9% | 4.2–5.6% | 7.9% | better |
| Mind & connection | ||||
| Feel lonely | 36.2% | 31.5–40.9% | 34.2% | about the same |
| Lack emotional support | 22.9% | 19.8–26.3% | 26.4% | better |
| Frequent mental distress | 16.9% | 15.1–18.7% | 15% | worse |
| Fair or poor health | 12.5% | 10.9–14.1% | 18.1% | better |
| Frequent physical distress | 9.5% | 8.5–10.6% | 12.8% | better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Food insecurity | 11.9% | 10.3–13.7% | 17.2% | better |
| Housing insecurity | 9.7% | 8.3–11.1% | 14.5% | better |
| Utility shut-off threat | 5.7% | 5–6.5% | 8.2% | better |
| No reliable transportation | 7.9% | 7–8.8% | 8.6% | about the same |
| Receive SNAP | 9.1% | 7.9–10.4% | 14.1% | |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 22.5% | 19.6–25.3% | 27.2% | |
| Walking or climbing stairs | 7.6% | 6.5–8.5% | 13.4% | |
| Thinking or memory | 12.4% | 11.2–13.8% | 12.1% | |
| Hearing | 4.1% | 3.7–4.6% | 5.6% | |
| Vision | 3.5% | 3.2–3.8% | 5.2% | |
| Dressing or bathing | 2.2% | 2–2.4% | 3.8% | |
| Errands alone | 6.6% | 6–7.3% | 7.7% | |
How CDC estimates town health
CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The New York 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.