Health · Ulysses

Ulysses, NY health

Ulysses differs from New York on 16 of 40 measures. It has fewer uninsured adults (4.5% vs 7.9%) and fewer adults facing food insecurity (10.2% vs 17.2%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (9.9% vs 7.7%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 14886, 14850
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Ulysses’s Health Grade: A

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Ulysses is healthier than 89% of U.S. towns and 85% of New York towns.

ASelf-rated healthA-Physical distressA-Mental distressAObesityADiabetesA-SmokingA-Exercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 89%
Less healthyHealthier
New York towns we grade (1,227)Healthier than 85%
Towns with similar incomes, $54K–$89K (9,697)Healthier than 99%

About what its income would suggest. Ulysses does about as well against towns with similar incomes as against all towns.

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Ulysses could be anywhere from B+ 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 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 Ulysses 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. Ulysses’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.
Report card

How Ulysses 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

Out of every 100 Ulysses adults…

32 of every 100 Ulysses adults have high blood pressure
New York: 33 in 100 · too close to call · margin 29.2–34.5%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Ulysses, betterUlysses, worseToo close to callNew York
Get no exerciseshare of adults 19.7% Ulysses
NY 25.9%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 33.8% Ulysses
NY 37.9%
Binge drinkshare of adults 17% Ulysses
NY 16.3%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 10.6% Ulysses
NY 11.3%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

80%
Yearly checkup
NY 81%
67%
Dentist visit
NY 64%
90%
Cholesterol check
NY 89%
74%
Colon screening
NY 67%
81%
Mammogram
NY 79%
76%
Taking BP meds
NY 77%
1 in 22
working-age adults has no health insurance
Ulysses 4.5% · New York 1 in 13 (7.9%)
Mind & connection

How Ulysses adults are doing

1 in 3Ulysses adults feel lonely
31.4% · New York 34.2% · too close to call
1 in 5Ulysses adults have been diagnosed with depression
21.8% · New York 17.5% · worse
1 in 5Ulysses adults lack social or emotional support
21.1% · New York 26.4% · better
1 in 7Ulysses adults are in frequent mental distress
15.1% · New York 15% · 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
Ulysses adults worry about having enough food
10.2% · NY 17.2% · better
1 in 11
Ulysses adults worry about keeping their housing
8.9% · NY 14.5% · better
1 in 18
Ulysses adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5.5% · NY 8.2% · better
1 in 16
Ulysses adults lack reliable transportation
6.2% · NY 8.6% · better

8.9% of Ulysses adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.1% across New York.

Disability

Living with a disability

24.7%

of Ulysses adults live with a disability (New York 27.2%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs11.4%
Thinking or memory11.1%
Hearing5.9%
Errands alone6.8%
Vision3.8%
Dressing or bathing3%

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

Around Ulysses

Ulysses 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.

Lansing: 28.8% Enfield: 25.7% Covert: 32.4% Hector: 30.5% Ithaca: 23.2% Genoa: 34.6% Groton: 30.3% Lansing: 22.9% Locke: 36% Dryden: 27.7% Cayuga Heights: 20.6% Newfield: 29.5% Ovid: 35.9% Lodi: 35.2% Reading: 31.2% Watkins Glen: 31.7% Dix: 31.5% Catharine: 32.1% Starkey: 35% Montour: 30.9% Danby: 27.6% Ulysses: 27.6% Ulysses Lansing Enfield Covert Hector Ithaca Cayuga Medical Center at Ithaca · Ithaca · 5 mi · 3★ MedicareH Schuyler Hospital · Montour Falls · 16.6 miH Ovid Community Health · Ovid · 15.5 mi+
20.6%36%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#5 of 22towns on this map, healthiest first
Ithaca23.2%
Enfield25.7%
Ulysses27.6%
Lansing28.8%
Hector30.5%
Covert32.4%

Care nearby

Cayuga Medical Center at IthacaIthaca · 5 mi · ★★★★★ · ER DirectionsMedicare profile
Schuyler HospitalMontour Falls · 16.6 mi · ER · rural critical access DirectionsMedicare profile
Guthrie Cortland Regional Medical CenterCortland · 22.9 mi · ★★★★★ · ER DirectionsMedicare profile
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital of YatesPenn Yan · 25 mi · ER · rural critical access DirectionsMedicare profile
Ovid Community HealthOvid · 15.5 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions
Moravia Medical OfficeMoravia · 16.9 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions
! Primary careUlysses's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.ME - Tompkins County · need score 16 of 25
! Dental careUlysses's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.ME - Tompkins County · need score 20 of 25
! Mental healthUlysses's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.ME - Tompkins 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 Ulysses. 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 Ulysses
MeasureUlyssesMarginNew York
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure31.8%29.2–34.5%32.6%about the same
High cholesterol35%32.1–37.9%37.7%about the same
Obesity27.6%23.6–31.8%28.8%about the same
Arthritis27.2%25–29.5%24%worse
Depression21.8%19.4–24.3%17.5%worse
Lost all teeth (65+)7.8%6.6–9.2%12.8%better
Asthma10.8%9.9–11.8%10.3%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.9%9.3–10.7%7.7%worse
Diabetes9.4%8.4–10.5%11.5%better
COPD6.1%5.5–6.9%6%about the same
Heart disease6%5.5–6.5%6.1%about the same
Stroke3.1%2.8–3.3%3.4%better
Habits
Smoke cigarettes10.6%9.2–12.1%11.3%about the same
Binge drink17%14.9–19.3%16.3%about the same
Get no exercise19.7%17.3–22.4%25.9%better
Sleep under 7 hours33.8%29.9–38.1%37.9%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup79.7%77.2–82%80.8%about the same
Dentist visit67%64.3–69.5%63.5%better
Cholesterol check89.6%88.5–90.7%89.2%about the same
Colon screening74.2%71.2–77.2%66.8%better
Mammogram81.2%76.6–85.4%78.9%about the same
Taking BP meds75.7%73.5–77.8%77.2%about the same
No health insurance4.5%3.8–5.2%7.9%better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely31.4%27.8–35%34.2%about the same
Lack emotional support21.1%18.7–23.9%26.4%better
Frequent mental distress15.1%13.7–16.5%15%about the same
Fair or poor health14.6%13–16.3%18.1%better
Frequent physical distress12.1%10.9–13.3%12.8%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity10.2%8.8–11.8%17.2%better
Housing insecurity8.9%7.8–10.2%14.5%better
Utility shut-off threat5.5%4.8–6.3%8.2%better
No reliable transportation6.2%5.6–7%8.6%better
Receive SNAP8.9%7.5–10.2%14.1%
Disability
Any disability24.7%22.2–27.4%27.2%
Walking or climbing stairs11.4%10.1–12.7%13.4%
Thinking or memory11.1%10.1–12.3%12.1%
Hearing5.9%5.3–6.4%5.6%
Vision3.8%3.5–4.2%5.2%
Dressing or bathing3%2.8–3.3%3.8%
Errands alone6.8%6.1–7.5%7.7%
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 Ulysses door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the New York figure falls inside it, we don't call Ulysses better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Ulysses by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Ulysses by how much of its land each one covers.

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.

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Ulysses

New York · NY · Tompkins County
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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01