Health · Watauga

Watauga, TN health

Watauga differs from Tennessee on 14 of 33 measures. Where it trails the state most: more older adults who have lost all their teeth (27.9% vs 14.6%) and more adults with COPD (14.5% vs 8.6%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · CDC's estimate for Watauga
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 644 people are less certain, so we show Watauga's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Watauga compares with Tennessee

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 Watauga adults…

48 of every 100 Watauga adults have high blood pressure
Tennessee: 40 in 100 · worse · margin 43.3–52.4%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Watauga, betterWatauga, worseToo close to callTennessee
Get no exerciseshare of adults 35.4% Watauga
TN 26.6%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 43.5% Watauga
TN 38.2%
Binge drinkshare of adults 12.6% Watauga
TN 14.6%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 24.4% Watauga
TN 17.3%
0%10%20%30%40%50%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

79%
Yearly checkup
TN 78%
51%
Dentist visit
TN 58%
86%
Cholesterol check
TN 87%
60%
Colon screening
TN 63%
69%
Mammogram
TN 75%
79%
Taking BP meds
TN 76%
1 in 8
working-age adults has no health insurance
Watauga 13.3% · Tennessee 1 in 9 (11.6%)
Mind & connection

How Watauga adults are doing

1 in 3Watauga adults have been diagnosed with depression
32.3% · Tennessee 28.4% · too close to call
1 in 5Watauga adults are in frequent mental distress
21.2% · Tennessee 19.3% · too close to call
Disability

Living with a disability

47.3%

of Watauga adults live with a disability (Tennessee 35.8%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs24.6%
Thinking or memory21.5%
Hearing11.5%
Errands alone13.3%
Vision8%
Dressing or bathing6.4%

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

Around Watauga

Watauga 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 Watauga.

Johnson City: 36.2% Gray: 35.1% Pine Crest: 37.7% Oak Grove: 34.8% Spurgeon: 34.4% Central: 40.2% Elizabethton: 36.3% Watauga: 40% Watauga Johnson City Sycamore Shoals Hospital · Elizabethton · 2.9 mi · 2★ MedicareH Franklin Woods Community Hospital · Johnson City · 6.5 mi · 3★ MedicareH Johnson City Medical Center · Johnson City · 6.7 mi · 1★ MedicareH Johnson City Downtown Day Center · Johnson City · 5 mi+ Bluff City Medical Center · Bluff City · 5.9 mi+
34.4%40.2%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#7 of 8towns on this map, healthiest first
Johnson City36.2%
Watauga40%

Care nearby

Sycamore Shoals HospitalElizabethton · 2.9 mi · ★★★★★ · ER DirectionsMedicare profile
Franklin Woods Community HospitalJohnson City · 6.5 mi · ★★★★★ · ER DirectionsMedicare profile
Johnson City Medical CenterJohnson City · 6.7 mi · ★★★★★ · ER DirectionsMedicare profile
Wellmont Bristol Regional Medical CenterBristol · 16.7 mi · ★★★★★ · ER DirectionsMedicare profile
Johnson City Downtown Day CenterJohnson City · 5 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions
Bluff City Medical CenterBluff City · 5.9 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions
! Primary careWatauga's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Washington/Carter/Unicoi Counties · need score 15 of 25
! Dental careWatauga's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Carter County · need score 17 of 25
✓ Mental healthWatauga is not a shortage area

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

All 33 measures for Watauga
MeasureWataugaMarginTennessee
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure48%43.3–52.4%39.5%worse
High cholesterol46%41.3–50.7%38.3%worse
Obesity40%32.3–47.7%37.6%about the same
Arthritis40.1%36–44%30.6%worse
Depression32.3%28–36.9%28.4%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)27.9%23.5–32.8%14.6%worse
Asthma11.7%10.2–13.2%11%about the same
Cancer (not skin)10.4%9.3–11.6%8.2%worse
Diabetes18.3%15.8–21.1%13.6%worse
COPD14.5%12–17.2%8.6%worse
Heart disease11%9.5–12.5%7%worse
Stroke5.5%4.7–6.3%3.7%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes24.4%19.9–29.1%17.3%worse
Binge drink12.6%10.1–15.4%14.6%about the same
Get no exercise35.4%29.4–41.6%26.6%worse
Sleep under 7 hours43.5%36.7–50.3%38.2%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup78.7%74.9–82.2%78.1%about the same
Dentist visit51.2%47.4–55.2%58.1%worse
Cholesterol check85.5%83–87.8%86.6%about the same
Colon screening59.7%54–65.3%63.2%about the same
Mammogram68.5%60–76.3%75.2%about the same
Taking BP meds78.9%76–81.6%76.2%about the same
No health insurance13.3%10.1–16.8%11.6%about the same
Mind & connection
Frequent mental distress21.2%18.4–24%19.3%about the same
Fair or poor health31.1%26.4–36%22.4%worse
Frequent physical distress20.6%17.7–23.7%14.9%worse
Disability
Any disability47.3%41.6–53.3%35.8%
Walking or climbing stairs24.6%20.9–28.6%16.3%
Thinking or memory21.5%18.2–24.8%17.4%
Hearing11.5%10–13.1%7.6%
Vision8%6.8–9.4%5.5%
Dressing or bathing6.4%5.3–7.6%4.1%
Errands alone13.3%11.2–15.5%9.5%
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 Watauga door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Tennessee figure falls inside it, we don't call Watauga better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Watauga directly, so these are its own figures.

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

You’re browsing

Watauga

Tennessee · TN
View town boundary →
Township / city / CDP overlaps possible.
Loading boundary…

Watauga is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01