Health · Lester

Lester, WV health

Lester differs from West Virginia on 13 of 40 measures. Where it trails the state most: more older adults who have lost all their teeth (26.8% vs 19.5%) and more adults facing food insecurity (21.4% vs 16.2%).

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

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 377 people are less certain, so we show Lester's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Lester compares with West Virginia

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 Lester adults…

49 of every 100 Lester adults have high blood pressure
West Virginia: 44 in 100 · worse · margin 44.6–52.4%

Bars show Lester; the black tick is West Virginia. Tap a condition to see it as people.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Lester, betterLester, worseToo close to callWest Virginia
Get no exerciseshare of adults 38.4% Lester
WV 32.8%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 44.8% Lester
WV 40.7%
Binge drinkshare of adults 13% Lester
WV 14.1%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 22.3% Lester
WV 19.3%
0%10%20%30%40%50%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Lester adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks West Virginia.

82%
Yearly checkup
WV 81%
48%
Dentist visit
WV 56%
86%
Cholesterol check
WV 87%
69%
Colon screening
WV 67%
79%
Mammogram
WV 76%
80%
Taking BP meds
WV 80%
1 in 10
working-age adults has no health insurance
Lester 9.8% · West Virginia 1 in 12 (8.5%)
Mind & connection

How Lester adults are doing

1 in 3Lester adults feel lonely
37.9% · West Virginia 33.8% · too close to call
1 in 3Lester adults have been diagnosed with depression
30.9% · West Virginia 30.4% · too close to call
1 in 4Lester adults lack social or emotional support
26.5% · West Virginia 23% · too close to call
1 in 4Lester adults are in frequent mental distress
23.2% · West Virginia 21.1% · 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 5
Lester adults worry about having enough food
21.4% · WV 16.2% · worse
1 in 6
Lester adults worry about keeping their housing
15.7% · WV 12.4% · worse
1 in 7
Lester adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
14.1% · WV 11% · worse
1 in 9
Lester adults lack reliable transportation
11.1% · WV 8.9% · worse

24.3% of Lester adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 17.8% across West Virginia.

Disability

Living with a disability

44.4%

of Lester adults live with a disability (West Virginia 39.2%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs21.9%
Thinking or memory21.4%
Hearing9.6%
Errands alone12.6%
Vision6.9%
Dressing or bathing5.5%

Black tick: West Virginia. Shown without a better/worse judgment.

Getting care

Care in and near Lester

No hospital or community health center in Lester itself. These are the nearest.

HNearest ERBeckley VA Medical CenterBeckley · 6.5 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyBeckley Arh Hospital★★★★★ · 8.7 miDirections →
+Low-cost careNew River Health AssociationSophia · 3.2 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
3.2 mi
New River Health Association
5 sites · nearest in Sophia
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
3.8 mi
Community Health Systems
3 sites · nearest in Glen Daniel
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
6.5 mi
Beckley VA Medical Center
Beckley · ★★★★★
ERVA
6.6 mi
Raleigh General Hospital
Beckley · ★★★★★
ER
8.7 mi
Beckley Arh Hospital
Beckley · ★★★★★
ER
18.9 mi
Camc Plateau Medical Center
Oak Hill · not rated
ERRural critical access
! Primary careLester's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Raleigh County · need score 14 of 25
! Dental careLester's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Raleigh County · need score 19 of 25
! Mental healthLester's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Raleigh County · need score 19 of 25

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 Lester. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Lester
MeasureLesterMarginWest Virginia
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure48.6%44.6–52.4%44%worse
High cholesterol44.8%40.6–48.9%42.7%about the same
Obesity44.6%38.4–51%40.6%about the same
Arthritis39.9%36.3–43.3%37.7%about the same
Depression30.9%26.9–34.9%30.4%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)26.8%22.4–30.8%19.5%worse
Asthma12.8%11.3–14.4%12.2%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.4%8.4–10.5%9.6%about the same
Diabetes18.7%16.3–21.1%15.9%worse
COPD12.9%10.9–15%10.6%worse
Heart disease9.8%8.6–11.1%8.7%about the same
Stroke4.9%4.3–5.6%4.2%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes22.3%18.7–25.9%19.3%about the same
Binge drink13%10.7–15.7%14.1%about the same
Get no exercise38.4%32.9–43.9%32.8%worse
Sleep under 7 hours44.8%39.1–49.6%40.7%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup81.8%78.6–84.7%81%about the same
Dentist visit47.8%43.8–51.3%55.5%worse
Cholesterol check85.7%83.5–87.9%86.8%about the same
Colon screening68.7%63.7–72.7%66.5%about the same
Mammogram78.9%71.6–84.2%76.1%about the same
Taking BP meds80.4%77.9–82.7%79.5%about the same
No health insurance9.8%7.7–12.4%8.5%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely37.9%32.9–42.8%33.8%about the same
Lack emotional support26.5%22.7–30.5%23%about the same
Frequent mental distress23.2%20.5–26%21.1%about the same
Fair or poor health31.1%26.9–35.5%25.4%worse
Frequent physical distress20.2%17.5–22.8%17.3%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity21.4%17.8–25.3%16.2%worse
Housing insecurity15.7%13.4–18.3%12.4%worse
Utility shut-off threat14.1%12.2–16.2%11%worse
No reliable transportation11.1%9.5–12.8%8.9%worse
Receive SNAP24.3%20.2–28.5%17.8%
Disability
Any disability44.4%39.1–49.6%39.2%
Walking or climbing stairs21.9%18.8–25.1%18.7%
Thinking or memory21.4%18.7–24.4%18.6%
Hearing9.6%8.3–10.9%9%
Vision6.9%6–7.9%5.7%
Dressing or bathing5.5%4.8–6.4%4.6%
Errands alone12.6%10.8–14.5%10.9%
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 Lester door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the West Virginia figure falls inside it, we don't call Lester better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Lester directly, so these are its own figures.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The West Virginia 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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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01