Photo: ArkansasNationalist · CC BY-SA 4.0On CDC estimates, Cave Springs is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns
Cave Springs differs from Arkansas on 27 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 25 better, 2 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Cave Springs. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Cave Springs
Cave Springs is the healthiest town in Arkansas we grade
Out of 123 Arkansas towns with a Health Grade, Cave Springs comes first on the seven CDC estimates behind it. Nationally it’s healthier than 90% of towns. Health Grade ↓
Binge drinking is the habit Cave Springs doesn’t win on
19.5% of adults binge drink, vs 14.6% across Arkansas, even though fewer of them smoke and more of them exercise. Habits ↓
Stroke and COPD are less common in Cave Springs
Cave Springs runs below Arkansas on eight chronic conditions, most of all stroke (1.9% vs 4%), COPD (4.1% vs 8.6%) and heart disease (3.7% vs 7.7%). A young population is part of it: only 9% of residents are 65 or older (Arkansas 18%). Conditions ↓
Against towns with similar incomes, Cave Springs’ lead shrinks
Cave Springs is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns, but 58% of the 3,014 towns with similar household incomes ($110K–$183K). Part of its edge is what towns with its incomes tend to have. Health Grade ↓
Cave Springs is an active town
Only 18.4% of adults get no exercise outside work, vs 32.1% across Arkansas. Habits ↓
Written from the CDC, Medicare and HRSA data on this page. CDC PLACES 2025 release: modeled estimates for adults, not counts; “higher” and “lower” mean the Arkansas figure falls outside Cave Springs’ likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
What’s behind Cave Springs’ grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Cave Springs is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns, #1 of 123 in Arkansas. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is diabetes (fewer adults with diabetes than 98% of towns); the weakest is obesity, still better than 67%.
Health estimates follow income closely across the country: towns with higher household incomes usually score higher (a correlation of 0.77 across 21,157 graded towns). Cave Springs’ median household income is $146,473; among the 3,014 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($110K–$183K), it’s healthier than 58%, about where its income would put it.
Everyday habits, side by side with Arkansas
Share of adults, with the Arkansas figure marked.
Out of every 100 Cave Springs adults…
Cave Springs runs below AR on 10 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Only 9% of Cave Springs residents are 65 or older, vs 18% across Arkansas. Heart disease, COPD and arthritis run low partly because the town is young.
Care in and near Cave Springs
No hospital or community health center in Cave Springs itself. These are the nearest.
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 Cave Springs; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Keeping up with care
Share of Cave Springs adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Arkansas.
How Cave Springs adults are doing
On 3 of 4 measures, Cave Springs does better than Arkansas.
3 in 10 Cave Springs adults feel lonely. A hello is a start.
Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
4.1% of Cave Springs adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 11.6% across Arkansas.
Cave Springs and the towns around it
Cave Springs has the best Health Grade of the 5 graded towns around it.
Nearby towns are shaded from CDC’s estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC’s own figure for cities and villages.
Health next door
| Town | Health | Obesity | Diabetes | Smoking | Figures from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cave Springs | A | 33.8% | 7.2% | 9.7% | CDC place |
| Rogers | B− | 36.9% | 10.9% | 12.3% | CDC place |
| Springdale | C− | 39.5% | 12.3% | 16% | CDC place |
| Bentonville | A | 32.3% | 7.9% | 10.3% | CDC place |
| Lowell | B+ | 36% | 9.3% | 11.7% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Cave Springs adults live with a disability (Arkansas 38.2%). Thinking or memory is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Cave Springs
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Cave Springs is better than Arkansas on 25 and worse on 2; on the rest, the Arkansas figure falls inside Cave Springs’ likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Cave Springs | AR | U.S. | vs AR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 13.4%11.5–15.5 | 24.4% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 10%8.7–11.4 | 15.6% | 13% | Better |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 15.9%13.9–17.9 | 18.5% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 33.8%29–38.6 | 39.3% | 32.9% | Better |
| Diabetes | 7.2%6.1–8.2 | 13.3% | 12% | Better |
| High blood pressure | 27.5%24.4–30.5 | 41.4% | 34.4% | Better |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 29.3%26.2–32.5 | 38% | 37.1% | Better |
| Arthritis | 18.8%16.6–21.1 | 28.5% | 25.3% | Better |
| Asthma | 9.2%8.2–10.4 | 10.3% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 6.5%5.9–7.2 | 8.2% | 7.9% | Better |
| Coronary heart disease | 3.7%3.3–4.2 | 7.7% | 6.4% | Better |
| COPD | 4.1%3.4–4.7 | 8.6% | 6.3% | Better |
| Stroke | 1.9%1.7–2.1 | 4% | 3.4% | Better |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 7.1%5.9–8.6 | 18.6% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 9.7%7.8–11.8 | 15.8% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 18.4%15.4–21.6 | 32.1% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 19.5%16.4–22.7 | 14.6% | 15.4% | Worse |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 32.4%28.2–36.7 | 38.1% | 36% | Better |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 6.4%5.1–7.9 | 11.3% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 77.7%74.4–80.8 | 79% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 70%67–73 | 54.7% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 87.5%85.5–89.2 | 84.8% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 70.8%67.1–74.2 | 76.9% | 76.5% | Worse |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 62.7%58.2–66.9 | 61.6% | 65.5% | About the same |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 77.4%71.1–82.9 | 71.4% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 24.9%21.8–28.1 | 24.6% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 29.1%25.4–32.9 | 34.2% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 22.3%19.3–25.6 | 27% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 8.3%6.6–10.1 | 18.5% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 8.3%6.8–10 | 14.4% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 5.8%4.8–6.9 | 10.4% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 5.3%4.4–6.2 | 9.7% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 4.1%3.2–5.2 | 11.6% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 23%19.8–26.2 | 38.2% | 30.1% | Lower |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 8.1%6.9–9.3 | 17.6% | 13.6% | Lower |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 12.5%10.7–14.2 | 18.2% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 4.9%4.3–5.5 | 8.6% | 6.7% | Lower |
| Vision difficulty | 2.8%2.5–3.1 | 6.2% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 5.4%4.7–6.2 | 10% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 2.1%1.8–2.4 | 4.6% | 3.8% | Lower |
Each figure is the share of adults 18+ unless the label says otherwise; small numbers after it are CDC’s likely range (95% interval). “About the same” means the Arkansas figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Cave Springs
Is Cave Springs a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Cave Springs is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns: A for health, #1 of 123 in Arkansas. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 58%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Cave Springs?
CDC estimates 33.8% of adults have obesity, likely between 29% and 38.6%, against 39.3% across Arkansas and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Cave Springs?
Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers, 3.4 miles in a straight line from Cave Springs’ center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 5 of 5 stars.
How many people in Cave Springs have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 6.4% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 5.1–7.9%), against 11.3% across Arkansas.
How accurate are these numbers?
They’re modeled estimates: CDC applies national survey answers to each area’s age, sex, race and education mix, so they describe who lives in Cave Springs more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Cave Springs.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Arkansas figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. The Health Grade is our own summary of CDC’s estimates, not an official rating. Ages: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau. This page isn’t medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.