On CDC estimates, Lake San Marcos is healthier than 84% of U.S. towns
Lake San Marcos differs from California on 27 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 20 better, 7 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Lake San Marcos. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Lake San Marcos
Cancer, heart disease and arthritis run high in Lake San Marcos
1 in 6 adults have had cancer (15.8%), more than twice the California rate. 1 in 11 adults have heart disease (9.1%), vs 5.6% across California. Arthritis is also above the state: 33.8%, vs 20.8% across California. In all, Lake San Marcos runs above California on seven of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 47% of residents are 65 or older (California 16%), and cancer, heart disease and arthritis are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
More high blood pressure in Lake San Marcos, and more people treating it
40.9% of adults have high blood pressure (California 30.5%), but 80.7% of them take medicine for it, vs 71.3% statewide. Checkups ↓
Lake San Marcos keeps up with checkups
It beats California on four of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (82.7% vs 71.9%) and dentist visits (72.3% vs 62.8%). Checkups ↓
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 California figure falls outside Lake San Marcos’ likely range.
What’s behind Lake San Marcos’ grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Lake San Marcos is healthier than 84% of U.S. towns, #218 of 847 in California. Obesity holds the grade up (fewer adults with obesity than 98% of U.S. towns); diabetes pulls it down (better than 46%).
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). Lake San Marcos’ median household income is $89,851; among the 9,966 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($67K–$112K), it’s healthier than 88%, about where its income would put it.
Out of every 100 Lake San Marcos adults…
Lake San Marcos runs below CA on 2 of 12 conditions and above it on 7. Tap one to see it as people.
Lake San Marcos is an older town: 47% of residents are 65 or older, vs 16% across California. Heart disease, COPD and arthritis rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Lake San Marcos as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of Lake San Marcos adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks California.
Care in and near Lake San Marcos
No hospital or community health center in Lake San Marcos 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 Lake San Marcos; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Everyday habits, side by side with California
Share of adults, with the California figure marked.
How Lake San Marcos adults are doing
On 3 of 4 measures, Lake San Marcos does better than California.
3 in 10 Lake San Marcos 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.
7.1% of Lake San Marcos adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 15.6% across California.
Lake San Marcos and the towns around it
Lake San Marcos’s Health Grade ranks 2nd of 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake San Marcos | A− | 22.4% | 12.3% | 7.4% | CDC place |
| Carlsbad | A+ | 23.3% | 8.8% | 8% | CDC place |
| San Marcos | A− | 25.3% | 9.5% | 9.9% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Lake San Marcos adults live with a disability (California 30.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Lake San Marcos
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Lake San Marcos is better than California on 20 and worse on 7; on the rest, the California figure falls inside Lake San Marcos’ likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Lake San Marcos | CA | U.S. | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 17.6%15.3–20.3 | 22.1% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 13.3%11.6–15 | 13.4% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 12.1%10.8–13.6 | 16.4% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 22.4%19.6–25.7 | 27.8% | 32.9% | Better |
| Diabetes | 12.3%10.8–14.1 | 11.7% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 40.9%38–44.1 | 30.5% | 34.4% | Worse |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 43.5%40.5–46.9 | 35.4% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 33.8%31.1–36.8 | 20.8% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 9%8–10.1 | 9.3% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 15.8%14.4–17.3 | 6.4% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 9.1%8–10.4 | 5.6% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 6.9%5.8–8.3 | 5.1% | 6.3% | Worse |
| Stroke | 4.5%3.9–5.2 | 3.1% | 3.4% | Worse |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 8.4%6.7–10.2 | 10.6% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 7.4%6.2–8.8 | 10.9% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 19.5%16.6–22.7 | 24.6% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 11.3%9.9–13 | 15.3% | 15.4% | Better |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 28.1%25–31.2 | 35.1% | 36% | Better |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 4.9%4.2–5.9 | 10.6% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 82.7%80.8–84.8 | 71.9% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 72.3%69.8–74.7 | 62.8% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 93.4%92.5–94.2 | 85.4% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 80.7%78.1–83.3 | 71.3% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 72.6%69–75.8 | 57.5% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 79.7%74.3–84.3 | 75.7% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 19.4%17.4–21.9 | 20.1% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 30.4%27.2–33.8 | 37.3% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 21.9%19.3–24.8 | 28.6% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 7.5%6.2–9.1 | 17.9% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 6.4%5.4–7.5 | 14.9% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 3.3%2.8–3.8 | 7.3% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 4.6%4–5.4 | 9.3% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 7.1%5.9–8.8 | 15.6% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 31.3%27.9–34.7 | 30.4% | 30.1% | About the same |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 16.7%14.3–19.5 | 13.8% | 13.6% | Higher |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 10.3%9–11.8 | 14.6% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 9.8%8.6–11.1 | 5.9% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 4.5%3.9–5.4 | 5.6% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 7.5%6.3–8.9 | 8.1% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 3.6%3.1–4.2 | 3.9% | 3.8% | About the same |
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 California figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Lake San Marcos
Is Lake San Marcos a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Lake San Marcos is healthier than 84% of U.S. towns: A− for health, #218 of 847 in California. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 88%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Lake San Marcos?
CDC estimates 22.4% of adults have obesity, likely between 19.6% and 25.7%, against 27.8% across California and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Lake San Marcos?
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos in San Marcos, 2.5 miles in a straight line from Lake San Marcos’ center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 4 of 5 stars.
How many people in Lake San Marcos have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 4.9% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 4.2–5.9%), against 10.6% across California.
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 Lake San Marcos 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 Lake San Marcos.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The California 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.