Photo: User:Wikpe44 · Public domainOn CDC estimates, Mission Viejo is healthier than 86% of U.S. towns
Mission Viejo differs from California on 18 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 17 better, 1 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Mission Viejo. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Mission Viejo
Against towns with similar incomes, Mission Viejo’s lead shrinks
Mission Viejo is healthier than 86% of U.S. towns, but 54% of the 3,929 towns with similar household incomes ($102K–$170K). Part of its edge is what towns with its incomes tend to have. Health Grade ↓
Mission Viejo keeps up with checkups
It beats California on four of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (75.9% vs 71.9%) and dentist visits (70.8% vs 62.8%). Checkups ↓
Cancer runs high in Mission Viejo
1 in 11 adults have had cancer (9.4%), vs 6.4% across California. Conditions ↓
Mission Viejo has a five-star hospital
Providence Mission Hospital is rated 5 of 5 stars by Medicare and has an emergency room. Getting care ↓
Fewer Mission Viejo adults struggle to make ends meet
Worries about food, housing, utility bills and getting around all run below California. 1 in 10 adults worry about having enough food, vs 1 in 6 adults statewide. Everyday needs ↓
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 Mission Viejo’s likely range.
What’s behind Mission Viejo’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Mission Viejo is healthier than 86% of U.S. towns, #188 of 847 in California. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is obesity (fewer adults with obesity than 97% of towns); the weakest is fair or poor health, still better than 65%.
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). Mission Viejo’s median household income is $136,123; among the 3,929 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($102K–$170K), it’s healthier than 54%, about where its income would put it.
Keeping up with care
Share of Mission Viejo adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks California.
Out of every 100 Mission Viejo adults…
Mission Viejo runs below CA on 2 of 12 conditions and above it on 1. Tap one to see it as people.
Care in and near Mission Viejo
2 hospitals and 2 community health centers in Mission Viejo, plus the nearest just outside it.
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 Mission Viejo; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
8.5% of Mission Viejo adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 15.6% across California.
Everyday habits, side by side with California
Share of adults, with the California figure marked.
32 miles of trails across 46 parks and preserves
How Mission Viejo adults are doing
On 2 of 4 measures, Mission Viejo does better than California.
1 in 3 Mission Viejo 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.
Mission Viejo and the towns around it
Mission Viejo’s Health Grade ranks 7th of 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission Viejo | A | 23.5% | 10.4% | 8.4% | CDC place |
| Lake Forest | A | 23.5% | 9.9% | 8.5% | CDC place |
| Rancho Santa Margarita | A | 24.1% | 9% | 8.6% | CDC place |
| Laguna Niguel | A | 23.3% | 9.9% | 7.7% | CDC place |
| Laguna Hills | A | 23.6% | 10.4% | 8.2% | CDC place |
| San Juan Capistrano | A− | 25.6% | 11.2% | 8.7% | CDC place |
| Las Flores | A | 22.8% | 7.6% | 7.9% | CDC place |
| Ladera Ranch | A+ | 22.7% | 7% | 7.3% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Mission Viejo adults live with a disability (California 30.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Mission Viejo
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Mission Viejo is better than California on 17 and worse on 1; on the rest, the California figure falls inside Mission Viejo’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Mission Viejo | CA | U.S. | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 17.7%15.9–19.5 | 22.1% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 12.1%10.8–13.4 | 13.4% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 15.4%13.8–17.1 | 16.4% | 15.9% | About the same |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 23.5%20.2–27.2 | 27.8% | 32.9% | Better |
| Diabetes | 10.4%9.2–11.7 | 11.7% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 30.7%28–33.5 | 30.5% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 38.1%35–41.2 | 35.4% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 22.5%20.3–24.8 | 20.8% | 25.3% | About the same |
| Asthma | 9.6%8.5–10.7 | 9.3% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 9.4%8.6–10.2 | 6.4% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 6%5.4–6.6 | 5.6% | 6.4% | About the same |
| COPD | 5%4.4–5.6 | 5.1% | 6.3% | About the same |
| Stroke | 3%2.8–3.3 | 3.1% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 6%4.9–7.4 | 10.6% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 8.4%7.3–9.6 | 10.9% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 20%17.6–22.6 | 24.6% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 15.6%13.4–17.9 | 15.3% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 32.4%28.8–36 | 35.1% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 5.8%5.1–6.7 | 10.6% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 75.9%73.1–78.5 | 71.9% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 70.8%68.1–73.3 | 62.8% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 89.6%88.4–90.8 | 85.4% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 75.8%72.9–78.5 | 71.3% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 66.5%62.5–70.2 | 57.5% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 80.3%74.8–85 | 75.7% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 20.5%18.1–23.1 | 20.1% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 32.4%28.9–35.8 | 37.3% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 24.2%21.4–26.9 | 28.6% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 10.1%8.8–11.5 | 17.9% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 8.9%7.7–10.1 | 14.9% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 4.6%4–5.3 | 7.3% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 5.9%5.2–6.6 | 9.3% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 8.5%7.4–9.7 | 15.6% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 26.7%24.1–29.5 | 30.4% | 30.1% | Lower |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 12.4%11–13.8 | 13.8% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 11.8%10.6–13.1 | 14.6% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 6.1%5.5–6.8 | 5.9% | 6.7% | About the same |
| Vision difficulty | 4%3.6–4.3 | 5.6% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 6.6%5.9–7.3 | 8.1% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 3%2.8–3.3 | 3.9% | 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 California figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Mission Viejo
Is Mission Viejo a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Mission Viejo is healthier than 86% of U.S. towns: A for health, #188 of 847 in California. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 54%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Mission Viejo?
CDC estimates 23.5% of adults have obesity, likely between 20.2% and 27.2%, against 27.8% across California and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Mission Viejo?
Memorialcare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, 3.0 miles in a straight line from Mission Viejo’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 4 of 5 stars.
How many people in Mission Viejo have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 5.8% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 5.1–6.7%), 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 Mission Viejo 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 Mission Viejo.
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.