Photo: Abby Lanes · CC BY-SA 3.0Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes, Palos Verdes Estates is healthier than 49%
Palos Verdes Estates differs from California on 28 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 25 better, 3 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Palos Verdes Estates. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Palos Verdes Estates
Cancer and high cholesterol run high in Palos Verdes Estates
1 in 9 adults have had cancer (11.2%), vs 6.4% across California. 2 in 5 adults have high cholesterol (42.3%), vs 35.4% across California. In all, Palos Verdes Estates runs above California on three of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 27% of residents are 65 or older (California 16%), and cancer and high cholesterol are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
Against towns with similar incomes, Palos Verdes Estates’ lead shrinks
Palos Verdes Estates is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns, but 49% of the 487 towns with similar household incomes ($182K–$303K). Part of its edge is what towns with its incomes tend to have. Health Grade ↓
Palos Verdes Estates is older than California, yet healthier on chronic conditions
Palos Verdes Estates runs below California on obesity (18.7% vs 27.8%), COPD (3.9% vs 5.1%) and diabetes (9.9% vs 11.7%). That’s despite an older population: 27% of residents are 65 or older (California 16%). Conditions ↓
Palos Verdes Estates keeps up with checkups
It beats California on five of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (79.6% vs 71.9%) and dentist visits (77.9% 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 Palos Verdes Estates’ likely range.
What’s behind Palos Verdes Estates’ grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Palos Verdes Estates is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns, #39 of 847 in California. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is obesity (fewer adults with obesity than almost every town); the weakest is diabetes, still better than 82%.
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). Palos Verdes Estates’ median household income is $242,014; among the 487 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($182K–$303K), it’s healthier than 49%, about where its income would put it.
Out of every 100 Palos Verdes Estates adults…
Palos Verdes Estates runs below CA on 5 of 12 conditions and above it on 3. Tap one to see it as people.
Palos Verdes Estates is an older town: 27% of residents are 65 or older, vs 16% across California. Arthritis and cancer rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Palos Verdes Estates as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of Palos Verdes Estates adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks California.
Care in and near Palos Verdes Estates
No hospital or community health center in Palos Verdes Estates 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 Palos Verdes Estates; ≈ 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.
20 miles of trails across 2 parks and preserves
How Palos Verdes Estates adults are doing
On 4 of 4 measures, Palos Verdes Estates does better than California.
1 in 3 Palos Verdes Estates 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% of Palos Verdes Estates adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 15.6% across California.
Palos Verdes Estates and the towns around it
Palos Verdes Estates has the best Health Grade of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palos Verdes Estates | A+ | 18.7% | 9.9% | 5.4% | CDC place |
| Rancho Palos Verdes | A+ | 18.5% | 10.5% | 6% | CDC place |
| Rolling Hills Estates | A+ | 18.3% | 10.5% | 5.9% | CDC place |
| Torrance | A | 20.3% | 10.6% | 8% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Palos Verdes Estates adults live with a disability (California 30.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Palos Verdes Estates
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Palos Verdes Estates is better than California on 25 and worse on 3; on the rest, the California figure falls inside Palos Verdes Estates’ likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Palos Verdes Estates | CA | U.S. | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 12.8%11.4–14.4 | 22.1% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 10.2%9.1–11.3 | 13.4% | 13% | Better |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 10.9%9.9–12.1 | 16.4% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 18.7%16.5–20.9 | 27.8% | 32.9% | Better |
| Diabetes | 9.9%8.9–11 | 11.7% | 12% | Better |
| High blood pressure | 32.3%30–34.5 | 30.5% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 42.3%39.8–44.8 | 35.4% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 24.8%22.8–26.8 | 20.8% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 8.4%7.6–9.3 | 9.3% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 11.2%10.3–12.2 | 6.4% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 5.7%5.1–6.3 | 5.6% | 6.4% | About the same |
| COPD | 3.9%3.3–4.5 | 5.1% | 6.3% | Better |
| Stroke | 2.9%2.7–3.2 | 3.1% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 3.9%3.1–4.7 | 10.6% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 5.4%4.5–6.5 | 10.9% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 14.7%13–16.6 | 24.6% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 13.4%12–14.9 | 15.3% | 15.4% | Better |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 28.1%25.5–30.6 | 35.1% | 36% | Better |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 2.6%2.1–3.1 | 10.6% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 79.6%77.8–81.5 | 71.9% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 77.9%76–79.7 | 62.8% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 92.7%91.8–93.4 | 85.4% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 79.1%76.8–81.4 | 71.3% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 67.6%64.3–70.5 | 57.5% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 80.3%75.8–84 | 75.7% | 76.4% | Better |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 17.4%15.7–19.1 | 20.1% | 20.6% | Better |
| Feel lonely | 33.2%30.6–35.9 | 37.3% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 22.2%20.1–24.3 | 28.6% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 5.2%4.4–6.1 | 17.9% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 4.8%4.1–5.5 | 14.9% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 2.3%2–2.6 | 7.3% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 3.4%3–3.9 | 9.3% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 4%3.3–4.8 | 15.6% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 23.2%21.1–25.5 | 30.4% | 30.1% | Lower |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 10.6%9.3–12 | 13.8% | 13.6% | Lower |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 8.2%7.3–9.2 | 14.6% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 6.3%5.6–7 | 5.9% | 6.7% | About the same |
| Vision difficulty | 2.9%2.6–3.3 | 5.6% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 4.9%4.3–5.6 | 8.1% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 2.3%2.1–2.7 | 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 Palos Verdes Estates
Is Palos Verdes Estates a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Palos Verdes Estates is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for health, #39 of 847 in California. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Palos Verdes Estates?
CDC estimates 18.7% of adults have obesity, likely between 16.5% and 20.9%, against 27.8% across California and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Palos Verdes Estates?
Torrance Memorial Medical Center in Torrance, 5.6 miles in a straight line from Palos Verdes Estates’ center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 5 of 5 stars.
How many people in Palos Verdes Estates have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 2.6% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 2.1–3.1%), 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 Palos Verdes Estates more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from A to A+.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Palos Verdes Estates.
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.