Photo: Michael Kagdis · CC BY-SA 3.0Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes, Palm Beach is healthier than 28%
Palm Beach differs from Florida on 28 of 31 measures CDC estimates: 22 better, 6 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Palm Beach. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Palm Beach
Cancer, arthritis and heart disease run high in Palm Beach
1 in 5 adults have had cancer (19%), about twice the Florida rate. 2 in 5 adults have arthritis (39.1%), vs 26.6% across Florida. Heart disease is also above the state: 10.5%, vs 7.5% across Florida. In all, Palm Beach runs above Florida on six of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 64% of residents are 65 or older (Florida 21%), and cancer, arthritis and heart disease are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
Against towns with similar incomes, Palm Beach’s lead shrinks
Palm Beach is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns, but 28% of the 1,736 towns with similar household incomes ($126K–$211K). Part of its edge is what towns with its incomes tend to have. Health Grade ↓
Palm Beach keeps up with checkups
It beats Florida on four of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (87.2% vs 78.4%) and dentist visits (78.3% vs 57.4%). Checkups ↓
Few Palm Beach adults smoke
6.4% of adults smoke cigarettes, vs 12.4% across Florida. Habits ↓
Palm Beach is the healthiest of the towns around it
Its A tops all four graded neighbors. The closest is Lantana (B+). Around town ↓
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 Florida figure falls outside Palm Beach’s likely range.
What’s behind Palm Beach’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Palm Beach is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns, #74 of 636 in Florida. Mental distress holds the grade up (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than almost every U.S. town); diabetes pulls it down (better than 29%).
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). Palm Beach’s median household income is $168,403; among the 1,736 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($126K–$211K), it’s healthier than 28%, less than its income alone would suggest.
Out of every 100 Palm Beach adults…
Palm Beach runs below FL on 4 of 12 conditions and above it on 6. Tap one to see it as people.
Palm Beach is an older town: 64% of residents are 65 or older, vs 21% across Florida. Heart disease, arthritis and stroke rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Palm Beach as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of Palm Beach adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Florida.
Everyday habits, side by side with Florida
Share of adults, with the Florida figure marked.
12 miles of trails across 4 parks and preserves
Palm Beach and the towns around it
Palm Beach 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Beach | A | 20.4% | 13.5% | 6.4% | CDC place |
| Lantana | B+ | 27.3% | 12.3% | 12.8% | CDC place |
| West Palm Beach | B− | 29.1% | 13.7% | 13% | CDC place |
| Lake Worth Beach | C− | 31.9% | 14.6% | 17.2% | CDC place |
| Riviera Beach | C | 32.8% | 16% | 15.4% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Care in and near Palm Beach
No hospital or community health center in Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).
How Palm Beach adults are doing
On 3 of 3 measures, Palm Beach does better than Florida.
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.
3% of Palm Beach adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 15% across Florida.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Palm Beach adults live with a disability (Florida 31.3%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Palm Beach
Share of adults, 39 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 31 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Palm Beach is better than Florida on 22 and worse on 6; on the rest, the Florida figure falls inside Palm Beach’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Palm Beach | FL | U.S. | vs FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 14.3%12.2–16.5 | 20.3% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 12.3%10.8–14 | 14.3% | 13% | Better |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 9.4%8.3–10.7 | 15.8% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 20.4%16.7–24.7 | 31.9% | 32.9% | Better |
| Diabetes | 13.5%11.8–15.4 | 13.5% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 43%39.1–47.2 | 36.6% | 34.4% | Worse |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 46.7%42.7–50.8 | 39% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 39.1%35.5–42.9 | 26.6% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 8.2%7.3–9.2 | 9.4% | 9.9% | Better |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 19%17.4–20.8 | 9.1% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 10.5%9.4–11.7 | 7.5% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 7.3%6.3–8.6 | 7.2% | 6.3% | About the same |
| Stroke | 4.5%4.1–5.1 | 3.8% | 3.4% | Worse |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 5.4%4.3–6.7 | 12.7% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 6.4%5.3–7.7 | 12.4% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 19.7%16.6–23.2 | 26.3% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 9.2%7.6–10.9 | 14.6% | 15.4% | Better |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 24.8%20.7–29 | 37.3% | 36% | Better |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 5.8%4.8–6.8 | 15.9% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 87.2%85.2–89.2 | 78.4% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 78.3%75.5–80.7 | 57.4% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 94.9%94.2–95.5 | 87% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 88%85.8–90.1 | 78.4% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 80.5%76.7–83.8 | 65.7% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 81.5%75.3–86.5 | 76.1% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 13.5%11.5–15.8 | 17.1% | 20.6% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 15.4%13.1–17.6 | 24.7% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 4.1%3.6–4.7 | 16.8% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 3.5%3–3.9 | 13.9% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 2.3%2–2.7 | 8.6% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 2.9%2.6–3.2 | 9.1% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 3%2.7–3.5 | 15% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 29.8%26.2–33.5 | 31.3% | 30.1% | About the same |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 15.1%13–17.5 | 15.1% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 7.8%6.8–9 | 13.7% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 11.5%10.3–12.8 | 7.6% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 4%3.5–4.6 | 6% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 5.9%5.1–6.8 | 8% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 3%2.6–3.4 | 4.1% | 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 Florida figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Palm Beach
Is Palm Beach a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Palm Beach is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns: A for health, #74 of 636 in Florida. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Palm Beach?
CDC estimates 20.4% of adults have obesity, likely between 16.7% and 24.7%, against 31.9% across Florida and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Palm Beach?
Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach, 2.1 miles in a straight line from Palm Beach’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 2 of 5 stars.
How many people in Palm Beach have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 5.8% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 4.8–6.8%), against 15.9% across Florida.
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 Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Florida 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.