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Dr. Charles M. Wright HouseDr. Charles M. Wright House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
≈ B−Health Grade
Health in Altamont · CDC PLACES 2025

On CDC estimates, Altamont is healthier than 53% of U.S. towns

Altamont differs from Illinois on 6 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 2 better, 4 worse.

Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Altamont. How CDC estimates town health

What stands out

What stands out about health in Altamont

Health Grade

What’s behind Altamont’s grade

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Altamont is healthier than 53% of U.S. towns. Obesity holds the grade up (fewer adults with obesity than 62% of U.S. towns); mental distress pulls it down (better than 42%).

B−Self-rated health19.4% · IL 18.6% · U.S. 19.4%
B−Physical distress14.2% · IL 12.2% · U.S. 13%
C+Mental distress17.5% · IL 15.6% · U.S. 15.9%
BObesity34.6% · IL 34% · U.S. 32.9%
BDiabetes11.7% · IL 11.7% · U.S. 12%
B−Smoking14.9% smoke · IL 12.1% · U.S. 11.8%
BExercise24.7% · IL 23% · U.S. 24.7%
All U.S. towns we grade (21,250)Healthier than 53%
Less healthyHealthier
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $57K–$94K (10,829)Healthier than 59%

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). Altamont’s median household income is $75,510; among the 10,829 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($57K–$94K), it’s healthier than 59%, about where its income would put it.

A rough placement. CDC’s likely ranges are wide here: with every estimate at one end or the other, Altamont could be anywhere from D to A. The letter shows with “≈”.

How TownRatings grades health →

★ What stands out · Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Altamont adults…

Altamont runs above IL on 4 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.

9 of every 100 Altamont adults have COPD
Illinois: 6 in 100 · worse · likely 6.9–10.1%
Better than ILWorseAbout the sameIllinois
Getting care

Care in and near Altamont

No hospital or community health center in Altamont itself. These are the nearest.

HNearest ERSt. Anthonys Memorial HospitalEffingham · 11.6 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbySt. Anthonys Memorial Hospital★★★★★ · 11.6 miDirections →
+Low-cost careSouthern Illinois Healthcare FoundationEffingham · 11.5 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
11.5 mi
Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation
7 sites · nearest in Effingham
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
11.6 mi
St. Anthonys Memorial Hospital
Effingham · ★★★★★
ER
19.8 mi
Fayette County Hospital
Vandalia · not rated
ERRural critical access
24.3 mi
HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital
Shelbyville · not rated
ERRural critical access
28.8 mi
Pana Community Hospital
Pana · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
29.3 mi
Clay Medical Center
Flora · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
✓ Primary careNo HRSA shortage area covers Altamont itself
✓ Dental careAltamont is not a shortage area
✓ Mental healthNo HRSA shortage area covers Altamont itself

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 Altamont; ≈ 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).

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with Illinois

Share of adults, with the Illinois figure marked.

Get no exercise 24.7%IL 23%
Sleep under 7 hours 34.4%IL 35.4%
Binge drink 17.9%IL 17.8%
Smoke cigarettes 14.9%IL 12.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Altamont, betterAltamont, worseAbout the sameIllinois
Where Altamont gets moving

0 miles of trails across 2 parks and preserves

Parks & trails →
Checkups & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Altamont adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Illinois.

78%Yearly checkupIL 78%
67%Dentist visitIL 63%
87%Cholesterol checkIL 87%
65%Colon screeningIL 60%
72%MammogramIL 74%
78%Taking BP medsIL 76%
1 in 13
working-age adults has no health insurance
Altamont 7.5% · Illinois 1 in 10 (9.9%)
Mind & connection

How Altamont adults are doing

About the same as Illinois on each measure.

1 in 3Altamont adults feel lonely
33.1% · IL 33.5% · About the same as IL
1 in 4Altamont adults lack social or emotional support
23.7% · IL 25.4% · About the same as IL
1 in 4Altamont adults have been diagnosed with depression
23.2% · IL 19.8% · About the same as IL
1 in 6Altamont adults are in frequent mental distress
17.5% · IL 15.6% · About the same as IL
The one neighbors can help with

1 in 3 Altamont adults feel lonely. A hello is a start.

Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.

Find a group →

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.

Everyday needs

Making ends meet

Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.

1 in 8
Altamont adults worry about having enough food
12.9% · IL 15.9%
About the same as IL
1 in 10
Altamont adults worry about keeping their housing
10.4% · IL 13.2%
Better than IL
1 in 15
Altamont adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
6.8% · IL 7.8%
About the same as IL
1 in 14
Altamont adults lack reliable transportation
7.1% · IL 8%
About the same as IL

12.8% of Altamont adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 13.8% across Illinois.

Around town

Altamont and the towns around it

How health changes across the town line.

Health next door

TownHealthObesityDiabetesSmokingFigures from
AltamontB−34.6%11.7%14.9%CDC place

Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.

Disability

Living with a disability

Shown without a better/worse judgment.

31.8%

of Altamont adults live with a disability (Illinois 27.6%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs15.2%
Thinking or memory14.1%
Hearing8.3%
Errands alone9%
Vision4.8%
Dressing or bathing3.8%
Illinois

Every CDC estimate for Altamont

Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.

On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Altamont is better than Illinois on 2 and worse on 4; on the rest, the Illinois figure falls inside Altamont’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.

Adults who…AltamontILU.S.vs IL
Overall health
Fair or poor health19.4%16–23.118.6%19.4%About the same
Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month)14.2%12–16.412.2%13%About the same
Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month)17.5%14.9–19.815.6%15.9%About the same
Conditions
Obesity34.6%26–42.834%32.9%About the same
Diabetes11.7%9.9–13.611.7%12%About the same
High blood pressure36.5%31.7–40.833%34.4%About the same
High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years)36.6%31.7–40.935.4%37.1%About the same
Arthritis30%26.1–33.524.2%25.3%Worse
Asthma10.7%9.2–129.9%9.9%About the same
Cancer, other than skin cancer10.1%9–11.27.6%7.9%Worse
Coronary heart disease7.4%6.3–8.45.9%6.4%Worse
COPD8.5%6.9–10.16.3%6.3%Worse
Stroke3.9%3.3–4.43.3%3.4%About the same
Lost all teeth (ages 65+)10%8–12.410.3%12.3%About the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes14.9%11.8–18.112.1%11.8%About the same
No exercise outside work24.7%19.4–29.923%24.7%About the same
Binge drinking17.9%14.4–21.317.8%15.4%About the same
Sleep under 7 hours34.4%27.3–41.535.4%36%About the same
Checkups and coverage
No health insurance (ages 18–64)7.5%5.6–9.79.9%11%Better
Checkup in the past year78.3%74.2–81.777.8%77.4%About the same
Dentist visit in the past year66.9%63–70.663.4%63.2%About the same
Cholesterol check in 5 years86.8%84.1–88.987.4%87.1%About the same
Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure)77.7%74.4–80.475.7%76.5%About the same
Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75)65.1%59.6–70.160.2%65.5%About the same
Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74)71.6%62.3–79.273.5%76.4%About the same
Mind and connection
Ever told they have depression23.2%19.2–2719.8%20.6%About the same
Feel lonely33.1%27.9–38.733.5%32.5%About the same
Lack social and emotional support23.7%19.9–27.825.4%23.6%About the same
Everyday needs
Worried about having enough food12.9%9.9–15.915.9%15%About the same
Worried about keeping housing10.4%8.3–12.513.2%12%Better
Threatened with a utility shut-off6.8%5.6–87.8%7.6%About the same
Lack reliable transportation7.1%5.9–8.38%7.9%About the same
Received SNAP (food stamps)12.8%9.6–15.813.8%11.6%About the same
Disability
Any disability31.8%26.5–36.827.6%30.1%About the same
Difficulty walking or climbing stairs15.2%12.5–1812.8%13.6%About the same
Difficulty concentrating or remembering14.1%11.8–16.512.6%13.9%About the same
Hearing difficulty8.3%7.1–9.46.2%6.7%Higher
Vision difficulty4.8%4–5.74.8%5.4%About the same
Difficulty doing errands alone9%7.5–10.67.6%7.9%About the same
Difficulty dressing or bathing3.8%3.2–4.53.5%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 Illinois figure falls inside that range.

Questions about health in Altamont

Is Altamont a healthy place to live?

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Altamont is healthier than 53% of U.S. towns: ≈ B− for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 59%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.

What is the obesity rate in Altamont?

CDC estimates 34.6% of adults have obesity, likely between 26% and 42.8%, against 34% across Illinois and 32.9% nationally.

What hospital is closest to Altamont?

St. Anthonys Memorial Hospital in Effingham, 11.6 miles in a straight line from Altamont’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 3 of 5 stars.

How many people in Altamont have no health insurance?

CDC estimates 7.5% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 5.6–9.7%), against 9.9% across Illinois.

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 Altamont more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D to A.

Neighbors talk health

Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Altamont.

Town Square →
Ask your neighbors

Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Illinois 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.