Photo: Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois · CC BY-SA 2.0On CDC estimates, Highland Park is healthier than 97% of U.S. towns
Highland Park differs from Illinois on 22 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 20 better, 2 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Highland Park. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Highland Park
Highland Park is an active town
Only 14.2% of adults get no exercise outside work, vs 23% across Illinois. The town has 31 miles of trails across 44 parks and preserves. Habits ↓
Cancer runs high in Highland Park
1 in 9 adults have had cancer (11.1%), vs 7.6% across Illinois. Conditions ↓
Against towns with similar incomes, Highland Park’s lead shrinks
Highland Park is healthier than 97% of U.S. towns, but 81% of the 1,752 towns with similar household incomes ($126K–$210K). Part of its edge is what towns with its incomes tend to have. Health Grade ↓
Few Highland Park adults smoke
6.9% of adults smoke cigarettes, vs 12.1% across Illinois. Habits ↓
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 Illinois figure falls outside Highland Park’s likely range.
What’s behind Highland Park’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Highland Park is healthier than 97% of U.S. towns, #32 of 767 in Illinois. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is mental distress (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than almost every town); the weakest is diabetes, still better than 83%.
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). Highland Park’s median household income is $168,094; among the 1,752 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($126K–$210K), it’s healthier than 81%, about where its income would put it.
Everyday habits, side by side with Illinois
Share of adults, with the Illinois figure marked.
31 miles of trails across 44 parks and preserves
Out of every 100 Highland Park adults…
Highland Park runs below IL on 4 of 12 conditions and above it on 2. Tap one to see it as people.
Care in and near Highland Park
1 community health center in Highland Park, 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 Highland Park; ≈ 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).
Keeping up with care
Share of Highland Park adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Illinois.
How Highland Park adults are doing
On 3 of 4 measures, Highland Park does better than Illinois.
1 in 4 Highland Park 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.
4.6% of Highland Park adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 13.8% across Illinois.
Highland Park and the towns around it
Highland Park’s Health Grade ranks 6th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Park | A+ | 29.3% | 9.8% | 6.9% | CDC place |
| Moraine Township | A+ | 29.6% | 9.9% | 7.2% | ZIP codes |
| Highwood | B+ | 36.2% | 12.3% | 11.6% | CDC place |
| Lake Forest | A+ | 27.8% | 9.4% | 6.4% | CDC place |
| Deerfield | A+ | 28.7% | 8.7% | 6.6% | CDC place |
| New Trier Township | A+ | 23.6% | 8.2% | 5.8% | ZIP codes |
| Glencoe | A+ | 23.7% | 7.8% | 5.6% | CDC place |
| Bannockburn | A+ | 25.8% | 7.6% | 5.6% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Highland Park adults live with a disability (Illinois 27.6%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Highland Park
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Highland Park is better than Illinois on 20 and worse on 2; on the rest, the Illinois figure falls inside Highland Park’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Highland Park | IL | U.S. | vs IL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 11.4%9.8–13.1 | 18.6% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 9.4%8.2–10.7 | 12.2% | 13% | Better |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 11.3%9.9–12.8 | 15.6% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 29.3%24.6–34.4 | 34% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 9.8%8.4–11.3 | 11.7% | 12% | Better |
| High blood pressure | 33.7%30.1–37.4 | 33% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 39.7%35.7–43.7 | 35.4% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 25.2%22.3–28.3 | 24.2% | 25.3% | About the same |
| Asthma | 8.9%7.8–10 | 9.9% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 11.1%10–12.1 | 7.6% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 5.7%5.1–6.3 | 5.9% | 6.4% | About the same |
| COPD | 4.7%4.1–5.3 | 6.3% | 6.3% | Better |
| Stroke | 2.7%2.5–3 | 3.3% | 3.4% | Better |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 5.1%4.1–6.4 | 10.3% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 6.9%5.8–8.1 | 12.1% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 14.2%11.7–16.8 | 23% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 15.3%12.8–17.9 | 17.8% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 27.2%22.9–32 | 35.4% | 36% | Better |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 4.5%3.8–5.3 | 9.9% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 80.7%77.6–83.4 | 77.8% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 77%74.3–79.8 | 63.4% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 92.3%91.2–93.3 | 87.4% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 78.7%75.5–81.6 | 75.7% | 76.5% | About the same |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 70.6%66.3–74.8 | 60.2% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 77.8%71.2–83.7 | 73.5% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 17.6%15–20.5 | 19.8% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 26.2%22.5–30.1 | 33.5% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 17.9%15.4–20.7 | 25.4% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 5.8%4.9–6.9 | 15.9% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 5.5%4.7–6.4 | 13.2% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 3.4%3–4 | 7.8% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 3.6%3.2–4.2 | 8% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 4.6%3.8–5.5 | 13.8% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 20.2%17.4–23.2 | 27.6% | 30.1% | Lower |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 9.5%8.2–11 | 12.8% | 13.6% | Lower |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 8%6.9–9.1 | 12.6% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 6.3%5.5–7 | 6.2% | 6.7% | About the same |
| Vision difficulty | 2.9%2.6–3.2 | 4.8% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 4.8%4.2–5.4 | 7.6% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 2.2%2–2.5 | 3.5% | 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 Illinois figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Highland Park
Is Highland Park a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Highland Park is healthier than 97% of U.S. towns: A+ for health, #32 of 767 in Illinois. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 81%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Highland Park?
CDC estimates 29.3% of adults have obesity, likely between 24.6% and 34.4%, against 34% across Illinois and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Highland Park?
Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital in Lake Forest, 5.9 miles in a straight line from Highland Park’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 5 of 5 stars.
How many people in Highland Park have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 4.5% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 3.8–5.3%), 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 Highland Park 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 Highland Park.
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.