Photo: Crosbiesmith · CC BY-SA 4.0On CDC estimates, Palos Park is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns
Palos Park differs from Illinois on 24 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 19 better, 5 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Palos Park. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Palos Park
Cancer, heart disease and arthritis run high in Palos Park
1 in 8 adults have had cancer (12.3%), vs 7.6% across Illinois. 1 in 13 adults have heart disease (7.5%), vs 5.9% across Illinois. Arthritis is also above the state: 30.3%, vs 24.2% across Illinois. In all, Palos Park runs above Illinois on four of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 37% of residents are 65 or older (Illinois 17%), and cancer, heart disease and arthritis are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
Palos Park keeps up with checkups
It beats Illinois on four of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (81.9% vs 77.8%) and dentist visits (71.1% vs 63.4%). Checkups ↓
Against towns with similar incomes, Palos Park’s lead shrinks
Palos Park is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns, but 73% of the 5,484 towns with similar household incomes ($91K–$152K). Part of its edge is what towns with its incomes tend to have. Health Grade ↓
Palos Park adults report less loneliness
Loneliness (29.5% vs 33.5%), frequent mental distress (12.6% vs 15.6%) and lack of emotional support (20.7% vs 25.4%) all run below Illinois. Mind & connection ↓
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 Palos Park’s likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
What’s behind Palos Park’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Palos Park is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns, #145 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 96% of towns); the weakest is diabetes, still better than 61%.
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 Park’s median household income is $121,696; among the 5,484 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($91K–$152K), it’s healthier than 73%, about where its income would put it.
Out of every 100 Palos Park adults…
Palos Park runs below IL on 2 of 12 conditions and above it on 5. Tap one to see it as people.
Palos Park is an older town: 37% of residents are 65 or older, vs 17% across Illinois. Heart disease, arthritis and stroke rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Palos Park as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of Palos Park adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Illinois.
How Palos Park adults are doing
On 3 of 4 measures, Palos Park does better than Illinois.
3 in 10 Palos 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.
Care in and near Palos Park
No hospital or community health center in Palos Park 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 Park; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Everyday habits, side by side with Illinois
Share of adults, with the Illinois figure marked.
29 miles of trails across 7 parks and preserves
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
7.6% of Palos Park adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 13.8% across Illinois.
Palos Park and the towns around it
Palos Park’s Health Grade ranks 5th of 7 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 Park | A | 26.7% | 11.4% | 9.3% | CDC place |
| Lemont | A+ | 26.3% | 8.9% | 9.3% | CDC place |
| Palos Heights | A | 26.8% | 11.4% | 9.3% | CDC place |
| Orland Park | A | 26.8% | 10.3% | 9.5% | CDC place |
| Palos Hills | A− | 29.3% | 10.4% | 12.5% | CDC place |
| Lemont Township | A | 27.1% | 9.5% | 9.7% | ZIP 60439 |
| Palos Township | A | 27.8% | 10.8% | 10.6% | ZIP codes |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Palos Park adults live with a disability (Illinois 27.6%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Palos Park
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Palos Park is better than Illinois on 19 and worse on 5; on the rest, the Illinois figure falls inside Palos Park’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Palos Park | IL | U.S. | vs IL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 16%13.9–18.4 | 18.6% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 11.9%10.5–13.5 | 12.2% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 12.6%11.2–14.1 | 15.6% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 26.7%23.6–29.9 | 34% | 32.9% | Better |
| Diabetes | 11.4%10–13 | 11.7% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 35.6%32.8–38.4 | 33% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 40.7%37.8–43.6 | 35.4% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 30.3%27.7–32.9 | 24.2% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 9.6%8.6–10.6 | 9.9% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 12.3%11.3–13.4 | 7.6% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.5%6.6–8.4 | 5.9% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 7.1%6–8.4 | 6.3% | 6.3% | About the same |
| Stroke | 3.8%3.4–4.3 | 3.3% | 3.4% | Worse |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 8.3%6.8–10 | 10.3% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 9.3%7.7–11.1 | 12.1% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 19.6%16.8–22.7 | 23% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 16.6%14.7–18.5 | 17.8% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 29.1%25.9–32.4 | 35.4% | 36% | Better |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 6.2%5.2–7.5 | 9.9% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 81.9%79.6–83.9 | 77.8% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 71.1%68.4–73.8 | 63.4% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 92.2%90.9–93.2 | 87.4% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 81%78.4–83.2 | 75.7% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 66.4%62.7–70 | 60.2% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 74.9%69.2–80 | 73.5% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 19.3%17.2–21.6 | 19.8% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 29.5%26.6–32.5 | 33.5% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 20.7%18.2–23.3 | 25.4% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 9.2%7.8–10.9 | 15.9% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 7.5%6.4–8.7 | 13.2% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 4.4%3.8–5.1 | 7.8% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 5%4.3–5.7 | 8% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 7.6%6.1–9.2 | 13.8% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 27.6%24.5–30.9 | 27.6% | 30.1% | About the same |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 13.8%11.8–16 | 12.8% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 10%8.7–11.5 | 12.6% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 8.3%7.3–9.4 | 6.2% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 4%3.5–4.6 | 4.8% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 6.9%5.9–8 | 7.6% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 3.2%2.8–3.7 | 3.5% | 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 Palos Park
Is Palos Park a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Palos Park is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns: A for health, #145 of 767 in Illinois. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 73%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Palos Park?
CDC estimates 26.7% of adults have obesity, likely between 23.6% and 29.9%, against 34% across Illinois and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Palos Park?
Palos Community Hospital in Palos Heights, 2.1 miles in a straight line from Palos Park’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 4 of 5 stars.
How many people in Palos Park have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 6.2% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 5.2–7.5%), 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 Palos Park 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 Palos 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.