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≈ CHealth Grade
Health in Union Township · CDC PLACES 2025

Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes, Union Township is healthier than 94%

Union Township trails Indiana on 1 of 32 measures CDC estimates, and leads on none.

Modeled estimates for adults 18+, from ZIP codes 47943, 47978. How CDC estimates town health

What stands out

What stands out about health in Union Township

Health Grade

What’s behind Union Township’s grade

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Union Township is healthier than 34% of U.S. towns. No exercise holds the grade up (fewer adults who get no exercise than 45% of U.S. towns); obesity pulls it down (better than 14%).

CSelf-rated health21.4% · IN 20.6% · U.S. 19.4%
C+Physical distress14.5% · IN 13.8% · U.S. 13%
C+Mental distress17.4% · IN 17.6% · U.S. 15.9%
DObesity41.4% · IN 38.4% · U.S. 32.9%
C+Diabetes12.8% · IN 13% · U.S. 12%
C+Smoking15.9% smoke · IN 15.7% · U.S. 11.8%
C+Exercise26.4% · IN 24.9% · U.S. 24.7%
All U.S. towns we grade (21,250)Healthier than 34%
Less healthyHealthier
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $23K–$38K (637)Healthier than 94%

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). Union Township’s median household income is $30,750; among the 637 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($23K–$38K), it’s healthier than 94%, more than its income alone would suggest.

A rough placement. CDC’s likely ranges are wide here: with every estimate at one end or the other, Union Township could be anywhere from D to B+. The letter shows with “≈”. These are ZIP code figures (ZIP 47943,47978), weighted by land area, which can reach past town lines.

How TownRatings grades health →

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Union Township adults…

On every condition, Union Township is about the same as Indiana. Tap one to see it as people.

38 of every 100 Union Township adults have high blood pressure
Indiana: 38 in 100 · about the same · likely 33.9–41.1%
Better than INWorseAbout the sameIndiana
Getting care

Care in and near Union Township

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

HNearest ERFranciscan Health RensselaerRensselaer · 8.1 miDirections →
+Low-cost careNorthshore Health CentersDemotte · 8.5 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
8.1 mi
Franciscan Health Rensselaer
Rensselaer · not rated
ERRural critical access
8.5 mi
Northshore Health Centers
2 sites · nearest in Demotte
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
11.2 mi
Valley Oaks Health Rensselaer
Rensselaer · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
23.3 mi
Pinnacle Hospital
Crown Point · not rated
23.3 mi
Uchicago Medicine Northwest Indiana
Crown Point · not rated
ER
23.5 mi
Franciscan Health Crown Point
Crown Point · ★★★★★
ER
✓ Primary careUnion Township is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careUnion Township is not a shortage area
✓ Mental healthNo HRSA shortage area covers Union Township 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 Union Township; ≈ 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 Indiana

Share of adults, with the Indiana figure marked.

Get no exercise 26.4%IN 24.9%
Sleep under 7 hours 39.6%IN 37.1%
Binge drink 16.8%IN 16.6%
Smoke cigarettes 15.9%IN 15.7%
0%10%20%30%40%
Union Township, betterUnion Township, worseAbout the sameIndiana
Where Union Township gets moving

1.9 miles of trails across 0 parks and preserves

Parks & trails →
Checkups & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Union Township adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Indiana.

78%Yearly checkupIN 80%
62%Dentist visitIN 61%
86%Cholesterol checkIN 86%
66%Colon screeningIN 66%
76%MammogramIN 76%
77%Taking BP medsIN 77%
1 in 9
working-age adults has no health insurance
Union Township 10.7% · Indiana 1 in 11 (8.9%)
Mind & connection

How Union Township adults are doing

About the same as Indiana on each measure.

1 in 3Union Township adults feel lonely
32.1% · IN 32.8% · About the same as IN
1 in 4Union Township adults lack social or emotional support
23.1% · IN 23.2% · About the same as IN
1 in 4Union Township adults have been diagnosed with depression
24.2% · IN 25.1% · About the same as IN
1 in 6Union Township adults are in frequent mental distress
17.4% · IN 17.6% · About the same as IN
The one neighbors can help with

1 in 3 Union Township 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 7
Union Township adults worry about having enough food
14.1% · IN 14.7%
About the same as IN
1 in 9
Union Township adults worry about keeping their housing
11.4% · IN 11.2%
About the same as IN
1 in 13
Union Township adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
7.8% · IN 8.4%
About the same as IN
1 in 14
Union Township adults lack reliable transportation
7.3% · IN 7.7%
About the same as IN

7.5% of Union Township adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 8.6% across Indiana.

Around town

Union Township and the towns around it

Union Township’s Health Grade ranks 2nd of 4 graded towns around it.

Barkley Township: 40.7%Keener Township: 40.2%Walker Township: 40.8%Newton Township: 40.7%Marion Township: 40.7%Gillam Township: 39.8%Hanging Grove Township: 40.5%Wheatfield Township: 40.9%Lincoln Township: 42.5%Boone Township: 39.8%Roselawn: 42.2%Eagle Creek Township: 38.8%Cass Township: 40.4%Kankakee Township: 41.2%Railroad Township: 42%Jackson Township: 42.1%Jordan Township: 41.5%Milroy Township: 43.1%Union Township: 41.4%Union TownshipBarkley TownshipKeener TownshipWalker TownshipNewton TownshipMarion TownshipFranciscan Health Rensselaer · Rensselaer · 8.1 miHNorthshore Demotte Health Center · Demotte · 8.5 mi+Valley Oaks Health Rensselaer · Rensselaer · 11.2 mi+
Healthier than INNear INLess healthyHHospital+Health center
Obesity
#13 of 19 towns on this map, healthiest first
Keener Township40.2%
Barkley Township40.7%
Newton Township40.7%
Marion Township40.7%
Walker Township40.8%
Union Township41.4%
IN38.4%

Nearby towns are shaded from CDC’s estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC’s own figure for cities and villages.

Health next door

TownHealthObesityDiabetesSmokingFigures from
Union TownshipC41.4%12.8%15.9%ZIP codes
Barkley Township————
Keener TownshipC+40.2%12.6%15.6%ZIP codes
Walker TownshipC40.8%12.6%17%ZIP codes
Marion TownshipC40.7%13%16.6%ZIP 47978
Newton Township————

Barkley Township and Newton Township: fewer than 1,000 residents. Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.

Disability

Living with a disability

Shown without a better/worse judgment.

31.9%

of Union Township adults live with a disability (Indiana 31.1%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs14.3%
Thinking or memory15.2%
Hearing7.4%
Errands alone7.8%
Vision5%
Dressing or bathing3.6%
Indiana

Every CDC estimate for Union Township

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

On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Union Township is better than Indiana on 0 and worse on 1; on the rest, the Indiana figure falls inside Union Township’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.

Adults who…Union TownshipINU.S.vs IN
Overall health
Fair or poor health21.4%18.8–24.220.6%19.4%About the same
Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month)14.5%12.9–16.313.8%13%About the same
Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month)17.4%15.5–19.317.6%15.9%About the same
Conditions
Obesity41.4%34.5–48.138.4%32.9%About the same
Diabetes12.8%11.2–14.413%12%About the same
High blood pressure37.6%33.9–41.137.8%34.4%About the same
High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years)38.7%34.9–42.437.8%37.1%About the same
Arthritis29%26.1–31.928.3%25.3%About the same
Asthma10.8%9.6–1211.2%9.9%About the same
Cancer, other than skin cancer8.5%7.7–9.38.3%7.9%About the same
Coronary heart disease7%6.3–7.86.8%6.4%About the same
COPD8.1%7.2–9.18.1%6.3%About the same
Stroke3.4%3.1–3.73.5%3.4%About the same
Lost all teeth (ages 65+)15.3%12.8–17.915.4%12.3%About the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes15.9%13.7–18.215.7%11.8%About the same
No exercise outside work26.4%22.3–30.424.9%24.7%About the same
Binge drinking16.8%14.1–19.616.6%15.4%About the same
Sleep under 7 hours39.6%33.5–45.737.1%36%About the same
Checkups and coverage
No health insurance (ages 18–64)10.7%9–12.48.9%11%Worse
Checkup in the past year77.6%74.3–80.679.7%77.4%About the same
Dentist visit in the past year61.6%58.3–64.961.2%63.2%About the same
Cholesterol check in 5 years85.8%84–87.485.8%87.1%About the same
Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure)77.3%74.7–79.777.4%76.5%About the same
Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75)65.7%61.2–69.866.3%65.5%About the same
Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74)75.6%68.6–81.676.4%76.4%About the same
Mind and connection
Ever told they have depression24.2%21–27.425.1%20.6%About the same
Feel lonely32.1%27.8–36.632.8%32.5%About the same
Lack social and emotional support23.1%20.1–26.523.2%23.6%About the same
Everyday needs
Worried about having enough food14.1%11.9–16.514.7%15%About the same
Worried about keeping housing11.4%9.8–13.111.2%12%About the same
Threatened with a utility shut-off7.8%6.8–8.98.4%7.6%About the same
Lack reliable transportation7.3%6.5–8.47.7%7.9%About the same
Received SNAP (food stamps)7.5%6.2–8.98.6%11.6%About the same
Disability
Any disability31.9%28–35.831.1%30.1%About the same
Difficulty walking or climbing stairs14.3%12.5–16.214.2%13.6%About the same
Difficulty concentrating or remembering15.2%13.5–1715%13.9%About the same
Hearing difficulty7.4%6.7–8.37.1%6.7%About the same
Vision difficulty5%4.5–5.45%5.4%About the same
Difficulty doing errands alone7.8%7–8.88.1%7.9%About the same
Difficulty dressing or bathing3.6%3.2–43.7%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 Indiana figure falls inside that range.

Questions about health in Union Township

Is Union Township a healthy place to live?

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Union Township is healthier than 34% of U.S. towns: ≈ C for health. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.

What is the obesity rate in Union Township?

CDC estimates 41.4% of adults have obesity, likely between 34.5% and 48.1%, against 38.4% across Indiana and 32.9% nationally.

What hospital is closest to Union Township?

Franciscan Health Rensselaer in Rensselaer, 8.1 miles in a straight line from Union Township’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; it has no Medicare star rating.

How many people in Union Township have no health insurance?

CDC estimates 10.7% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 9–12.4%), against 8.9% across Indiana.

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 Union Township more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D to B+.

Neighbors talk health

Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Union Township.

Town Square →
Ask your neighbors

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