Photo: Brylie at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0On CDC estimates, Shawnee is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns
Shawnee beats Kansas on 20 of 32 measures CDC estimates, and trails on none.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Shawnee. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Shawnee
Fewer Shawnee adults struggle to make ends meet
Worries about food, housing, utility bills and getting around all run below Kansas. 1 in 11 adults worry about having enough food, vs 1 in 8 adults statewide. Everyday needs ↓
COPD and heart disease are less common in Shawnee
Shawnee runs below Kansas on COPD (4.9% vs 6.7%), heart disease (5.1% vs 6.4%) and stroke (2.6% vs 3.2%). Conditions ↓
Health varies a lot right around Shawnee
Grades next door run from Lenexa (A) to Kansas City (C−). Shawnee is an A. Around town ↓
Shawnee is an active town
Only 20.3% of adults get no exercise outside work, vs 25.6% across Kansas. The town has 44 miles of trails across 24 parks and preserves. 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 Kansas figure falls outside Shawnee’s likely range.
What’s behind Shawnee’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Shawnee is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns, #11 of 150 in Kansas. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is physical distress (fewer adults with frequent physical distress than 95% of towns); the weakest is obesity, still better than 74%.
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). Shawnee’s median household income is $109,940; among the 7,147 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($82K–$137K), it’s healthier than 87%, about where its income would put it.
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
4.7% of Shawnee adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.4% across Kansas.
Out of every 100 Shawnee adults…
Shawnee runs below KS on 7 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Everyday habits, side by side with Kansas
Share of adults, with the Kansas figure marked.
44 miles of trails across 24 parks and preserves
Shawnee and the towns around it
Shawnee’s Health Grade ranks 3rd of 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee | A | 32.4% | 9.7% | 10.8% | CDC place |
| Lenexa | A | 31.3% | 9.4% | 9.6% | CDC place |
| Lake Quivira | A | 29.7% | 10.9% | 7.8% | CDC place |
| Bonner Springs | C+ | 37.5% | 11.6% | 16.8% | CDC place |
| Merriam | A− | 33.8% | 10.6% | 12.1% | CDC place |
| Edwardsville | C+ | 38.3% | 11.9% | 17.7% | CDC place |
| Kansas City | C− | 41.2% | 14.6% | 18.3% | CDC place |
| Lexington Township | A− | 33.4% | 9.9% | 13.3% | ZIP codes |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Care in and near Shawnee
1 community health center in Shawnee, 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 Shawnee; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Keeping up with care
Share of Shawnee adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Kansas.
How Shawnee adults are doing
On 2 of 4 measures, Shawnee does better than Kansas.
3 in 10 Shawnee 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.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Shawnee adults live with a disability (Kansas 30.4%). Thinking or memory is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Shawnee
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Shawnee is better than Kansas on 20 and worse on 0; on the rest, the Kansas figure falls inside Shawnee’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Shawnee | KS | U.S. | vs KS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 13.3%11.9–14.8 | 18% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 10.2%9.1–11.3 | 12.3% | 13% | Better |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 13.9%12.6–15.4 | 16% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 32.4%29.2–35.7 | 36.5% | 32.9% | Better |
| Diabetes | 9.7%8.6–10.8 | 11.4% | 12% | Better |
| High blood pressure | 32.3%29.9–34.7 | 34.4% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 37.6%35.1–40.2 | 36.7% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 23%21.2–25 | 25.5% | 25.3% | Better |
| Asthma | 9.8%8.8–10.9 | 9.9% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 8.1%7.5–8.8 | 8.1% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Coronary heart disease | 5.1%4.6–5.6 | 6.4% | 6.4% | Better |
| COPD | 4.9%4.4–5.4 | 6.7% | 6.3% | Better |
| Stroke | 2.6%2.4–2.8 | 3.2% | 3.4% | Better |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 9.1%7.5–10.9 | 11.3% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 10.8%9.5–12.1 | 14% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 20.3%18.1–22.6 | 25.6% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 17.5%15.5–19.6 | 16.3% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 31.7%28.5–34.8 | 34.3% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 7.2%6.3–8.2 | 9.9% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 78.9%76.6–81.1 | 76.6% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 71.7%69.2–73.9 | 64.9% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 87.4%86.1–88.7 | 84.1% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 76.2%73.8–78.6 | 77.6% | 76.5% | About the same |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 66.6%63.1–69.8 | 63.5% | 65.5% | About the same |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 77.8%72.7–82.2 | 74.6% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 19.1%17.1–21.3 | 20.8% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 28.2%25.5–31 | 30.9% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 17.3%15.3–19.4 | 21.1% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 8.7%7.6–10 | 13% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 8.7%7.6–9.9 | 11.2% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 6.4%5.6–7.3 | 8.2% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 5.4%4.8–6 | 7.1% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 4.7%4–5.4 | 7.4% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 25.6%23.3–28 | 30.4% | 30.1% | Lower |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 10.2%9.1–11.4 | 13.4% | 13.6% | Lower |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 12%10.9–13.3 | 14.4% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 6.1%5.5–6.7 | 7.4% | 6.7% | Lower |
| Vision difficulty | 3.4%3.1–3.7 | 4.6% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 6%5.5–6.7 | 7.7% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 2.6%2.4–2.9 | 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 Kansas figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Shawnee
Is Shawnee a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Shawnee is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns: A for health, #11 of 150 in Kansas. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 87%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Shawnee?
CDC estimates 32.4% of adults have obesity, likely between 29.2% and 35.7%, against 36.5% across Kansas and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Shawnee?
Adventhealth Shawnee Mission in Shawnee Mission, 6.3 miles in a straight line from Shawnee’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 3 of 5 stars.
How many people in Shawnee have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 7.2% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 6.3–8.2%), against 9.9% across Kansas.
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 Shawnee 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 Shawnee.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Kansas 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.