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Rooks County CourthouseRooks County Courthouse · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0
≈ C+Health Grade
Health in Stockton · CDC PLACES 2025

Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes, Stockton is healthier than 61%

Stockton differs from Kansas on 6 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 1 better, 5 worse.

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

What stands out · In brief

What stands out about health in Stockton

COPD, cancer and arthritis run high in Stockton

1 in 12 adults have COPD (8.4%), vs 6.7% across Kansas. 1 in 10 adults have had cancer (10.1%), vs 8.1% across Kansas. Arthritis is also above the state: 31.5%, vs 25.5% across Kansas. In all, Stockton runs above Kansas on five of 11 chronic conditions. Conditions ↓

Stockton is short on primary care and mental health care

Stockton’s county is a federal shortage area for primary care and mental health care, meaning too few providers for the people who live there. Getting care ↓

Stockton is healthier than its income would predict

Against all U.S. towns, Stockton is healthier than 41%. Against the 9,530 towns with similar household incomes ($47K–$78K), it’s healthier than 61%. Health Grade ↓

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 Stockton’s likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D to A−.

Health Grade

What’s behind Stockton’s grade

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Stockton is healthier than 41% of U.S. towns. Mental distress holds the grade up (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than 71% of U.S. towns); obesity pulls it down (better than 13%).

B−Self-rated health19.3% · KS 18% · U.S. 19.4%
B−Physical distress13.9% · KS 12.3% · U.S. 13%
B+Mental distress15.8% · KS 16% · U.S. 15.9%
DObesity41.5% · KS 36.5% · U.S. 32.9%
B−Diabetes12.3% · KS 11.4% · U.S. 12%
C+Smoking16.2% smoke · KS 14% · U.S. 11.8%
CExercise29.3% · KS 25.6% · U.S. 24.7%
All U.S. towns we grade (21,250)Healthier than 41%
Less healthyHealthier
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $47K–$78K (9,530)Healthier 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). Stockton’s median household income is $62,621; among the 9,530 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($47K–$78K), it’s healthier than 61%, more than its income alone would suggest.

Where Stockton compares well: taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure), 80.7% (U.S. 76.5%).

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

How TownRatings grades health →

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Stockton adults…

Stockton runs above KS on 5 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.

8 of every 100 Stockton adults have COPD
Kansas: 7 in 100 · worse · likely 6.9–10%
Better than KSWorseAbout the sameKansas
Getting care

Care in and near Stockton

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

HNearest ERRooks County Health CenterPlainville · 12.5 miDirections →
+Low-cost careFirst Care ClinicHays · 37.8 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
12.5 mi
Rooks County Health Center
Plainville · not rated
ERRural critical access
22.9 mi
Phillips County Hospital
Phillipsburg · not rated
ERRural critical access
30.6 mi
Graham County Hospital
Hill City · not rated
ERRural critical access
31 mi
Osborne County Memorial Hospital
Osborne · not rated
ERRural critical access
37.8 mi
First Care Clinic
3 sites · nearest in Hays
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
61.9 mi
Sheridan County Hospital
3 sites · nearest in Hoxie
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
✓ Primary careNo HRSA shortage area covers Stockton itself
✓ Dental careStockton is not a shortage area
✓ Mental healthNo HRSA shortage area covers Stockton 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 Stockton; ≈ 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 Kansas

Share of adults, with the Kansas figure marked.

Get no exercise 29.3%KS 25.6%
Sleep under 7 hours 34.7%KS 34.3%
Binge drink 16.1%KS 16.3%
Smoke cigarettes 16.2%KS 14%
0%10%20%30%40%
Stockton, betterStockton, worseAbout the sameKansas
Where Stockton gets moving

Walk with neighbors

The easiest exercise habit to keep is one with company.

Checkups & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

78%Yearly checkupKS 77%
67%Dentist visitKS 65%
86%Cholesterol checkKS 84%
63%Colon screeningKS 64%
75%MammogramKS 75%
81%Taking BP medsKS 78%
1 in 11
working-age adults has no health insurance
Stockton 8.8% · Kansas 1 in 10 (9.9%)
Mind & connection

How Stockton adults are doing

About the same as Kansas on each measure.

3 in 10Stockton adults feel lonely
29.9% · KS 30.9% · About the same as KS
1 in 5Stockton adults lack social or emotional support
21.8% · KS 21.1% · About the same as KS
1 in 5Stockton adults have been diagnosed with depression
21.4% · KS 20.8% · About the same as KS
1 in 6Stockton adults are in frequent mental distress
15.8% · KS 16% · About the same as KS
The one neighbors can help with

3 in 10 Stockton 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 9
Stockton adults worry about having enough food
11.4% · KS 13%
About the same as KS
1 in 10
Stockton adults worry about keeping their housing
9.8% · KS 11.2%
About the same as KS
1 in 14
Stockton adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
7.4% · KS 8.2%
About the same as KS
1 in 16
Stockton adults lack reliable transportation
6.3% · KS 7.1%
About the same as KS

6.6% of Stockton adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.4% across Kansas.

Around town

Stockton and the towns around it

How health changes across the town line.

Township 2: 41.3%Township 3: 41.6%Township 1: 40.7%Bow Creek Township: 41.6%Township 11: 40%Valley Township: 42.2%Township 4: 41.2%Township 5: 41.6%Township 6: 41.1%Rushville Township: 40.3%Stockton: 41.5%StocktonTownship 2Township 3Rooks County Health Center · Plainville · 12.5 miH
Healthier than KSNear KSLess healthyHHospital+Health center
Obesity
#7 of 11 towns on this map, healthiest first
Township 241.3%
Stockton41.5%
Township 341.6%
KS36.5%

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
StocktonC+41.5%12.3%16.2%CDC place
Township 3C+41.6%12.7%16.3%ZIP codes
Township 2————

Township 2: 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.

33.4%

of Stockton adults live with a disability (Kansas 30.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs15.8%
Thinking or memory14.6%
Hearing9.3%
Errands alone8.3%
Vision4.7%
Dressing or bathing3.9%
Kansas

Every CDC estimate for Stockton

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

On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Stockton is better than Kansas on 1 and worse on 5; on the rest, the Kansas figure falls inside Stockton’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.

Adults who…StocktonKSU.S.vs KS
Overall health
Fair or poor health19.3%16–22.918%19.4%About the same
Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month)13.9%11.8–1612.3%13%About the same
Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month)15.8%13.7–1816%15.9%About the same
Conditions
Obesity41.5%33.6–49.536.5%32.9%About the same
Diabetes12.3%10.4–14.311.4%12%About the same
High blood pressure38.4%33.9–42.834.4%34.4%About the same
High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years)40%35.5–44.636.7%37.1%About the same
Arthritis31.5%27.9–35.225.5%25.3%Worse
Asthma10%8.8–11.49.9%9.9%About the same
Cancer, other than skin cancer10.1%9.1–11.28.1%7.9%Worse
Coronary heart disease7.9%6.8–96.4%6.4%Worse
COPD8.4%6.9–106.7%6.3%Worse
Stroke3.9%3.4–4.53.2%3.4%Worse
Lost all teeth (ages 65+)13.7%11.1–16.811.3%12.3%About the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes16.2%13.1–19.514%11.8%About the same
No exercise outside work29.3%23.8–34.925.6%24.7%About the same
Binge drinking16.1%13.3–19.216.3%15.4%About the same
Sleep under 7 hours34.7%28.5–41.734.3%36%About the same
Checkups and coverage
No health insurance (ages 18–64)8.8%6.8–11.49.9%11%About the same
Checkup in the past year78.1%74.6–81.376.6%77.4%About the same
Dentist visit in the past year66.8%63.2–70.264.9%63.2%About the same
Cholesterol check in 5 years86%83.9–8884.1%87.1%About the same
Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure)80.7%78–83.277.6%76.5%Better
Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75)63.2%58–68.363.5%65.5%About the same
Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74)75.3%67.5–82.174.6%76.4%About the same
Mind and connection
Ever told they have depression21.4%18.2–2520.8%20.6%About the same
Feel lonely29.9%25.1–34.930.9%32.5%About the same
Lack social and emotional support21.8%18.3–25.421.1%23.6%About the same
Everyday needs
Worried about having enough food11.4%8.9–14.313%15%About the same
Worried about keeping housing9.8%7.9–11.811.2%12%About the same
Threatened with a utility shut-off7.4%6.2–8.78.2%7.6%About the same
Lack reliable transportation6.3%5.3–7.57.1%7.9%About the same
Received SNAP (food stamps)6.6%5–8.57.4%11.6%About the same
Disability
Any disability33.4%28.5–38.530.4%30.1%About the same
Difficulty walking or climbing stairs15.8%13–18.613.4%13.6%About the same
Difficulty concentrating or remembering14.6%12.4–1714.4%13.9%About the same
Hearing difficulty9.3%8.1–10.67.4%6.7%Higher
Vision difficulty4.7%4–5.44.6%5.4%About the same
Difficulty doing errands alone8.3%7–9.77.7%7.9%About the same
Difficulty dressing or bathing3.9%3.3–4.53.5%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 Kansas figure falls inside that range.

Questions about health in Stockton

Is Stockton a healthy place to live?

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Stockton is healthier than 41% 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 Stockton?

CDC estimates 41.5% of adults have obesity, likely between 33.6% and 49.5%, against 36.5% across Kansas and 32.9% nationally.

What hospital is closest to Stockton?

Rooks County Health Center in Plainville, 12.5 miles in a straight line from Stockton’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; it has no Medicare star rating.

How many people in Stockton have no health insurance?

CDC estimates 8.8% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 6.8–11.4%), 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 Stockton 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 Stockton.

Town Square →
Ask your neighbors

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.