Norris-Stirling House · Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes, Pleasant Hills is healthier than 31%
Pleasant Hills differs from Maryland on 16 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 13 better, 3 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Pleasant Hills. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Pleasant Hills
Against towns with similar incomes, Pleasant Hills’ lead shrinks
Pleasant Hills is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns, but 31% of the 1,828 towns with similar household incomes ($125K–$208K). Part of its edge is what towns with its incomes tend to have. Health Grade ↓
Cancer and arthritis run high in Pleasant Hills
1 in 9 adults have had cancer (11.1%), vs 7.6% across Maryland. 3 in 10 adults have arthritis (30.5%), vs 25.8% across Maryland. Conditions ↓
Pleasant Hills keeps up with checkups
It beats Maryland on three of five routine checkups and screenings, including dentist visits (70.8% vs 64.4%) and cholesterol checks (92% vs 89.6%). Checkups ↓
Pleasant Hills is short on dental care and mental health care
Pleasant Hills’ county is a federal shortage area for dental care and mental health care, meaning too few providers for the people who live there. Getting care ↓
Pleasant Hills is an active town
Only 18% of adults get no exercise outside work, vs 23.6% across Maryland. 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 Maryland figure falls outside Pleasant Hills’ likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
What’s behind Pleasant Hills’ grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Pleasant Hills is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns, #67 of 261 in Maryland. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is mental distress (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than 93% of towns); the weakest is diabetes, still better than 59%.
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). Pleasant Hills’ median household income is $166,339; among the 1,828 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($125K–$208K), it’s healthier than 31%, less than its income alone would suggest.
Out of every 100 Pleasant Hills adults…
Pleasant Hills runs above MD on 3 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Keeping up with care
Share of Pleasant Hills adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Maryland.
Care in and near Pleasant Hills
No hospital or community health center in Pleasant Hills 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 Pleasant Hills; ≈ 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).
Everyday habits, side by side with Maryland
Share of adults, with the Maryland figure marked.
9.6 miles of trails across 2 parks and preserves
How Pleasant Hills adults are doing
On 2 of 4 measures, Pleasant Hills does better than Maryland.
3 in 10 Pleasant Hills 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.
5.2% of Pleasant Hills adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 11.8% across Maryland.
Pleasant Hills and the towns around it
How health changes across the town line.
Health next door
| Town | Health | Obesity | Diabetes | Smoking | Figures from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Hills | A | 33% | 11.5% | 8.9% | CDC place |
| Kingsville | A− | 30.3% | 11.9% | 10% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Pleasant Hills adults live with a disability (Maryland 26.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Pleasant Hills
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Pleasant Hills is better than Maryland on 13 and worse on 3; on the rest, the Maryland figure falls inside Pleasant Hills’ likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Pleasant Hills | MD | U.S. | vs MD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 13.9%11.8–16.1 | 17.9% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 11.6%10.1–13.1 | 12% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 13.4%11.8–15.1 | 15% | 15.9% | About the same |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 33%28.4–37.6 | 35.1% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 11.5%9.8–13 | 12.5% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 37%33.7–40.2 | 36.8% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 43.3%39.7–46.6 | 38.1% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 30.5%27.5–33.3 | 25.8% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 9.7%8.6–10.8 | 10.6% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 11.1%10.1–12.2 | 7.6% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 6.3%5.5–7.1 | 5.8% | 6.4% | About the same |
| COPD | 6%5–7.1 | 5.9% | 6.3% | About the same |
| Stroke | 3.1%2.7–3.5 | 3.4% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 8.6%7–10.5 | 9.9% | 12.3% | About the same |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 8.9%7.2–10.8 | 10.9% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 18%14.9–21 | 23.6% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 13.8%11.7–16.1 | 14.1% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 33.8%29.7–38.1 | 37.7% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 4.8%3.8–6 | 8.7% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 81.6%79–84.1 | 79.2% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 70.8%68–73.5 | 64.4% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 92%90.8–93.1 | 89.6% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 78.9%76–81.4 | 76.6% | 76.5% | About the same |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 75.9%72.5–79.1 | 68.2% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 82%77–86.3 | 80.7% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 21.1%18.4–23.9 | 19.4% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 28.9%25–33.1 | 34.3% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 18.1%15.5–21.1 | 24.2% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 7%5.6–8.7 | 15.4% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 6.6%5.4–7.9 | 13.5% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 4.3%3.6–5.1 | 8.4% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 4.4%3.7–5.1 | 7.8% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 5.2%4–6.5 | 11.8% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 22.9%19.6–26 | 26.4% | 30.1% | Lower |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 10.7%9–12.4 | 12.4% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 9.8%8.4–11.2 | 12.2% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 6.7%5.9–7.5 | 5.6% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 3.2%2.8–3.6 | 4.5% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 5.6%4.8–6.4 | 7% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 2.7%2.3–3.1 | 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 Maryland figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Pleasant Hills
Is Pleasant Hills a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Pleasant Hills is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns: A for health, #67 of 261 in Maryland. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Pleasant Hills?
CDC estimates 33% of adults have obesity, likely between 28.4% and 37.6%, against 35.1% across Maryland and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Pleasant Hills?
Umd Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air, 3.3 miles in a straight line from Pleasant Hills’ center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 2 of 5 stars.
How many people in Pleasant Hills have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 4.8% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 3.8–6%), against 8.7% across Maryland.
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 Pleasant Hills 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 Pleasant Hills.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Maryland 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.