Rott School · Photo: LittleT889 · CC BY-SA 4.0On CDC estimates, Sunset Hills is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns
Sunset Hills differs from Missouri on 24 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 21 better, 3 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Sunset Hills. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Sunset Hills
Sunset Hills is older than Missouri, yet healthier on chronic conditions
Sunset Hills runs below Missouri on obesity (26.2% vs 36.6%) and COPD (6.5% vs 8%). That’s despite an older population: 29% of residents are 65 or older (Missouri 18%). Conditions ↓
Cancer and arthritis run high in Sunset Hills
1 in 8 adults have had cancer (13.1%), vs 8.6% across Missouri. 1 in 3 adults have arthritis (33.2%), vs 28.8% across Missouri. Age is part of it: 29% of residents are 65 or older (Missouri 18%), and cancer and arthritis are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
Against towns with similar incomes, Sunset Hills’ lead shrinks
Sunset Hills is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns, but 56% of the 3,726 towns with similar household incomes ($104K–$173K). Part of its edge is what towns with its incomes tend to have. Health Grade ↓
Sunset Hills keeps up with checkups
It beats Missouri on four of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (82.1% vs 78.4%) and dentist visits (74.8% vs 60.4%). Checkups ↓
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 Missouri figure falls outside Sunset Hills’ likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
What’s behind Sunset Hills’ grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Sunset Hills is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns, #21 of 247 in Missouri. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is mental distress (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than 95% of towns); the weakest is diabetes, still better than 71%.
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). Sunset Hills’ median household income is $138,144; among the 3,726 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($104K–$173K), it’s healthier than 56%, about where its income would put it.
Out of every 100 Sunset Hills adults…
Sunset Hills runs below MO on 4 of 12 conditions and above it on 3. Tap one to see it as people.
Sunset Hills is an older town: 29% of residents are 65 or older, vs 18% across Missouri. Arthritis and cancer rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Sunset Hills as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of Sunset Hills adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Missouri.
Care in and near Sunset Hills
1 community health center in Sunset Hills, 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 Sunset Hills; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Everyday habits, side by side with Missouri
Share of adults, with the Missouri figure marked.
23 miles of trails across 7 parks and preserves
How Sunset Hills adults are doing
On 3 of 4 measures, Sunset Hills does better than Missouri.
3 in 10 Sunset 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.
4.1% of Sunset Hills adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 10.8% across Missouri.
Sunset Hills and the towns around it
Sunset Hills’s Health Grade ranks 2nd of 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunset Hills | A | 26.2% | 10.7% | 10% | CDC place |
| Crestwood | A | 28.3% | 9.8% | 11.6% | CDC place |
| Kirkwood | A | 27.7% | 9.4% | 10% | CDC place |
| Fenton | A− | 28.3% | 10.3% | 12.1% | CDC place |
| Sappington | A− | 27.8% | 10% | 11.7% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Sunset Hills adults live with a disability (Missouri 36.2%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Sunset Hills
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Sunset Hills is better than Missouri on 21 and worse on 3; on the rest, the Missouri figure falls inside Sunset Hills’ likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Sunset Hills | MO | U.S. | vs MO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 15%12.9–17.6 | 20.5% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 12.2%10.7–13.9 | 14.2% | 13% | Better |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 12.8%11.3–14.3 | 17.5% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 26.2%22.9–29.6 | 36.6% | 32.9% | Better |
| Diabetes | 10.7%9.3–12.2 | 12.1% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 38.7%35.7–41.8 | 36.5% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 41%37.8–44.3 | 37.5% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 33.2%30.4–35.9 | 28.8% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 9.5%8.5–10.7 | 10.6% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 13.1%11.8–14.4 | 8.6% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.5%6.6–8.7 | 6.8% | 6.4% | About the same |
| COPD | 6.5%5.4–7.8 | 8% | 6.3% | Better |
| Stroke | 3.6%3.1–4.1 | 3.6% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 8%6.3–9.9 | 15.8% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 10%8.5–11.7 | 16% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 22.2%19.1–25.7 | 28.8% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 15%12.9–17.2 | 16.3% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 26.1%22.7–29.7 | 36.5% | 36% | Better |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 4.9%4.1–6 | 8.7% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 82.1%79.8–84.4 | 78.4% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 74.8%72–77.3 | 60.4% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 90.6%89.3–91.8 | 84.5% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 83.3%81–85.5 | 77.2% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 73.4%69.5–77 | 64% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 79.8%73.6–85.1 | 74.7% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 21.4%18.9–24 | 24.3% | 20.6% | Better |
| Feel lonely | 28.7%25.5–32 | 31.7% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 16%13.8–18.2 | 20.1% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 6%4.9–7.2 | 13.7% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 5.9%5–7 | 12.1% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 4.4%3.8–5.1 | 9% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 4.4%3.8–5.1 | 8.4% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 4.1%3.3–5.1 | 10.8% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 32.7%29.5–36.1 | 36.2% | 30.1% | Lower |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 14.2%12–16.7 | 15.8% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 11.7%10.3–13.3 | 17.2% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 9.9%8.7–11.2 | 8.3% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 3.7%3.2–4.4 | 5.1% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 6.9%5.9–8.2 | 9.2% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 2.8%2.4–3.3 | 3.9% | 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 Missouri figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Sunset Hills
Is Sunset Hills a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Sunset Hills is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns: A for health, #21 of 247 in Missouri. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 56%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Sunset Hills?
CDC estimates 26.2% of adults have obesity, likely between 22.9% and 29.6%, against 36.6% across Missouri and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Sunset Hills?
Mercy Hospital South in Saint Louis, 2.2 miles in a straight line from Sunset Hills’ center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 2 of 5 stars.
How many people in Sunset Hills have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 4.9% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 4.1–6%), against 8.7% across Missouri.
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 Sunset 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 Sunset Hills.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Missouri 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.