On CDC estimates, Horse Shoe is healthier than 83% of U.S. towns
Horse Shoe differs from North Carolina on 15 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 13 better, 2 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Horse Shoe. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Horse Shoe
Horse Shoe is healthier than its income would predict
Against all U.S. towns, Horse Shoe is healthier than 83%. Against the 9,750 towns with similar household incomes ($48K–$80K), it’s healthier than 98%. Health Grade ↓
Cancer and arthritis run high in Horse Shoe
1 in 9 adults have had cancer (11%), vs 7.9% across North Carolina. 1 in 3 adults have arthritis (31%), vs 26.9% across North Carolina. Age is part of it: 37% of residents are 65 or older (North Carolina 17%), and cancer and arthritis are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
Horse Shoe keeps up with checkups
It beats North Carolina on three of five routine checkups and screenings, including dentist visits (70.5% vs 63.6%) and cholesterol checks (90.8% vs 87.5%). Checkups ↓
Fewer Horse Shoe adults struggle to make ends meet
Worries about food, housing, utility bills and getting around all run below North Carolina. 1 in 11 adults worry about having enough food, vs 1 in 7 adults statewide. Everyday needs ↓
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 North Carolina figure falls outside Horse Shoe’s likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from B− to A+.
What’s behind Horse Shoe’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Horse Shoe is healthier than 83% of U.S. towns. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is obesity (fewer adults with obesity than 86% of towns); the weakest is diabetes, still better than 65%.
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). Horse Shoe’s median household income is $64,096; among the 9,750 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($48K–$80K), it’s healthier than 98%, about where its income would put it.
Out of every 100 Horse Shoe adults…
Horse Shoe runs below NC on 1 of 12 conditions and above it on 2. Tap one to see it as people.
Horse Shoe is an older town: 37% of residents are 65 or older, vs 17% across North Carolina. Arthritis and cancer rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Horse Shoe as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of Horse Shoe adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks North Carolina.
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
6.5% of Horse Shoe adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 12.3% across North Carolina.
Care in and near Horse Shoe
No hospital or community health center in Horse Shoe 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 Horse Shoe; ≈ 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 North Carolina
Share of adults, with the North Carolina figure marked.
0.2 miles of trails across 1 park or preserve
How Horse Shoe adults are doing
On 2 of 4 measures, Horse Shoe does better than North Carolina.
3 in 10 Horse Shoe 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.
Horse Shoe and the towns around it
Horse Shoe’s Health Grade ranks 2nd of 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horse Shoe | A− | 29.2% | 11.1% | 12% | CDC place |
| Etowah | B+ | 30% | 13.3% | 12.2% | CDC place |
| Mills River | A− | 29% | 10.9% | 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 Horse Shoe adults live with a disability (North Carolina 32%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Horse Shoe
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Horse Shoe is better than North Carolina on 13 and worse on 2; on the rest, the North Carolina figure falls inside Horse Shoe’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Horse Shoe | NC | U.S. | vs NC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 16.2%13.8–18.8 | 19% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 12.4%10.7–14.1 | 12.7% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 14.5%12.7–16.4 | 16.5% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 29.2%22.7–36.3 | 35.1% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 11.1%9.4–12.8 | 12% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 37.2%32.8–41.6 | 36.8% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 39.6%35–44.1 | 35.6% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 31%27.3–34.7 | 26.9% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 10.4%9.1–11.7 | 10.8% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 11%10–12.2 | 7.9% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.3%6.4–8.1 | 6.6% | 6.4% | About the same |
| COPD | 7.3%6.2–8.4 | 7.1% | 6.3% | About the same |
| Stroke | 3.6%3.2–3.9 | 3.6% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 9.4%7.5–11.6 | 13.9% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 12%10–14.2 | 13.5% | 11.8% | About the same |
| No exercise outside work | 19.8%16.2–23.8 | 23.8% | 24.7% | About the same |
| Binge drinking | 14.3%11.7–17.3 | 14.7% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 31.7%25.8–37.9 | 34.2% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 7.3%6–8.8 | 10.4% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 81.8%78.4–84.8 | 80% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 70.5%67.1–73.6 | 63.6% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 90.8%89.4–92.1 | 87.5% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 80.1%76.8–83.1 | 76.7% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 72.3%67.5–76.7 | 65.7% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 79.8%73.1–85.6 | 78.7% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 24.3%20.5–28 | 24.2% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 27.8%23.2–32.7 | 32.5% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 18.2%15.3–21.5 | 22.5% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 8.7%7.1–10.4 | 15.2% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 7.2%6–8.5 | 12.2% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 4.8%4.1–5.7 | 8.1% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 5.2%4.5–6.1 | 8.4% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 6.5%5.4–7.9 | 12.3% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 29.6%25.3–33.9 | 32% | 30.1% | About the same |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 13.4%11.4–15.6 | 14.2% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 12.3%10.7–14 | 14.8% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 8.4%7.4–9.5 | 7.3% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 4.1%3.7–4.6 | 5.3% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 6.8%6–7.8 | 8.2% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 3.3%2.9–3.7 | 4% | 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 North Carolina figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Horse Shoe
Is Horse Shoe a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Horse Shoe is healthier than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 98%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Horse Shoe?
CDC estimates 29.2% of adults have obesity, likely between 22.7% and 36.3%, against 35.1% across North Carolina and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Horse Shoe?
Pardee Hospital Henderson County in Hendersonville, 5.4 miles in a straight line from Horse Shoe’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 5 of 5 stars.
How many people in Horse Shoe have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 7.3% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 6–8.8%), against 10.4% across North Carolina.
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 Horse Shoe 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 Horse Shoe.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The North Carolina 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.