Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes, El Cerro is healthier than 25%
El Cerro differs from New Mexico on 8 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 7 better, 1 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for El Cerro. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in El Cerro
El Cerro is an older town
31% of residents are 65 or older, vs 19% across New Mexico. Conditions like heart disease and arthritis become more common with age, so keep that in mind when comparing El Cerro with the state. Conditions ↓
El Cerro looks healthier next to New Mexico than next to the country
It’s healthier than 75% of the 73 New Mexico towns we grade, but 53% of towns nationwide. Much of New Mexico scores low on these measures. Health Grade ↓
Against towns with similar incomes, El Cerro’s lead shrinks
El Cerro is healthier than 53% of U.S. towns, but 25% of the 7,720 towns with similar household incomes ($80K–$133K). Part of its edge is what towns with its incomes tend to have. Health Grade ↓
The nearest ER is 21 miles from El Cerro
The closest emergency room is Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, 21.1 miles away in a straight line. For everyday care, First Choice Community Healthcare is closer (3.4 mi) and charges on a sliding scale. Getting care ↓
Fewer El Cerro adults struggle to make ends meet
Worries about food, housing, utility bills and getting around all run below New Mexico. 1 in 6 adults worry about having enough food, vs 1 in 5 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 New Mexico figure falls outside El Cerro’s likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from C− to A−.
What’s behind El Cerro’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, El Cerro is healthier than 53% of U.S. towns, #19 of 73 in New Mexico. Mental distress holds the grade up (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than 86% of U.S. towns); fair or poor health pulls it down (better than 23%).
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). El Cerro’s median household income is $106,136; among the 7,720 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($80K–$133K), it’s healthier than 25%, less than its income alone would suggest.
Few New Mexico towns score lower on these estimates than towns elsewhere, so within the state El Cerro is healthier than 75% of graded towns, against 53% nationally.
Out of every 100 El Cerro adults…
El Cerro runs above NM on 1 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
El Cerro is an older town: 31% of residents are 65 or older, vs 19% across New Mexico. Cancer rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in El Cerro as about how healthy they are.
Care in and near El Cerro
No hospital or community health center in El Cerro 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 El Cerro; ≈ 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).
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
11.4% of El Cerro adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 16.9% across New Mexico.
Everyday habits, side by side with New Mexico
Share of adults, with the New Mexico figure marked.
Walk with neighbors
The easiest exercise habit to keep is one with company.
Keeping up with care
Share of El Cerro adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks New Mexico.
How El Cerro adults are doing
About the same as New Mexico on each measure.
1 in 3 El Cerro 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.
El Cerro and the towns around it
El Cerro has the best Health Grade of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Cerro | B− | 32.3% | 13.8% | 11.5% | CDC place |
| Los Lunas | B− | 34.5% | 13.2% | 12.3% | CDC place |
| Valencia | C | 36.2% | 15.6% | 13.1% | CDC place |
| El Cerro Mission | D− | 41% | 17.4% | 19.4% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of El Cerro adults live with a disability (New Mexico 34%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for El Cerro
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, El Cerro is better than New Mexico on 7 and worse on 1; on the rest, the New Mexico figure falls inside El Cerro’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | El Cerro | NM | U.S. | vs NM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 23.2%19.6–26.9 | 24% | 19.4% | About the same |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 15.5%13.4–17.8 | 15.5% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 14.4%12.5–16.4 | 16.1% | 15.9% | About the same |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 32.3%25.3–39.9 | 34.1% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 13.8%11.8–16 | 13.2% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 35.5%31.2–40 | 34.3% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 38%33.3–42.7 | 35.1% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 27.6%24.1–31.3 | 25.6% | 25.3% | About the same |
| Asthma | 9.5%8.3–10.8 | 9.9% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 8.3%7.5–9.3 | 7.4% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.3%6.4–8.3 | 7.2% | 6.4% | About the same |
| COPD | 6.3%5.4–7.5 | 6.6% | 6.3% | About the same |
| Stroke | 3.8%3.3–4.2 | 3.8% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 15.7%12.7–18.9 | 14.2% | 12.3% | About the same |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 11.5%9.4–13.8 | 13.4% | 11.8% | About the same |
| No exercise outside work | 25.9%21.3–31 | 25.6% | 24.7% | About the same |
| Binge drinking | 12.9%10.4–15.7 | 13.7% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 33.3%27.7–39.3 | 32.7% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 16.1%12.8–19.7 | 15.6% | 11% | About the same |
| Checkup in the past year | 71.4%67.1–75.4 | 69% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 59.3%55.5–63 | 61.4% | 63.2% | About the same |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 86.8%84.9–88.7 | 83.4% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 77%73.4–80.1 | 73.3% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 62.9%57.8–67.8 | 57.5% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 73.2%65.5–80.2 | 70.3% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 20.9%17.5–24.7 | 23.2% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 34.1%27.9–40.2 | 34.1% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 25.6%21.1–30.2 | 24.5% | 23.6% | About the same |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 16.9%13.6–20.3 | 20.9% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 13.9%11.4–16.4 | 16.5% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 8.1%6.8–9.6 | 11.2% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 8.4%7.1–9.8 | 11% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 11.4%9–14 | 16.9% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 34.1%29.3–39.1 | 34% | 30.1% | About the same |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 15.9%13.4–18.6 | 15.5% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 14.1%12–16.3 | 15.5% | 13.9% | About the same |
| Hearing difficulty | 8.5%7.4–9.6 | 8.5% | 6.7% | About the same |
| Vision difficulty | 6.3%5.5–7.2 | 7.2% | 5.4% | About the same |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 8%6.9–9.3 | 9.3% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 4.3%3.7–5 | 4.7% | 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 New Mexico figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in El Cerro
Is El Cerro a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, El Cerro is healthier than 53% of U.S. towns: ≈ B− for health, #19 of 73 in New Mexico. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in El Cerro?
CDC estimates 32.3% of adults have obesity, likely between 25.3% and 39.9%, against 34.1% across New Mexico and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to El Cerro?
Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, 21.1 miles in a straight line from El Cerro’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 2 of 5 stars.
How many people in El Cerro have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 16.1% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 12.8–19.7%), against 15.6% across New Mexico.
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 El Cerro more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from C− to A−.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in El Cerro.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The New Mexico 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.