On CDC estimates, Sandia Heights is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns
Sandia Heights differs from New Mexico on 28 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 24 better, 4 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Sandia Heights. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Sandia Heights
Cancer, arthritis and high cholesterol run high in Sandia Heights
1 in 7 adults have had cancer (14.5%), about twice the New Mexico rate. 1 in 3 adults have arthritis (33.7%), vs 25.6% across New Mexico. High cholesterol is also above the state: 43.1%, vs 35.1% across New Mexico. In all, Sandia Heights runs above New Mexico on four of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 46% of residents are 65 or older (New Mexico 19%), and cancer, arthritis and high cholesterol are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
Sandia Heights keeps up with checkups
It beats New Mexico on five of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (77.9% vs 69%) and dentist visits (80.4% vs 61.4%). Checkups ↓
Sandia Heights is an active town
Only 14.3% of adults get no exercise outside work, vs 25.6% across New Mexico. Habits ↓
Sandia Heights ranks #3 for health in New Mexico
Out of 73 New Mexico towns with a Health Grade, Sandia Heights is #3 on the seven CDC estimates behind it. Nationally it’s healthier than 96% of towns. 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 New Mexico figure falls outside Sandia Heights’ likely range.
What’s behind Sandia Heights’ grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Sandia Heights is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns, #3 of 73 in New Mexico. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is mental distress (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than almost every town); the weakest is diabetes, still better than 78%.
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). Sandia Heights’ median household income is $143,646; among the 3,262 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($108K–$180K), it’s healthier than 87%, about where its income would put it.
Out of every 100 Sandia Heights adults…
Sandia Heights runs below NM on 4 of 12 conditions and above it on 4. Tap one to see it as people.
Sandia Heights is an older town: 46% of residents are 65 or older, vs 19% across New Mexico. Arthritis and cancer rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Sandia Heights as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of Sandia Heights adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks New Mexico.
Everyday habits, side by side with New Mexico
Share of adults, with the New Mexico figure marked.
0.8 miles of trails across 3 parks and preserves
Care in and near Sandia Heights
No hospital or community health center in Sandia Heights 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 Sandia Heights; ≈ 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).
How Sandia Heights adults are doing
On 3 of 4 measures, Sandia Heights does better than New Mexico.
1 in 4 Sandia Heights 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.
3.6% of Sandia Heights adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 16.9% across New Mexico.
Sandia Heights and the towns around it
How health changes across the town line.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandia Heights | A+ | 25.4% | 10.2% | 6.4% | CDC place |
| Albuquerque | B | 32.9% | 11.3% | 12.2% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Sandia Heights adults live with a disability (New Mexico 34%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Sandia Heights
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Sandia Heights is better than New Mexico on 24 and worse on 4; on the rest, the New Mexico figure falls inside Sandia Heights’ likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Sandia Heights | NM | U.S. | vs NM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 13.2%11–15.8 | 24% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 11.3%9.8–13.1 | 15.5% | 13% | Better |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 10.3%8.9–11.8 | 16.1% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 25.4%21.4–29.6 | 34.1% | 32.9% | Better |
| Diabetes | 10.2%8.7–11.8 | 13.2% | 12% | Better |
| High blood pressure | 39.6%35.9–43.3 | 34.3% | 34.4% | Worse |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 43.1%39–47 | 35.1% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 33.7%30.4–37.3 | 25.6% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 9.1%8–10.3 | 9.9% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 14.5%13.1–15.9 | 7.4% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.8%6.8–9 | 7.2% | 6.4% | About the same |
| COPD | 5.2%4.2–6.5 | 6.6% | 6.3% | Better |
| Stroke | 3.5%3.1–4.1 | 3.8% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 3.8%3.1–4.7 | 14.2% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 6.4%5–8.2 | 13.4% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 14.3%11.6–17.3 | 25.6% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 11%9.2–13 | 13.7% | 15.4% | Better |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 22.5%19.5–25.7 | 32.7% | 36% | Better |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 4.1%3.1–5.2 | 15.6% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 77.9%74.7–80.6 | 69% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 80.4%78.2–82.5 | 61.4% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 93.4%92.2–94.4 | 83.4% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 80.1%76.7–83.1 | 73.3% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 74.6%71.2–77.9 | 57.5% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 77.8%72–82.6 | 70.3% | 76.4% | Better |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 22.1%19.1–25.2 | 23.2% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 26.9%23.5–30.7 | 34.1% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 16.2%13.8–19 | 24.5% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 5%3.9–6.6 | 20.9% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 4.4%3.6–5.5 | 16.5% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 3.2%2.7–3.9 | 11.2% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 3.4%2.9–4.1 | 11% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 3.6%2.7–4.9 | 16.9% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 24.9%21.4–28.6 | 34% | 30.1% | Lower |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 11.3%9.3–13.6 | 15.5% | 13.6% | Lower |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 7.8%6.6–9.2 | 15.5% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 8.8%7.6–10.1 | 8.5% | 6.7% | About the same |
| Vision difficulty | 3.2%2.8–3.8 | 7.2% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 5.2%4.4–6.2 | 9.3% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 2.6%2.2–3.1 | 4.7% | 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 New Mexico figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Sandia Heights
Is Sandia Heights a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Sandia Heights is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for health, #3 of 73 in New Mexico. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 87%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Sandia Heights?
CDC estimates 25.4% of adults have obesity, likely between 21.4% and 29.6%, against 34.1% across New Mexico and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Sandia Heights?
Lovelace Women's Hospital in Albuquerque, 6.5 miles in a straight line from Sandia Heights’ center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 4 of 5 stars.
How many people in Sandia Heights have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 4.1% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 3.1–5.2%), 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 Sandia Heights more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from A to A+.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Sandia Heights.
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.