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Eliza FurnaceEliza Furnace · Photo: Jet Lowe · Public domain
≈ C+Health Grade
Health in Buffington Township · CDC PLACES 2025

On CDC estimates, Buffington Township is healthier than 40% of U.S. towns

Buffington Township trails Pennsylvania on 5 of 26 measures CDC estimates, and leads on none.

Modeled estimates for adults 18+, from ZIP codes 15748, 15961, 15765, 15929. How CDC estimates town health

What stands out

What stands out about health in Buffington Township

Health Grade

What’s behind Buffington Township’s grade

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Buffington Township is healthier than 40% of U.S. towns. Mental distress holds the grade up (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than 56% of U.S. towns); smoking pulls it down (better than 18%).

C+Self-rated health20.2% · PA 18.7% · U.S. 19.4%
C+Physical distress14.5% · PA 13.2% · U.S. 13%
BMental distress16.7% · PA 16.4% · U.S. 15.9%
CObesity39.1% · PA 33.8% · U.S. 32.9%
B−Diabetes12.3% · PA 11.6% · U.S. 12%
C−Smoking18.4% smoke · PA 15.8% · U.S. 11.8%
B−Exercise25.3% · PA 23.8% · U.S. 24.7%
All U.S. towns we grade (21,250)Healthier than 40%
Less healthyHealthier
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $49K–$82K (10,041)Healthier than 54%

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). Buffington Township’s median household income is $65,662; among the 10,041 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($49K–$82K), it’s healthier than 54%, about where its income would put it.

A rough placement. CDC’s likely ranges are wide here: with every estimate at one end or the other, Buffington Township could be anywhere from D to B+. The letter shows with “≈”. These are ZIP code figures (ZIP 15748,15961,15765,15929,15957), weighted by land area, which can reach past town lines.

How TownRatings grades health →

★ What stands out · Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Buffington Township adults…

Buffington Township runs above PA on 4 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.

10 of every 100 Buffington Township adults have COPD
Pennsylvania: 8 in 100 · worse · likely 8.5–10.6%
Better than PAWorseAbout the samePennsylvania
Getting care

Care in and near Buffington Township

No hospital or community health center in Buffington Township itself. These are the nearest.

HNearest ERIndiana Regional Medical CenterIndiana · 12.5 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyIndiana Regional Medical Center★★★★★ · 12.5 miDirections →
+Low-cost carePrimary Health NetworkEbensburg · 10.9 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
10.9 mi
Primary Health Network
5 sites · nearest in Ebensburg
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
12.5 mi
Indiana Regional Medical Center
Indiana · ★★★★★
ER
13 mi
Highlands Health Johnstown
Johnstown · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
14.5 mi
Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center
Johnstown · ★★★★★
ER
17.2 mi
Conemaugh Miners Medical Center
Hastings · not rated
ERRural critical access
22.3 mi
Chan Soon- Shiong Medical Center at Windber
Windber · ★★★★★
ER
✓ Primary careNo HRSA shortage area covers Buffington Township itself
✓ Dental careNo HRSA shortage area covers Buffington Township itself
✓ Mental healthNo HRSA shortage area covers Buffington Township itself

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 Buffington Township; ≈ 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).

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with Pennsylvania

Share of adults, with the Pennsylvania figure marked.

Get no exercise 25.3%PA 23.8%
Sleep under 7 hours 37.4%PA 37.9%
Binge drink 17.7%PA 18.3%
Smoke cigarettes 18.4%PA 15.8%
0%10%20%30%40%
Buffington Township, betterBuffington Township, worseAbout the samePennsylvania
Where Buffington Township gets moving

3.4 miles of trails across 1 park or preserve

Parks & trails →
Checkups & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Buffington Township adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Pennsylvania.

80%Yearly checkupPA 79%
64%Dentist visitPA 64%
86%Cholesterol checkPA 85%
68%Colon screeningPA 68%
77%MammogramPA 78%
81%Taking BP medsPA 79%
1 in 15
working-age adults has no health insurance
Buffington Township 6.6% · Pennsylvania 1 in 17 (5.8%)
Mind & connection

How Buffington Township adults are doing

About the same as Pennsylvania on each measure.

1 in 4Buffington Township adults have been diagnosed with depression
23.9% · PA 23% · About the same as PA
1 in 6Buffington Township adults are in frequent mental distress
16.7% · PA 16.4% · About the same as PA
The one neighbors can help with

A hello is a start.

Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.

Find a group →

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.

Around town

Buffington Township and the towns around it

Buffington Township’s Health Grade ranks 2nd of 4 graded towns around it.

East Wheatfield Township: 37.8%Brush Valley Township: 38.8%Pine Township: 39.7%St. Clair Township: 36.5%West Wheatfield Township: 37.4%Jackson Township: 38.3%Cherryhill Township: 39.6%White Township: 37.8%Center Township: 38.7%Burrell Township: 39.3%Green Township: 40.3%Alverda: 42.5%Barr Township: 36.8%Heilwood: 39.2%Buffington Township: 39.1%Buffington TownshipEast Wheatfield TownshipBrush Valley TownshipPine TownshipIndiana Regional Medical Center · Indiana · 12.5 mi · 2★ MedicareHHighlands Health Johnstown · Johnstown · 13 mi+
Healthier than PANear PALess healthyHHospital+Health center
Obesity
#9 of 15 towns on this map, healthiest first
East Wheatfield Township37.8%
Brush Valley Township38.8%
Buffington Township39.1%
Pine Township39.7%
PA33.8%

Nearby towns are shaded from CDC’s estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC’s own figure for cities and villages.

Health next door

TownHealthObesityDiabetesSmokingFigures from
Buffington TownshipC+39.1%12.3%18.4%ZIP codes
East Wheatfield TownshipC37.8%12.9%19.4%ZIP codes
Brush Valley TownshipC+38.8%11.9%17.3%ZIP codes
Pine TownshipC39.7%13.4%19.3%ZIP codes

Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.

Disability

Living with a disability

Shown without a better/worse judgment.

33.6%

of Buffington Township adults live with a disability (Pennsylvania 31.3%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs15.9%
Thinking or memory14.7%
Hearing9%
Errands alone8.6%
Vision5.2%
Dressing or bathing4%
Pennsylvania

Every CDC estimate for Buffington Township

Share of adults, 33 measures, with CDC’s likely range.

On the 26 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Buffington Township is better than Pennsylvania on 0 and worse on 5; on the rest, the Pennsylvania figure falls inside Buffington Township’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.

Adults who…Buffington TownshipPAU.S.vs PA
Overall health
Fair or poor health20.2%18–22.518.7%19.4%About the same
Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month)14.5%13–16.313.2%13%About the same
Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month)16.7%15.1–18.516.4%15.9%About the same
Conditions
Obesity39.1%32–46.933.8%32.9%About the same
Diabetes12.3%10.6–14.111.6%12%About the same
High blood pressure37%32.6–41.632.8%34.4%About the same
High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years)37.8%33–42.533.8%37.1%About the same
Arthritis35.9%32.1–4030.4%25.3%Worse
Asthma11.1%9.8–12.610.6%9.9%About the same
Cancer, other than skin cancer10.3%9.4–11.48.8%7.9%Worse
Coronary heart disease8.8%7.9–9.87.4%6.4%Worse
COPD9.5%8.5–10.67.7%6.3%Worse
Stroke4.1%3.7–4.53.7%3.4%About the same
Lost all teeth (ages 65+)13.8%11.3–16.814.5%12.3%About the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes18.4%16.2–20.815.8%11.8%Worse
No exercise outside work25.3%21.5–29.723.8%24.7%About the same
Binge drinking17.7%14.5–21.318.3%15.4%About the same
Sleep under 7 hours37.4%31.1–44.337.9%36%About the same
Checkups and coverage
No health insurance (ages 18–64)6.6%5.4–85.8%11%About the same
Checkup in the past year79.7%76.3–83.178.8%77.4%About the same
Dentist visit in the past year63.7%60.1–67.364.4%63.2%About the same
Cholesterol check in 5 years85.8%83.5–8885.3%87.1%About the same
Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure)81.2%78.1–83.979.2%76.5%About the same
Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75)68.3%63.4–73.167.5%65.5%About the same
Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74)77.4%70.1–83.677.7%76.4%About the same
Mind and connection
Ever told they have depression23.9%20.4–27.823%20.6%About the same
Disability
Any disability33.6%29.6–37.931.3%30.1%About the same
Difficulty walking or climbing stairs15.9%14.1–17.814.2%13.6%About the same
Difficulty concentrating or remembering14.7%13.1–16.314.1%13.9%About the same
Hearing difficulty9%8.1–10.17.6%6.7%Higher
Vision difficulty5.2%4.8–5.75.1%5.4%About the same
Difficulty doing errands alone8.6%7.8–9.58.2%7.9%About the same
Difficulty dressing or bathing4%3.7–4.33.7%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 Pennsylvania figure falls inside that range.

Questions about health in Buffington Township

Is Buffington Township a healthy place to live?

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Buffington Township is healthier than 40% of U.S. towns: ≈ C+ for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 54%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.

What is the obesity rate in Buffington Township?

CDC estimates 39.1% of adults have obesity, likely between 32% and 46.9%, against 33.8% across Pennsylvania and 32.9% nationally.

What hospital is closest to Buffington Township?

Indiana Regional Medical Center in Indiana, 12.5 miles in a straight line from Buffington Township’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 2 of 5 stars.

How many people in Buffington Township have no health insurance?

CDC estimates 6.6% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 5.4–8%), against 5.8% across Pennsylvania.

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 Buffington Township more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D to B+.

Neighbors talk health

Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Buffington Township.

Town Square →
Ask your neighbors

Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Pennsylvania 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.