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≈ C−Health Grade
Health in Porter Township · CDC PLACES 2025

On CDC estimates, Porter Township is healthier than 23% of U.S. towns

Porter Township differs from Pennsylvania on 15 of 26 measures CDC estimates: 1 better, 14 worse.

Modeled estimates for adults 18+, from ZIP codes 16242, 16248. How CDC estimates town health

What stands out · In brief

What stands out about health in Porter Township

COPD, heart disease and stroke run high in Porter Township

1 in 9 adults have COPD (11.3%), vs 7.7% across Pennsylvania. 1 in 10 adults have heart disease (10%), vs 7.4% across Pennsylvania. Stroke is also above the state: 4.8%, vs 3.7% across Pennsylvania. In all, Porter Township runs above Pennsylvania on seven of 11 chronic conditions. Conditions ↓

More Porter Township adults get no exercise

3 in 10 adults get no exercise outside work (29.5%), vs 23.8% across Pennsylvania. Habits ↓

Smoking is more common in Porter Township

1 in 5 adults smoke cigarettes (20.8%), vs 15.8% across Pennsylvania. Habits ↓

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 Pennsylvania figure falls outside Porter Township’s likely range; Porter Township’s figures come from ZIP codes 16242, 16248, which may reach past town lines; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D to B−.

Health Grade

What’s behind Porter Township’s grade

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Porter Township is healthier than 23% of U.S. towns. Mental distress holds the grade up (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than 48% of U.S. towns); smoking pulls it down (better than 7%).

C−Self-rated health23.1% · PA 18.7% · U.S. 19.4%
C−Physical distress16.4% · PA 13.2% · U.S. 13%
B−Mental distress17.2% · PA 16.4% · U.S. 15.9%
C+Obesity37.1% · PA 33.8% · U.S. 32.9%
CDiabetes13.4% · PA 11.6% · U.S. 12%
DSmoking20.8% smoke · PA 15.8% · U.S. 11.8%
CExercise29.5% · PA 23.8% · U.S. 24.7%
All U.S. towns we grade (21,250)Healthier than 23%
Less healthyHealthier
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $53K–$88K (10,519)Healthier than 22%

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). Porter Township’s median household income is $70,156; among the 10,519 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($53K–$88K), it’s healthier than 22%, so it sits below most towns with similar incomes, too.

Where Porter Township compares well: taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure), 82.4% (U.S. 76.5%).

A rough placement. CDC’s likely ranges are wide here: with every estimate at one end or the other, Porter Township could be anywhere from D to B−. The letter shows with “≈”. These are ZIP code figures (ZIP 16242,16248), weighted by land area, which can reach past town lines.

How TownRatings grades health →

★ What stands out · Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Porter Township adults…

Porter Township runs above PA on 8 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.

11 of every 100 Porter Township adults have COPD
Pennsylvania: 8 in 100 · worse · likely 10.3–12.4%
Better than PAWorseAbout the samePennsylvania
Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with Pennsylvania

Share of adults, with the Pennsylvania figure marked.

Get no exercise 29.5%PA 23.8%
Sleep under 7 hours 37.1%PA 37.9%
Binge drink 16.8%PA 18.3%
Smoke cigarettes 20.8%PA 15.8%
0%10%20%30%40%
Porter Township, betterPorter Township, worseAbout the samePennsylvania
Where Porter Township gets moving

8.9 miles of trails across 0 parks and preserves

Parks & trails →
Getting care

Care in and near Porter Township

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

HNearest ERIndependence Health System Clarion HospitalClarion · 11 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyPenn Highlands Brookville★★★★★ · 17.9 miDirections →
+Low-cost carePrimary Health NetworkClarion · 9.3 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
9.3 mi
Primary Health Network
7 sites · nearest in Clarion
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
11 mi
Independence Health System Clarion Hospital
Clarion · ★★★★★
ER
17.9 mi
Penn Highlands Brookville
Brookville · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
18.3 mi
Acmh Hospital
Kittanning · ★★★★★
ER
22 mi
Punxsutawney Area Hospital
Punxsutawney · ★★★★★
ER
31.8 mi
Community Health Clinic, Inc. - Vandergrift Location 1
Vandergrift · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
✓ Primary carePorter Township is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careNo HRSA shortage area covers Porter Township itself
✓ Mental healthNo HRSA shortage area covers Porter 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 Porter 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).

Checkups & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

79%Yearly checkupPA 79%
60%Dentist visitPA 64%
86%Cholesterol checkPA 85%
67%Colon screeningPA 68%
76%MammogramPA 78%
82%Taking BP medsPA 79%
1 in 13
working-age adults has no health insurance
Porter Township 7.9% · Pennsylvania 1 in 17 (5.8%)
Mind & connection

How Porter Township adults are doing

About the same as Pennsylvania on each measure.

1 in 4Porter Township adults have been diagnosed with depression
24% · PA 23% · About the same as PA
1 in 6Porter Township adults are in frequent mental distress
17.2% · 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

Porter Township and the towns around it

Porter Township’s Health Grade ranks 4th of 5 graded towns around it.

Mahoning Township: 37.4%Madison Township: 38.7%Distant: no dataNew Bethlehem: 35.2%South Bethlehem: 39.3%Madison Township: 36.6%Redbank Township: 36.3%Monroe Township: 35.4%Redbank Township: 37%Boggs Township: 38.7%Wayne Township: 38.4%Pine Township: 38.5%Washington Township: 37.8%Perry Township: 36.8%Rimersburg: 37.5%Bradys Bend Township: 36.9%Toby Township: 36.6%Brady Township: 36.6%Hawthorn: 35.5%Limestone Township: 35.7%Beaver Township: 36.3%Clover Township: 35.2%Paint Township: 35.1%Piney Township: 36.1%Clarion Township: 34.5%Porter Township: 37.1%Porter TownshipMahoning TownshipMadison TownshipDistantNew BethlehemSouth BethlehemMadison TownshipRedbank TownshipMonroe TownshipIndependence Health System Clarion Hospital · Clarion · 11 mi · 2★ MedicareHClarion Community Health Center · Clarion · 9.3 mi+
Healthier than PANear PALess healthyHHospital+Health center
Obesity
#17 of 25 towns on this map, healthiest first
New Bethlehem35.2%
Monroe Township35.4%
Redbank Township36.3%
Madison Township36.6%
Porter Township37.1%
Mahoning Township37.4%
Madison Township38.7%
South Bethlehem39.3%
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
Porter TownshipC−37.1%13.4%20.8%ZIP codes
Mahoning TownshipC−37.4%13.4%20.7%ZIP codes
Madison Township————
Distant————
New Bethlehem————
South Bethlehem————
Redbank TownshipC36.3%13.1%20.4%ZIP codes
Madison TownshipC36.6%13.1%20.4%ZIP codes

Madison Township, Distant, New Bethlehem and South Bethlehem: fewer than 1,000 residents. Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.

Disability

Living with a disability

Shown without a better/worse judgment.

37.5%

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

Walking or climbing stairs18.9%
Thinking or memory16%
Hearing10.5%
Errands alone10.2%
Vision6.3%
Dressing or bathing4.9%
Pennsylvania

Every CDC estimate for Porter Township

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

On the 26 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Porter Township is better than Pennsylvania on 1 and worse on 14; on the rest, the Pennsylvania figure falls inside Porter Township’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.

Adults who…Porter TownshipPAU.S.vs PA
Overall health
Fair or poor health23.1%21–25.218.7%19.4%Worse
Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month)16.4%14.8–17.913.2%13%Worse
Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month)17.2%15.7–18.816.4%15.9%About the same
Conditions
Obesity37.1%31–43.133.8%32.9%About the same
Diabetes13.4%11.9–1511.6%12%Worse
High blood pressure38.5%34.9–42.232.8%34.4%Worse
High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years)37.8%34–41.833.8%37.1%Worse
Arthritis38%34.7–41.230.4%25.3%Worse
Asthma11%9.9–12.310.6%9.9%About the same
Cancer, other than skin cancer10.5%9.7–11.58.8%7.9%Worse
Coronary heart disease10%9.1–10.97.4%6.4%Worse
COPD11.3%10.3–12.47.7%6.3%Worse
Stroke4.8%4.5–5.23.7%3.4%Worse
Lost all teeth (ages 65+)17.1%14.5–19.914.5%12.3%About the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes20.8%18.7–2315.8%11.8%Worse
No exercise outside work29.5%25.9–33.323.8%24.7%Worse
Binge drinking16.8%14.2–19.418.3%15.4%About the same
Sleep under 7 hours37.1%31.6–42.437.9%36%About the same
Checkups and coverage
No health insurance (ages 18–64)7.9%6.6–9.35.8%11%Worse
Checkup in the past year79.3%76.2–82.178.8%77.4%About the same
Dentist visit in the past year59.7%56.4–62.964.4%63.2%Worse
Cholesterol check in 5 years85.5%83.5–87.485.3%87.1%About the same
Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure)82.4%80.1–84.779.2%76.5%Better
Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75)67%62.7–70.867.5%65.5%About the same
Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74)76.3%70–81.577.7%76.4%About the same
Mind and connection
Ever told they have depression24%21–27.123%20.6%About the same
Disability
Any disability37.5%33.9–4131.3%30.1%Higher
Difficulty walking or climbing stairs18.9%17.2–20.814.2%13.6%Higher
Difficulty concentrating or remembering16%14.6–17.614.1%13.9%Higher
Hearing difficulty10.5%9.5–11.57.6%6.7%Higher
Vision difficulty6.3%5.8–6.85.1%5.4%Higher
Difficulty doing errands alone10.2%9.4–118.2%7.9%Higher
Difficulty dressing or bathing4.9%4.5–5.23.7%3.8%Higher

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 Porter Township

Is Porter Township a healthy place to live?

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Porter Township is healthier than 23% of U.S. towns: ≈ C− for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 22%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.

What is the obesity rate in Porter Township?

CDC estimates 37.1% of adults have obesity, likely between 31% and 43.1%, against 33.8% across Pennsylvania and 32.9% nationally.

What hospital is closest to Porter Township?

Independence Health System Clarion Hospital in Clarion, 11.0 miles in a straight line from Porter Township’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 2 of 5 stars.

How many people in Porter Township have no health insurance?

CDC estimates 7.9% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 6.6–9.3%), 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 Porter 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 Porter 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.