Photo: . The original uploader was Bowie60 at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0On CDC estimates, Tower City is healthier than 32% of U.S. towns
Tower City trails Pennsylvania on 8 of 26 measures CDC estimates, and leads on none.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Tower City. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Tower City
Smoking is more common in Tower City
1 in 5 adults smoke cigarettes (20.4%), vs 15.8% across Pennsylvania. Habits ↓
1 in 13 working-age adults in Tower City has no health insurance
7.9% of adults 18–64 have no health insurance, vs 5.8% across Pennsylvania. Checkups ↓
COPD runs high in Tower City
1 in 10 adults have COPD (9.7%), vs 7.7% across Pennsylvania. Conditions ↓
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 Tower City’s likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D to B.
What’s behind Tower City’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Tower City is healthier than 32% of U.S. towns. Diabetes holds the grade up (fewer adults with diabetes than 61% of U.S. towns); smoking pulls it down (better than 8%).
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). Tower City’s median household income is $68,482; among the 10,386 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($51K–$86K), it’s healthier than 38%, so it sits below most towns with similar incomes, too.
Everyday habits, side by side with Pennsylvania
Share of adults, with the Pennsylvania figure marked.
Walk with neighbors
The easiest exercise habit to keep is one with company.
Keeping up with care
Share of Tower City adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Pennsylvania.
Out of every 100 Tower City adults…
Tower City runs above PA on 3 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Care in and near Tower City
No hospital or community health center in Tower City 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 Tower City; ≈ 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 Tower City adults are doing
On 1 of 2 measures, Tower City runs above Pennsylvania.
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.
Tower City and the towns around it
How health changes across the town line.
Health next door
| Town | Health | Obesity | Diabetes | Smoking | Figures from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower City | C | 37.4% | 11.4% | 20.4% | CDC place |
| Reinerton | — | — | — | — |
Reinerton: fewer than 1,000 residents. Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Tower City adults live with a disability (Pennsylvania 31.3%). Thinking or memory is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Tower City
Share of adults, 33 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 26 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Tower City is better than Pennsylvania on 0 and worse on 8; on the rest, the Pennsylvania figure falls inside Tower City’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Tower City | PA | U.S. | vs PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 21.2%18.9–23.9 | 18.7% | 19.4% | Worse |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 14.9%13.2–16.8 | 13.2% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 18.6%16.7–20.7 | 16.4% | 15.9% | Worse |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 37.4%29.6–45.9 | 33.8% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 11.4%9.8–13.2 | 11.6% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 34.5%30.2–38.8 | 32.8% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 35.2%30.6–39.7 | 33.8% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 34.5%30.6–38.7 | 30.4% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 11.1%9.7–12.7 | 10.6% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 9.3%8.3–10.3 | 8.8% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Coronary heart disease | 8.1%7.3–9.1 | 7.4% | 6.4% | About the same |
| COPD | 9.7%8.6–10.8 | 7.7% | 6.3% | Worse |
| Stroke | 4%3.6–4.4 | 3.7% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 20.6%16.7–25.2 | 14.5% | 12.3% | Worse |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 20.4%18–23.3 | 15.8% | 11.8% | Worse |
| No exercise outside work | 27.3%22.9–32.2 | 23.8% | 24.7% | About the same |
| Binge drinking | 18.8%15.2–22.8 | 18.3% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 39.9%32.7–47.6 | 37.9% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 7.9%6–10.3 | 5.8% | 11% | Worse |
| Checkup in the past year | 77.7%73.8–81.6 | 78.8% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 60.2%56.2–64.3 | 64.4% | 63.2% | Worse |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 83.6%80.7–86 | 85.3% | 87.1% | About the same |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 80.2%76.9–83 | 79.2% | 76.5% | About the same |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 62.8%57.2–68.1 | 67.5% | 65.5% | About the same |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 80.5%73.4–86.5 | 77.7% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 26%22.1–30.3 | 23% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 36.5%32.1–41.4 | 31.3% | 30.1% | Higher |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 16.6%14.7–18.8 | 14.2% | 13.6% | Higher |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 16.9%15.1–19 | 14.1% | 13.9% | Higher |
| Hearing difficulty | 8.8%7.8–10 | 7.6% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 5.6%5.1–6.1 | 5.1% | 5.4% | About the same |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 9.8%8.8–10.9 | 8.2% | 7.9% | Higher |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 4.1%3.7–4.5 | 3.7% | 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 Tower City
Is Tower City a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Tower City is healthier than 32% of U.S. towns: ≈ C for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 38%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Tower City?
CDC estimates 37.4% of adults have obesity, likely between 29.6% and 45.9%, against 33.8% across Pennsylvania and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Tower City?
Wellspan Good Samaritan Hospital in Lebanon, 18.9 miles in a straight line from Tower City’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 5 of 5 stars.
How many people in Tower City have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 7.9% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 6–10.3%), 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 Tower City 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 Tower City.
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.