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D−Health Grade
Health in Penitas · CDC PLACES 2025

On CDC estimates, Penitas is healthier than 4% of U.S. towns

Penitas differs from Texas on 23 of 31 measures CDC estimates: 1 better, 22 worse.

Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Penitas. How CDC estimates town health

What stands out · In brief

What stands out about health in Penitas

Making ends meet is harder in Penitas

1 in 2 adults worry about having enough food (48.5%), more than twice the Texas rate. No reliable transportation (23.8% vs 10.5%) and utility shut-off threats (23.4% vs 10.7%) are higher too. 44.6% of adults receive SNAP, vs 14.6% statewide. Everyday needs ↓

Dental care lags in Penitas

37.5% of adults saw a dentist this year, vs 54.6% across Texas. Among those 65 and older, 23.2% have lost all their teeth (Texas 12.5%). Checkups ↓

More Penitas adults get no exercise

43.5% of adults get no exercise outside work, vs 27.8% across Texas. 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 Texas figure falls outside Penitas’ likely range.

Health Grade

What’s behind Penitas’ grade

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Penitas is healthier than 4% of U.S. towns, #602 of 641 in Texas. Smoking holds the grade up (fewer adults who smoke than 35% of U.S. towns); fair or poor health pulls it down (near the bottom of U.S. towns).

D−Self-rated health39.9% · TX 21.8% · U.S. 19.4%
D−Physical distress18.9% · TX 13.2% · U.S. 13%
DMental distress20.2% · TX 16.9% · U.S. 15.9%
D−Obesity47.2% · TX 35.6% · U.S. 32.9%
D−Diabetes19.1% · TX 12.7% · U.S. 12%
C+Smoking16.3% smoke · TX 12.5% · U.S. 11.8%
D−Exercise43.5% · TX 27.8% · U.S. 24.7%
All U.S. towns we grade (21,250)Healthier than 4%
Less healthyHealthier
Texas towns we grade (641)Healthier than 6%
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $37K–$61K (5,397)Healthier than 10%

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). Penitas’ median household income is $48,993; among the 5,397 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($37K–$61K), it’s healthier than 10%, so it sits below most towns with similar incomes, too.

Where Penitas compares well: cancer, other than skin cancer, 3.6% (U.S. 7.9%).

A fairly firm grade. With every estimate at the unfavorable or the favorable end of CDC’s likely range, Penitas could be anywhere from D− to D.

How TownRatings grades health →

★ What stands out · Everyday needs

Making ends meet

Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.

1 in 2
Penitas adults worry about having enough food
48.5% · TX 19.3%
Worse than TX
1 in 3
Penitas adults worry about keeping their housing
35.3% · TX 16.4%
Worse than TX
1 in 4
Penitas adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
23.4% · TX 10.7%
Worse than TX
1 in 4
Penitas adults lack reliable transportation
23.8% · TX 10.5%
Worse than TX

44.6% of Penitas adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.6% across Texas.

Checkups & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Penitas adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Texas.

70%Yearly checkupTX 74%
38%Dentist visitTX 55%
77%Cholesterol checkTX 85%
46%Colon screeningTX 58%
65%MammogramTX 74%
72%Taking BP medsTX 74%
4 in 10
working-age adults have no health insurance
Penitas 44.7% · Texas 1 in 5 (19.1%)
Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with Texas

Share of adults, with the Texas figure marked.

Get no exercise 43.5%TX 27.8%
Sleep under 7 hours 42%TX 38.2%
Binge drink 16.2%TX 17%
Smoke cigarettes 16.3%TX 12.5%
0%10%20%30%40%50%
Penitas, betterPenitas, worseAbout the sameTexas
Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Penitas adults…

Penitas runs below TX on 1 of 12 conditions and above it on 6. Tap one to see it as people.

19 of every 100 Penitas adults have diabetes
Texas: 13 in 100 · worse · likely 17.4–20.9%
Better than TXWorseAbout the sameTexas
Why age matters in Penitas

Only 11% of Penitas residents are 65 or older, vs 13% across Texas. Cancer run low partly because the town is young.

Residents 65 and older

Penitas11%
Texas13%
Getting care

Care in and near Penitas

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

HNearest ERMission Regional Medical CenterMission · 8.9 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyMission Regional Medical Center★★★★★ · 8.9 miDirections →
+Low-cost careNuestra Clinica Del ValleMission · 6.9 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
6.9 mi
Nuestra Clinica Del Valle
8 sites · nearest in Mission
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
8.9 mi
Mission Regional Medical Center
Mission · ★★★★★
ER
14.3 mi
Rio Grande Regional Hospital
Mcallen · ★★★★★
ER
14.5 mi
Doctors Hosptal at Renaissance
Edinburg · ★★★★★
ER
14.8 mi
Cornerstone Regional Hospital
Edinburg · not rated
ER
! Primary carePart of Penitas is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Mission SA - Hidalgo County · need score 17 of 25
! Dental carePart of Penitas is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Mission SA - Hidalgo County · need score 20 of 25
✓ Mental healthNo HRSA shortage area covers Penitas 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 Penitas; ≈ 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).

Mind & connection

How Penitas adults are doing

On 2 of 3 measures, Penitas runs above Texas.

4 in 10Penitas adults lack social or emotional support
36.5% · TX 28.4% · Worse than TX
1 in 5Penitas adults have been diagnosed with depression
21.1% · TX 21.2% · About the same as TX
1 in 5Penitas adults are in frequent mental distress
20.2% · TX 16.9% · Worse than TX
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

Penitas and the towns around it

Penitas’s Health Grade ranks 3rd of 3 graded towns around it.

La Joya: 43.6%Abram: 46.3%Palmview: 45.4%Mission: 41.5%Penitas: 47.2%PenitasLa JoyaAbramMission Regional Medical Center · Mission · 8.9 mi · 4★ MedicareHNuestra Clinica Del Valle - Memorial · Mission · 6.9 mi+
Healthier than TXNear TXLess healthyHHospital+Health center
Obesity
#5 of 5 towns on this map, healthiest first
La Joya43.6%
Abram46.3%
Penitas47.2%
TX35.6%

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
PenitasD−47.2%19.1%16.3%CDC place
La JoyaD43.6%17.5%12.7%CDC place
AbramD46.3%20.3%14.6%CDC place

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

Disability

Living with a disability

Shown without a better/worse judgment.

44.1%

of Penitas adults live with a disability (Texas 30.9%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs21.9%
Thinking or memory23.4%
Hearing8.2%
Errands alone13.9%
Vision14.3%
Dressing or bathing8.1%
Texas

Every CDC estimate for Penitas

Share of adults, 39 measures, with CDC’s likely range.

On the 31 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Penitas is better than Texas on 1 and worse on 22; on the rest, the Texas figure falls inside Penitas’ likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.

Adults who…PenitasTXU.S.vs TX
Overall health
Fair or poor health39.9%36.3–43.521.8%19.4%Worse
Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month)18.9%17–20.913.2%13%Worse
Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month)20.2%18.2–22.316.9%15.9%Worse
Conditions
Obesity47.2%42.7–51.735.6%32.9%Worse
Diabetes19.1%17.4–20.912.7%12%Worse
High blood pressure34.1%31.4–3733.1%34.4%About the same
High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years)35.3%32.5–38.335.1%37.1%About the same
Arthritis19.9%18–21.921.6%25.3%About the same
Asthma9.1%8.1–10.19.5%9.9%About the same
Cancer, other than skin cancer3.6%3.3–46.1%7.9%Better
Coronary heart disease6.8%6.2–7.45.6%6.4%Worse
COPD6.5%5.8–7.35.7%6.3%Worse
Stroke3.9%3.6–4.23.2%3.4%Worse
Lost all teeth (ages 65+)23.2%19.7–2712.5%12.3%Worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes16.3%14.3–18.612.5%11.8%Worse
No exercise outside work43.5%39.5–47.627.8%24.7%Worse
Binge drinking16.2%13.9–18.717%15.4%About the same
Sleep under 7 hours42%37.8–46.238.2%36%About the same
Checkups and coverage
No health insurance (ages 18–64)44.7%39.9–49.519.1%11%Worse
Checkup in the past year70%66.7–73.273.8%77.4%Worse
Dentist visit in the past year37.5%34.5–40.554.6%63.2%Worse
Cholesterol check in 5 years76.8%74.2–79.284.6%87.1%Worse
Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure)72.2%69.5–74.874.1%76.5%About the same
Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75)46.4%42–50.857.9%65.5%Worse
Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74)64.5%57.4–71.474.1%76.4%Worse
Mind and connection
Ever told they have depression21.1%18.6–23.721.2%20.6%About the same
Lack social and emotional support36.5%33.1–40.128.4%23.6%Worse
Everyday needs
Worried about having enough food48.5%45.7–51.419.3%15%Worse
Worried about keeping housing35.3%32.5–38.216.4%12%Worse
Threatened with a utility shut-off23.4%21.2–25.810.7%7.6%Worse
Lack reliable transportation23.8%22–25.710.5%7.9%Worse
Received SNAP (food stamps)44.6%41.8–47.514.6%11.6%Higher
Disability
Any disability44.1%40.2–47.930.9%30.1%Higher
Difficulty walking or climbing stairs21.9%19.8–24.114%13.6%Higher
Difficulty concentrating or remembering23.4%20.9–25.915.1%13.9%Higher
Hearing difficulty8.2%7.4–96.3%6.7%Higher
Vision difficulty14.3%13–15.56.1%5.4%Higher
Difficulty doing errands alone13.9%12.4–15.48.2%7.9%Higher
Difficulty dressing or bathing8.1%7.3–8.94%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 Texas figure falls inside that range.

Questions about health in Penitas

Is Penitas a healthy place to live?

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Penitas is healthier than 4% of U.S. towns: D− for health, #602 of 641 in Texas. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 10%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.

What is the obesity rate in Penitas?

CDC estimates 47.2% of adults have obesity, likely between 42.7% and 51.7%, against 35.6% across Texas and 32.9% nationally.

What hospital is closest to Penitas?

Mission Regional Medical Center in Mission, 8.9 miles in a straight line from Penitas’ center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 4 of 5 stars.

How many people in Penitas have no health insurance?

CDC estimates 44.7% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 39.9–49.5%), against 19.1% across Texas.

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 Penitas more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D− to D.

Neighbors talk health

Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Penitas.

Town Square →
Ask your neighbors

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