County health data
Howard County, MO
CDC PLACES estimates diabetes at 12.0% of adults in Howard County (Missouri: 12.3%). This county has 6 HRSA shortage designations.
License. US government work, Public Domain Mark 1.0.
For help with food, housing, utilities, or rides in Howard County, call 211 or visit 211.org.
Health measures compared with the state
40 measures for adults in Howard County (about 7,943 adults). 24 have a Missouri figure from the same survey.
Largest differences from the Missouri figure: coronary heart disease 7.3% vs 4.6% (+2.7 points), depression 25.0% vs 23.1% (+1.9 points), and no leisure-time physical activity 29.2% vs 28.1% (+1.1 points).
Health Outcomes
| Measure | Howard County | Missouri | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 30.0% | 29.1% | 26.3% | 2023 |
| High blood pressure | 36.7% | 36.2% | 34.0% | 2023 |
| Cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer | 9.2% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Current asthma | 10.6% | 9.9% | 10.2% | 2023 |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.3% | 4.6% | 4.0% | 2023 |
| COPD | 8.5% | 8.5% | 6.3% | 2023 |
| Depression | 25.0% | 23.1% | 21.8% | 2023 |
| Diagnosed diabetes | 12.0% | 12.3% | 11.8% | 2023 |
| High cholesterol, adults ever screened | 38.5% | 38.5% | 37.2% | 2023 |
| Obesity | 34.8% | 35.3% | 34.4% | 2023 |
| Stroke | 3.7% | 4.5% | 3.3% | 2023 |
| All teeth lost, ages 65 and older | 16.2% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Prevention
| Measure | Howard County | Missouri | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, ages 18 to 64 | 8.2% | 8.6% | 9.3% | 2023 |
| Taking blood pressure medicine, adults with high blood pressure | 78.0% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Routine checkup in the past year | 78.6% | 79.1% | 78.4% | 2023 |
| Cholesterol screening | 83.5% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Colorectal cancer screening, ages 45 to 75 | 67.3% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Dental visit in the past year | 59.3% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Mammogram, women ages 50 to 74 | 72.1% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Risk Behaviors
| Measure | Howard County | Missouri | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking | 16.3% | 16.3% | 15.1% | 2023 |
| Current smoking | 15.7% | 15.3% | 12.1% | 2023 |
| No leisure-time physical activity | 29.2% | 28.1% | 24.5% | 2023 |
| Short sleep | 36.8% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Status
| Measure | Howard County | Missouri | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health | 20.6% | 19.9% | 18.5% | 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress | 17.6% | 16.7% | 15.4% | 2023 |
| Frequent physical distress | 14.5% | 14.0% | 12.6% | 2023 |
Disability
| Measure | Howard County | Missouri | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability | 17.5% | 16.8% | 13.7% | 2023 |
| Any disability | 37.3% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Hearing disability | 8.9% | 9.7% | 7.4% | 2023 |
| Independent living disability | 9.3% | 9.5% | 7.8% | 2023 |
| Mobility disability | 16.1% | 16.6% | 13.4% | 2023 |
| Self-care disability | 3.8% | 4.7% | 3.7% | 2023 |
| Vision disability | 4.9% | 5.9% | 5.0% | 2023 |
Health-Related Social Needs
| Measure | Howard County | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support | 19.3% | 2023 |
| Food insecurity in the past year | 12.4% | 2023 |
| Received food stamps in the past year | 9.4% | 2023 |
| Housing insecurity in the past year | 10.4% | 2023 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past year | 7.8% | 2023 |
| Loneliness | 32.2% | 2023 |
| Utility shut-off threat in the past year | 7.6% | 2023 |
Source: CDC PLACES county data, as of December 4, 2025. Publisher page
Source: CDC BRFSS prevalence data, as of September 15, 2026. Publisher page
Health professional shortage areas
HRSA lists 6 designated shortage rows in Howard County: primary care 2 (highest score 16), mental health 2 (highest score 17), and dental 2 (highest score 17). 3 cover a geographic area or population group; the other 3 are facility designations.
| Discipline | Area or population | Facility | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary care | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| mental health | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| dental | 1 | 1 | 17 |
Area and population designations
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| LI - MHCA 12 Columbia | mental health | HPSA Population | 17 |
| LI - Howard County | primary care | HPSA Population | 16 |
| LI - Cooper / Moniteau / Howard Counties | dental | HPSA Population | 15 |
Facility designations (3)
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| FITZGIBBON FAMILY HEALTH | dental | Rural Health Clinic | 17 |
| FITZGIBBON FAMILY HEALTH | primary care | Rural Health Clinic | 16 |
| FITZGIBBON FAMILY HEALTH | mental health | Rural Health Clinic | 16 |
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
Missouri rural health plan
Missouri Transformation of Rural Community Health Care (ToRCH Care) Project
Initiatives, as the state's abstract names them (page 39):
- Regional Coordinating Networks and Hub Activation
- Alternative Payment Models
- Digital backbone
- Rural Health Workforce Programs
- Provider Transformation
CMS says the abstract budgets are illustrative and are not award amounts, so none are shown.
Source: CMS Rural Health Transformation Program state project abstracts, as of December 2025. Publisher page
For health centers, health departments, and nonprofits
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Neighboring counties
Medicare plans in Howard County, MO
About this data
County rates are CDC PLACES model-based estimates of adults, built from the CDC BRFSS survey and Census population data. State and US figures are BRFSS survey results for the same year. They are not averages of counties, and small differences may not be meaningful.
Shortage rows are HRSA designations with status Designated. Scores run from 0 to 25 (0 to 26 for dental); a higher score means greater need. Hospitals are acute care and critical access hospitals CMS lists in the county, with 30-day rates of unplanned readmission. Health centers are active HRSA-funded and look-alike sites.
Rural health plan initiatives are copied as the state wrote them. Nothing here is medical advice.
Source: CDC PLACES county data, as of December 4, 2025. Publisher page
Source: CDC BRFSS prevalence data, as of September 15, 2026. Publisher page
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page