Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and PolicyMap – Chronic Conditions
| Details | Predominance & Prevalence of Chronic Conditions |
|---|---|
| Topics | Chronic conditions, disease, predominant chronic conditions |
| Source | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and PolicyMap |
| Years Available | 2022 |
| Geographies | ZCTAs |
| Public Edition or Subscriber-only | Subscriber Only |
| Download Available | yes |
| For more information | https://www.cdc.gov/places/about/index.html |
| Last updated on PolicyMap | November 2025 |
Description:
The chronic condition prevalence index was created by following the CDC’s guidelines for creating estimates of high prevalence of multiple chronic diseases. Twelve chronic diseases were included: obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, cancer (excluding skin cancer), depression, stroke, and arthritis. A composite score was calculated by ordering each disease estimate and assigning a score of 0 to ZCTAs in the bottom 25th percentile, 1 for ZCTAs in the middle (25th to 75th percentiles) or 2 to those in the top 25th percentile. These scores were summed so each ZCTA has a score range of 0-24. This data was then rated as “lowest” if it was in the bottom 25th percentile, “moderate” if in the middle percentile (25-75 percentile) and “highest” if in the top 25th percentile.
The predominant chronic conditons was calculated from CDC’s PLACES data. The same twelves chronic conditions that went into the chronic condition prevalence index were also used. The predominant chronic condition in a given geographic area is the one that accounts for the highest percentage of individuals that experience that chronic condition.