Overview

Key headline metrics for Medicare beneficiaries living in Tulare, CA. Source data from the CMS Medicare Fee-for-Service Geographic Variation Public Use File (2023) and CDC PLACES/SDOH.

Total Medicare Spending per Capita
$11,077
Actual Spending per Capita
$12,834
includes local geographic adjustments
Average HCC Risk Score
1.03
1.00 = nationally average. Higher = sicker panel.
Average Age
72.0
30-Day Readmission Rate
17.1%
MA Participation
34.9%
share enrolled in Medicare Advantage
Dual Eligible
37.2%
also enrolled in Medicaid — low-income marker

Beneficiary Profile

Who the Medicare population is in this county — counts, enrollment mix, age, and risk-adjusted complexity.

Total Medicare Beneficiaries
70,148
Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries
39,473
MA Participation Rate
34.9%
Average Age
72.0
Average HCC Risk Score
1.03
CMS Hierarchical Condition Category score. Higher means a sicker average beneficiary.
Dual Eligible (Medicare + Medicaid)
37.2%
Share of beneficiaries also enrolled in Medicaid — a marker of low income and complex need.

Demographic mix

Female
53.1%
Male
46.9%
White
55.0%
Black
1.3%
Hispanic
37.9%

Utilization

How often Medicare beneficiaries use each service. Rates are per 1,000 beneficiaries; the "users" column shows the share of beneficiaries who used the service at least once.

30-Day Readmission Rate
17.1%
Share of hospital discharges followed by an unplanned readmission within 30 days.
ER Visits per 1,000 Benes
544.8

Health Outcomes

CDC PLACES — modeled prevalence of health outcomes among county adults. Values are age-adjusted or crude prevalence estimates with 95% CIs.

Obesity among adults
35.0%
95% CI: 28.2% – 42.1%
Crude prevalence
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened
32.1%
95% CI: 28.2% – 36.1%
Age-adjusted prevalence
High blood pressure among adults
31.2%
95% CI: 27.5% – 34.9%
Crude prevalence
Depression among adults
22.1%
95% CI: 18.9% – 25.7%
Age-adjusted prevalence
Arthritis among adults
20.3%
95% CI: 17.7% – 22.9%
Crude prevalence
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years
15.7%
95% CI: 13.0% – 18.9%
Age-adjusted prevalence
Diagnosed diabetes among adults
13.1%
95% CI: 11.3% – 14.9%
Crude prevalence
Current asthma among adults
10.0%
95% CI: 8.8% – 11.3%
Crude prevalence
Coronary heart disease among adults
6.2%
95% CI: 5.5% – 6.9%
Age-adjusted prevalence
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults
6.1%
95% CI: 5.3% – 7.0%
Crude prevalence
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults
5.5%
95% CI: 4.9% – 6.1%
Crude prevalence
Stroke among adults
3.4%
95% CI: 3.1% – 3.8%
Crude prevalence

Health Status

CDC PLACES — modeled prevalence of health status among county adults. Values are age-adjusted or crude prevalence estimates with 95% CIs.

Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults
29.4%
95% CI: 25.3% – 33.9%
Crude prevalence
Frequent mental distress among adults
19.0%
95% CI: 16.6% – 21.5%
Crude prevalence
Frequent physical distress among adults
16.4%
95% CI: 14.3% – 18.8%
Age-adjusted prevalence

Prevention

CDC PLACES — modeled prevalence of prevention among county adults. Values are age-adjusted or crude prevalence estimates with 95% CIs.

Cholesterol screening among adults
81.2%
95% CI: 78.4% – 84.0%
Crude prevalence
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years
73.3%
95% CI: 65.6% – 80.2%
Age-adjusted prevalence
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure
68.6%
95% CI: 65.2% – 71.7%
Crude prevalence
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults
67.9%
95% CI: 63.5% – 72.0%
Crude prevalence
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults
52.7%
95% CI: 49.1% – 56.5%
Crude prevalence
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years
46.7%
95% CI: 41.9% – 51.8%
Age-adjusted prevalence
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years
18.2%
95% CI: 14.0% – 22.9%
Crude prevalence

Health Risk Behaviors

CDC PLACES — modeled prevalence of health risk behaviors among county adults. Values are age-adjusted or crude prevalence estimates with 95% CIs.

Short sleep duration among adults
34.9%
95% CI: 29.3% – 41.2%
Crude prevalence
No leisure-time physical activity among adults
32.6%
95% CI: 27.3% – 38.4%
Crude prevalence
Binge drinking among adults
16.1%
95% CI: 13.2% – 19.2%
Crude prevalence
Current cigarette smoking among adults
14.2%
95% CI: 11.7% – 17.0%
Age-adjusted prevalence

Disability

CDC PLACES — modeled prevalence of disability among county adults. Values are age-adjusted or crude prevalence estimates with 95% CIs.

Any disability among adults
36.4%
95% CI: 31.4% – 41.7%
Age-adjusted prevalence
Cognitive disability among adults
18.7%
95% CI: 16.1% – 21.7%
Age-adjusted prevalence
Mobility disability among adults
17.1%
95% CI: 14.7% – 19.7%
Age-adjusted prevalence
Independent living disability among adults
10.6%
95% CI: 9.1% – 12.4%
Age-adjusted prevalence
Vision disability among adults
8.2%
95% CI: 7.2% – 9.5%
Age-adjusted prevalence
Hearing disability among adults
6.8%
95% CI: 5.9% – 7.6%
Age-adjusted prevalence
Self-care disability among adults
5.3%
95% CI: 4.6% – 6.1%
Crude prevalence

Health-Related Social Needs

Community-level social and economic factors that drive health outcomes. Combines CDC PLACES health-related social-need measures (modeled from BRFSS) with CDC SDOH structural measures (from the American Community Survey).

Reported unmet needs (PLACES)

Loneliness among adults
36.6%
95% CI: 31.4% – 42.0%
Lack of social and emotional support among adults
28.9%
95% CI: 24.7% – 33.5%
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults
27.4%
95% CI: 22.4% – 32.8%
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults
25.4%
95% CI: 20.9% – 30.3%
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults
22.4%
95% CI: 18.8% – 26.4%
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults
13.7%
95% CI: 11.6% – 16.3%
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults
11.4%
95% CI: 9.7% – 13.4%

Economic Stability

Below 150% Federal Poverty Level
33.4%
· MOE ±1.0
Share of county residents living below 150% of the federal poverty threshold.
Unemployment Rate
10.2%
· MOE ±0.8

Education & Connectivity

No High School Diploma (adults 25+)
27.4%
· MOE ±0.8
No Broadband Internet
16.6%
· MOE ±1.0
Share of households without a broadband internet subscription — a telehealth access barrier.

Housing

Housing Cost Burden
34.7%
· MOE ±1.3
Share of households paying more than 30% of income on housing.
Crowded Housing Units
10.0%
· MOE ±0.7
Single-Parent Households
9.5%
· MOE ±0.7

Demographics

Racial / Ethnic Minority Population
73.0%
· MOE ±0.3

All Data

Every labeled metric surfaced from Geographic Variation, PLACES, and SDOH, alongside the national county median for context.

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Source Metric Value National Median Pctl. Raw key
CDC PLACES All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years 15.7% TEETHLOST
CDC PLACES Any disability among adults 36.4% DISABILITY
CDC PLACES Arthritis among adults 20.3% ARTHRITIS
CDC PLACES Binge drinking among adults 16.1% BINGE
CDC PLACES Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults 5.5% CANCER
CDC PLACES Cholesterol screening among adults 81.2% CHOLSCREEN
CDC PLACES Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults 6.1% COPD
CDC PLACES Cognitive disability among adults 18.7% COGNITION
CDC PLACES Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years 46.7% COLON_SCREEN
CDC PLACES Coronary heart disease among adults 6.2% CHD
CDC PLACES Current asthma among adults 10.0% CASTHMA
CDC PLACES Current cigarette smoking among adults 14.2% CSMOKING
CDC PLACES Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years 18.2% ACCESS2
CDC PLACES Depression among adults 22.1% DEPRESSION
CDC PLACES Diagnosed diabetes among adults 13.1% DIABETES
CDC PLACES Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults 29.4% GHLTH
CDC PLACES Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults 27.4% FOODINSECU
CDC PLACES Frequent mental distress among adults 19.0% MHLTH
CDC PLACES Frequent physical distress among adults 16.4% PHLTH
CDC PLACES Hearing disability among adults 6.8% HEARING
CDC PLACES High blood pressure among adults 31.2% BPHIGH
CDC PLACES High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened 32.1% HIGHCHOL
CDC PLACES Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults 22.4% HOUSINSECU
CDC PLACES Independent living disability among adults 10.6% INDEPLIVE
CDC PLACES Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults 13.7% LACKTRPT
CDC PLACES Lack of social and emotional support among adults 28.9% EMOTIONSPT
CDC PLACES Loneliness among adults 36.6% LONELINESS
CDC PLACES Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years 73.3% MAMMOUSE
CDC PLACES Mobility disability among adults 17.1% MOBILITY
CDC PLACES No leisure-time physical activity among adults 32.6% LPA
CDC PLACES Obesity among adults 35.0% OBESITY
CDC PLACES Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults 25.4% FOODSTAMP
CDC PLACES Self-care disability among adults 5.3% SELFCARE
CDC PLACES Short sleep duration among adults 34.9% SLEEP
CDC PLACES Stroke among adults 3.4% STROKE
CDC PLACES Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure 68.6% BPMED
CDC PLACES Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults 11.4% SHUTUTILITY
CDC PLACES Vision disability among adults 8.2% VISION
CDC PLACES Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults 52.7% DENTAL
CDC PLACES Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults 67.9% CHECKUP
CDC SDOH Below 150% FPL (%) 33.4% POVERTY
CDC SDOH Crowded Housing (%) 10.0% CROWDING
CDC SDOH Housing Cost Burden (%) 34.7% HOUSING_BURDEN
CDC SDOH No Broadband (%) 16.6% NO_BROADBAND
CDC SDOH No High School Diploma (%) 27.4% NO_DIPLOMA
CDC SDOH Racial/Ethnic Minority (%) 73.0% MINORITY
CDC SDOH Single-Parent Households (%) 9.5% SINGLE_PARENT
CDC SDOH Unemployment (%) 10.2% UNEMPLOYMENT
Geographic Variation Acute Hospital Readmission Rate (%) 17.1% ACUTE_HOSP_READMSN_PCT
Geographic Variation Average Beneficiary Age 72.00 BENE_AVG_AGE
Geographic Variation Average HCC Risk Score 1.03 BENE_AVG_RISK_SCRE
Geographic Variation Black Beneficiaries (%) 1.3% BENE_RACE_BLACK_PCT
Geographic Variation Dual Eligible Beneficiaries (%) 37.2% BENE_DUAL_PCT
Geographic Variation ER Visits per 1,000 Beneficiaries 544.8 ER_VISITS_PER_1000_BENES
Geographic Variation Female Beneficiaries (%) 53.1% BENE_FEML_PCT
Geographic Variation FFS Beneficiary Count 39,473 BENES_FFS_CNT
Geographic Variation Hispanic Beneficiaries (%) 37.9% BENE_RACE_HSPNC_PCT
Geographic Variation Home Health Actual Per Capita Payment ($) $420 HH_MDCR_PYMT_PC
Geographic Variation Home Health Standardized Per Capita Payment ($) $426 HH_MDCR_STDZD_PYMT_PC
Geographic Variation Hospice Actual Per Capita Payment ($) $446 HOSPC_MDCR_PYMT_PC
Geographic Variation Hospice Standardized Per Capita Payment ($) $452 HOSPC_MDCR_STDZD_PYMT_PC
Geographic Variation Inpatient Actual Per Capita Payment ($) $3,987 IP_MDCR_PYMT_PC
Geographic Variation Inpatient Standardized Per Capita Payment ($) $2,546 IP_MDCR_STDZD_PYMT_PC
Geographic Variation Male Beneficiaries (%) 46.9% BENE_MALE_PCT
Geographic Variation Medicare Advantage Participation Rate (%) 34.9% MA_PRTCPTN_RATE
Geographic Variation Outpatient Actual Per Capita Payment ($) $1,797 OP_MDCR_PYMT_PC
Geographic Variation Outpatient Standardized Per Capita Payment ($) $1,555 OP_MDCR_STDZD_PYMT_PC
Geographic Variation SNF Actual Per Capita Payment ($) $951 SNF_MDCR_PYMT_PC
Geographic Variation SNF Standardized Per Capita Payment ($) $971 SNF_MDCR_STDZD_PYMT_PC
Geographic Variation Total Actual Per Capita Medicare Payment ($) $12,834 TOT_MDCR_PYMT_PC
Geographic Variation Total Beneficiary Count 70,148 BENES_TOTAL_CNT
Geographic Variation Total Standardized Per Capita Medicare Payment ($) $11,077 TOT_MDCR_STDZD_PYMT_PC
Geographic Variation White Beneficiaries (%) 55.0% BENE_RACE_WHT_PCT

Methodology

Primary source: Medicare Geographic Variation by County (dataset id geo-var-county, vintage 2023, downloaded 2026-04-13, 33,639 rows in source).

Additional data sources: CDC PLACES County-Level Data (2026), CDC SDOH Measures for County (2017-2021).

Percentile badges compare this county against all US counties that appear in the relevant dataset. "Lower is better" metrics (spending, readmission rates, chronic-disease prevalence, SDOH adversity) use an inverted color ramp — low percentile = green (good), high percentile = red (bad).

Medicare Geographic Variation shows standardized per-capita spending, utilization, and demographic characteristics for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries at the county level. Standardized payments remove geographic payment adjustments so counties can be compared fairly. AHRQ Prevention Quality Indicators (PQIs) measure the rate of hospitalization for ambulatory-care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs).

Full methodology →