Welborn Releases 2026 Edition of Greater Evansville Health Survey Report

Welborn is pleased to announce the release of the 2026 edition of the Greater Evansville Health Survey (GEHS) report.

Based on data collected in 2025, the survey provides an extensive review of residents’ health across the Greater Evansville region. The findings highlight areas of progress—such as improvements in some health behaviors—while also pointing to ongoing challenges related to chronic disease, mental health, and access to health care and healthy foods, particularly for low-income households.

The GEHS is designed to be a practical, community-wide resource. Whether you’re a nonprofit leader, health professional, policymaker, educator, or resident, the data can help inform decisions, guide collaboration, and support efforts to improve health and well-being across the region.

Executive Summary

The survey report utilized a mail survey with a focus on healthcare access, chronic disease, and factors influencing health. This latest edition builds on earlier studies commissioned by Welborn in 2008, 2015, and 2021, though methodological changes mean only results from 2021 onward can be compared. Between January and March 2025, nearly 2,000 adults from Vanderburgh, Posey, Gibson, and Warrick Counties in Indiana, and Henderson County, Kentucky, completed surveys and provided health data on more than 300 children. This edition offers valuable insights to be combined with the unique needs and perspectives of local communities for effective delivery of health strategies.

This report shows progress worth celebrating, with some health indicators moving in the right direction. Yet concerns remain: several key measures are worsening, mental health emerges as a top challenge, and low-income households continue to face significant barriers to health and well-being.

1. Health improvements worth celebrating
   • More adults are physically active, housing conditions for most are trending towards health, built environments are shifting towards active living, and fewer adults are binge drinking and smoking.
2. Key indicators show signs of worsening
   • Fewer adults rate their health as excellent; adults are spending more days each month with poor health, and chronic disease rates are holding steady or have increased.
3. Mental health is a top concern
   • Rates of depression and anxiety are up, adults are spending more days per month where their mental health is not good, and more are being told by health professionals to reduce stress.
4. Low-income households continue to face barriers to good health
   • Households with low incomes have higher chronic disease rates, worse housing conditions, and more barriers to accessing healthy foods, medical, and mental health care.

To access the full survey report, click the link below.

Read the full report