Health · Ashford

Ashford, CT health

Ashford differs from Connecticut on 6 of 40 measures. It has fewer uninsured adults (6.2% vs 10%) and fewer adults facing food insecurity (9.5% vs 14.9%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (9.5% vs 8.5%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 06278 (all of Ashford)
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Ashford’s Health Grade: A−

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Ashford is healthier than 82% of U.S. towns.

ASelf-rated healthA-Physical distressB+Mental distressA-ObesityADiabetesA-SmokingBExercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 82%
Less healthyHealthier
Connecticut towns we grade (173)Healthier than 33%
Towns with similar incomes, $91K–$152K (5,150)Healthier than 57%

Wealth explains part of the grade. Ashford is healthier than 82% of U.S. towns overall, but against towns with similar incomes its edge is smaller.

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Ashford could be anywhere from B− to A+.
How the Health Grade works
  • Seven CDC estimates. Adults in fair or poor health, frequent physical distress, frequent mental distress, obesity, diabetes, smoking and no exercise (CDC PLACES, 2025 release). On each one a town earns the share of U.S. towns doing worse, and those shares are averaged. It’s the same score as our Healthiest towns in Connecticut ranking.
  • Graded on a national curve. Every U.S. town with 1,000+ residents and all seven estimates (19,420 places) is lined up by score: A+ top 5%A next 10%A- next 10%B B+ to B−, next 30%C C+ to C−, next 30%D D and D−, bottom 15%
  • Not adjusted for income. Wealthier towns are usually healthier, and the grade shows that as it is. The similar-incomes bar compares Ashford with U.S. towns whose median household income is within 25% of its own.
  • Modeled, not measured. CDC combines national survey answers with each area’s age, sex, race and income mix. Ashford’s figures come from the ZIP codes that cover it, weighted by land area. High blood pressure is left out because it tracks age more than anything else. The confidence line recomputes the grade with every estimate at the low, then the high, end of its range.
Report card

How Ashford compares with Connecticut

Each theme counts how many of its measures are better, worse or too close to call against the state. Tap one to jump to it.

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Ashford adults…

34 of every 100 Ashford adults have high blood pressure
Connecticut: 32 in 100 · too close to call · margin 30.8–37.8%

Bars show Ashford; the black tick is Connecticut. Tap a condition to see it as people.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Ashford, betterAshford, worseToo close to callConnecticut
Get no exerciseshare of adults 23.5% Ashford
CT 25.1%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 35.5% Ashford
CT 35.8%
Binge drinkshare of adults 16.5% Ashford
CT 15.4%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 11% Ashford
CT 10.6%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

81%
Yearly checkup
CT 80%
73%
Dentist visit
CT 71%
90%
Cholesterol check
CT 90%
74%
Colon screening
CT 72%
77%
Mammogram
CT 80%
77%
Taking BP meds
CT 77%
1 in 16
working-age adults has no health insurance
Ashford 6.2% · Connecticut 1 in 10 (10%)
Mind & connection

How Ashford adults are doing

1 in 3Ashford adults feel lonely
30.2% · Connecticut 33.2% · too close to call
1 in 4Ashford adults have been diagnosed with depression
22.8% · Connecticut 20.6% · too close to call
1 in 4Ashford adults lack social or emotional support
22.6% · Connecticut 25.1% · too close to call
1 in 6Ashford adults are in frequent mental distress
15.7% · Connecticut 15.8% · too close to call
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 11
Ashford adults worry about having enough food
9.5% · CT 14.9% · better
1 in 12
Ashford adults worry about keeping their housing
8.2% · CT 12.5% · better
1 in 18
Ashford adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5.6% · CT 8.4% · better
1 in 17
Ashford adults lack reliable transportation
5.8% · CT 8.3% · better

7.1% of Ashford adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 11.7% across Connecticut.

Disability

Living with a disability

25.1%

of Ashford adults live with a disability (Connecticut 25.3%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs10.7%
Thinking or memory11.4%
Hearing6.2%
Errands alone6.2%
Vision3.6%
Dressing or bathing2.9%

Black tick: Connecticut. Shown without a better/worse judgment.

Around Ashford

Ashford and the towns around it

Pick a measure to shade the map. Darker is worse for health. Pins are hospitals and community health centers in and near Ashford.

Eastford: 31.6% Willington: 32.2% Chaplin: 33.9% Union: 32.2% Woodstock: 30.9% Pomfret: 31.1% Hampton: 32.3% Tolland: 29.4% Stafford: 32.2% Ellington: 29.8% Mansfield: 28.6% Windham: 36% Scotland: 33% Ashford: 31.9% Ashford Eastford Willington Chaplin Union Johnson Memorial Hospital · Stafford Springs · 12.5 mi · 3★ MedicareH Windham Community Memorial Hospital · Willimantic · 12.7 mi · 3★ MedicareH Day Kimball Hospital · Putnam · 13.2 mi · 2★ MedicareH Generations Family Health Center · Willimantic · 12.8 mi+ Generations Family Health Center · Willimantic · 12.9 mi+
28.6%36%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#7 of 14towns on this map, healthiest first
Eastford31.6%
Ashford31.9%
Willington32.2%
Union32.2%
Chaplin33.9%
6 places to get careNearest ER 12.5 mi

Nearby towns are shaded from CDC's estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC's own figure for cities and villages.

Getting care

Care in and near Ashford

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

HNearest ERJohnson Memorial HospitalStafford Springs · 12.5 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyWindham Community Memorial Hospital★★★★★ · 12.7 miDirections →
+Low-cost careGenerations Family Health CenterWillimantic · 12.8 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
12.5 mi
Johnson Memorial Hospital
Stafford Springs · ★★★★★
ER
12.7 mi
Windham Community Memorial Hospital
Willimantic · ★★★★★
ER
12.8 mi
Generations Family Health Center
Willimantic · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
12.9 mi
Generations Family Health Center
3 sites · nearest in Willimantic
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
13.2 mi
Day Kimball Hospital
Putnam · ★★★★★
ER
14.1 mi
Umass Memorial Health - Harrington Hospital
Southbridge · ★★★★★
ER
! Primary careAshford's county is a federal shortage area.Northeastern Planning Region · need score 8 of 25
✓ Dental careAshford is not a shortage area
! Mental healthAshford is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, MHCA Region 3 · need score 15 of 25

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 Ashford. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Ashford
MeasureAshfordMarginConnecticut
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure34.1%30.8–37.8%32%about the same
High cholesterol37.8%34.3–41.4%38.4%about the same
Obesity31.9%26.9–37.2%30.5%about the same
Arthritis26.4%23.6–29.4%24.7%about the same
Depression22.8%19.8–26%20.6%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)11.7%9.5–14.1%9.8%about the same
Asthma10.9%9.7–12.3%11%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.5%8.6–10.5%8.5%worse
Diabetes9.6%8.3–11.2%10.2%about the same
COPD5.8%4.8–6.9%5.6%about the same
Heart disease5.8%5.1–6.6%5.8%about the same
Stroke3%2.7–3.4%3.2%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes11%8.8–13.6%10.6%about the same
Binge drink16.5%14.1–19.3%15.4%about the same
Get no exercise23.5%19.7–28%25.1%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours35.5%31.2–39.9%35.8%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup80.7%77.9–83.4%80.4%about the same
Dentist visit73.1%70.4–75.7%70.7%about the same
Cholesterol check90.2%88.6–91.7%89.5%about the same
Colon screening74.2%70.6–77.7%72.3%about the same
Mammogram76.7%70.8–82.1%79.5%about the same
Taking BP meds77.4%74.5–80.2%76.5%about the same
No health insurance6.2%4.9–7.7%10%better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely30.2%26.3–34.3%33.2%about the same
Lack emotional support22.6%19.3–26%25.1%about the same
Frequent mental distress15.7%13.7–17.9%15.8%about the same
Fair or poor health14.2%12–16.7%16.2%about the same
Frequent physical distress12.4%10.8–14.3%12.4%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity9.5%7.6–11.8%14.9%better
Housing insecurity8.2%6.7–10%12.5%better
Utility shut-off threat5.6%4.6–6.8%8.4%better
No reliable transportation5.8%4.9–6.8%8.3%better
Receive SNAP7.1%5.5–9.1%11.7%
Disability
Any disability25.1%21.5–28.9%25.3%
Walking or climbing stairs10.7%8.9–12.6%11.3%
Thinking or memory11.4%9.7–13.3%12.3%
Hearing6.2%5.4–7%5.9%
Vision3.6%3.1–4.2%4.8%
Dressing or bathing2.9%2.5–3.3%3.5%
Errands alone6.2%5.3–7.3%7%
About these numbers

How CDC estimates town health

They're modeled estimatesCDC combines a large national health survey with each area's age, sex, race and income mix to estimate local rates. Nobody surveyed Ashford door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Connecticut figure falls inside it, we don't call Ashford better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Ashford by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Ashford by how much of its land each one covers.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Connecticut figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population.

Health estimates: CDC PLACES. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01