Health · Lyme

Lyme, CT health

Lyme differs from Connecticut on 22 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing food insecurity (5.9% vs 14.9%) and fewer adults facing housing insecurity (5.4% vs 12.5%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (12.5% vs 8.5%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 06371, 06439
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Lyme’s Health Grade: A

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Lyme is healthier than 94% of U.S. towns and 77% of Connecticut towns.

ASelf-rated healthA-Physical distressA+Mental distressAObesityADiabetesA+SmokingA-Exercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 94%
Less healthyHealthier
Connecticut towns we grade (173)Healthier than 77%
Towns with similar incomes, $101K–$169K (3,873)Healthier than 84%

About what its income would suggest. Lyme does about as well against towns with similar incomes as against all towns.

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Lyme could be anywhere from A− 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 Lyme 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. Lyme’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 Lyme 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 Lyme adults…

37 of every 100 Lyme adults have high blood pressure
Connecticut: 32 in 100 · worse · margin 34–40.7%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Lyme, betterLyme, worseToo close to callConnecticut
Get no exerciseshare of adults 19.7% Lyme
CT 25.1%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 31.1% Lyme
CT 35.8%
Binge drinkshare of adults 14.2% Lyme
CT 15.4%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 7% Lyme
CT 10.6%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

85%
Yearly checkup
CT 80%
81%
Dentist visit
CT 71%
94%
Cholesterol check
CT 90%
78%
Colon screening
CT 72%
82%
Mammogram
CT 80%
81%
Taking BP meds
CT 77%
1 in 22
working-age adults has no health insurance
Lyme 4.5% · Connecticut 1 in 10 (10%)
Mind & connection

How Lyme adults are doing

1 in 4Lyme adults feel lonely
27.5% · Connecticut 33.2% · better
1 in 5Lyme adults have been diagnosed with depression
21.1% · Connecticut 20.6% · too close to call
1 in 5Lyme adults lack social or emotional support
19.1% · Connecticut 25.1% · better
1 in 8Lyme adults are in frequent mental distress
12.5% · Connecticut 15.8% · better
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 17
Lyme adults worry about having enough food
5.9% · CT 14.9% · better
1 in 19
Lyme adults worry about keeping their housing
5.4% · CT 12.5% · better
1 in 26
Lyme adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
3.8% · CT 8.4% · better
1 in 24
Lyme adults lack reliable transportation
4.1% · CT 8.3% · better

4.2% of Lyme adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 11.7% across Connecticut.

Disability

Living with a disability

24.5%

of Lyme adults live with a disability (Connecticut 25.3%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs10.7%
Thinking or memory9.5%
Hearing6.9%
Errands alone5.2%
Vision3.1%
Dressing or bathing2.6%

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

Around Lyme

Lyme 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 Lyme.

Old Lyme: 28.4% Deep River: 28.9% Essex: 26.9% East Lyme: 28.9% Chester: 30.3% East Haddam: 29.8% Salem: 29.7% Old Saybrook: 26.8% Westbrook: 28.4% Waterford: 30.3% Haddam: 27.7% East Hampton: 29.3% Colchester: 30% Montville: 31.9% Bozrah: 32.1% Lyme: 28.4% Lyme Old Lyme Deep River Essex East Lyme Chester East Haddam Salem Lawrence & Memorial Hospital · New London · 12.6 mi · 3★ MedicareH William W Backus Hospital · Norwich · 16.2 mi · 4★ MedicareH Community Health Center of Old Saybrook · Old Saybrook · 7.9 mi+ Ucfs Behavioral Health Center - New London · New London · 11.2 mi+
26.8%32.1%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#4 of 16towns on this map, healthiest first
Essex26.9%
Lyme28.4%
Old Lyme28.4%
Deep River28.9%
East Lyme28.9%
Salem29.7%
East Haddam29.8%
Chester30.3%
6 places to get careNearest ER 12.6 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 Lyme

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

HNearest ERLawrence & Memorial HospitalNew London · 12.6 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyWilliam W Backus Hospital★★★★★ · 16.2 miDirections →
+Low-cost careCommunity Health Center, IncorporatedOld Saybrook · 7.9 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
7.9 mi
Community Health Center, Incorporated
6 sites · nearest in Old Saybrook
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
11.2 mi
United Community and Family Services
2 sites · nearest in New London
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
12.6 mi
Lawrence & Memorial Hospital
New London · ★★★★★
ER
16.2 mi
William W Backus Hospital
Norwich · ★★★★★
ER
19.8 mi
Middlesex Hospital
Middletown · ★★★★★
ER
22.7 mi
Windham Community Memorial Hospital
Willimantic · ★★★★★
ER
✓ Primary careLyme is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careLyme is not a shortage area
! Mental healthLyme is a federal shortage area for some residents.Region 2 · need score 16 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 Lyme. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Lyme
MeasureLymeMarginConnecticut
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure37.1%34–40.7%32%worse
High cholesterol40.6%37.2–44.3%38.4%about the same
Obesity28.4%24.3–33.5%30.5%about the same
Arthritis31.1%28.3–34.3%24.7%worse
Depression21.1%18.5–24%20.6%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)6.1%4.9–7.6%9.8%better
Asthma10.9%9.8–12.2%11%about the same
Cancer (not skin)12.5%11.4–13.6%8.5%worse
Diabetes9.3%8.2–10.7%10.2%about the same
COPD5.5%4.8–6.4%5.6%about the same
Heart disease6.7%6–7.5%5.8%worse
Stroke3.2%2.9–3.5%3.2%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes7%5.9–8.4%10.6%better
Binge drink14.2%12.1–16.5%15.4%about the same
Get no exercise19.7%16.9–23%25.1%better
Sleep under 7 hours31.1%27.2–35.2%35.8%better
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup84.8%82.6–87%80.4%better
Dentist visit80.8%78.6–82.9%70.7%better
Cholesterol check93.5%92.6–94.5%89.5%better
Colon screening78.4%75.2–81.6%72.3%better
Mammogram82.1%77.1–86.6%79.5%about the same
Taking BP meds81.2%78.6–83.8%76.5%better
No health insurance4.5%3.7–5.4%10%better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely27.5%24.1–31%33.2%better
Lack emotional support19.1%16.5–21.8%25.1%better
Frequent mental distress12.5%11.1–14.1%15.8%better
Fair or poor health12.8%11–14.6%16.2%better
Frequent physical distress11.7%10.3–13.2%12.4%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity5.9%4.8–7.1%14.9%better
Housing insecurity5.4%4.6–6.4%12.5%better
Utility shut-off threat3.8%3.2–4.4%8.4%better
No reliable transportation4.1%3.5–4.7%8.3%better
Receive SNAP4.2%3.4–5.1%11.7%
Disability
Any disability24.5%21.6–27.8%25.3%
Walking or climbing stairs10.7%9.2–12.3%11.3%
Thinking or memory9.5%8.3–10.8%12.3%
Hearing6.9%6.2–7.8%5.9%
Vision3.1%2.8–3.5%4.8%
Dressing or bathing2.6%2.3–2.9%3.5%
Errands alone5.2%4.6–6%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 Lyme door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Connecticut figure falls inside it, we don't call Lyme better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Lyme by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Lyme 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