Health · Westminster

Westminster, MA health

Westminster differs from Massachusetts on 9 of 40 measures. It has fewer uninsured adults (3.6% vs 5.2%) and fewer adults facing food insecurity (9.1% vs 12.4%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (9.6% vs 8.5%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 01473 (all of Westminster)
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Westminster’s Health Grade: A−

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Westminster is healthier than 81% of U.S. towns.

ASelf-rated healthB+Physical distressBMental distressA-ObesityADiabetesA-SmokingA-Exercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 81%
Less healthyHealthier
Massachusetts towns we grade (320)Healthier than 40%
Towns with similar incomes, $80K–$133K (7,155)Healthier than 71%

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

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Westminster 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 Massachusetts 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 Westminster 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. Westminster’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 Westminster compares with Massachusetts

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 Westminster adults…

33 of every 100 Westminster adults have high blood pressure
Massachusetts: 31 in 100 · too close to call · margin 30.1–36.1%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Westminster, betterWestminster, worseToo close to callMassachusetts
Get no exerciseshare of adults 20.3% Westminster
MA 21.7%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 32.2% Westminster
MA 33.6%
Binge drinkshare of adults 18.8% Westminster
MA 17%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 11.5% Westminster
MA 11.3%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

82%
Yearly checkup
MA 81%
74%
Dentist visit
MA 70%
91%
Cholesterol check
MA 90%
72%
Colon screening
MA 68%
85%
Mammogram
MA 84%
76%
Taking BP meds
MA 75%
1 in 28
working-age adults has no health insurance
Westminster 3.6% · Massachusetts 1 in 19 (5.2%)
Mind & connection

How Westminster adults are doing

1 in 3Westminster adults feel lonely
32.6% · Massachusetts 34.2% · too close to call
1 in 4Westminster adults have been diagnosed with depression
26.2% · Massachusetts 23.8% · too close to call
1 in 4Westminster adults lack social or emotional support
22.3% · Massachusetts 23.4% · too close to call
1 in 6Westminster adults are in frequent mental distress
16.5% · Massachusetts 16.2% · 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
Westminster adults worry about having enough food
9.1% · MA 12.4% · better
1 in 12
Westminster adults worry about keeping their housing
8.3% · MA 11.1% · better
1 in 18
Westminster adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5.7% · MA 7% · better
1 in 17
Westminster adults lack reliable transportation
5.9% · MA 7.6% · better

10.6% of Westminster adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.1% across Massachusetts.

Disability

Living with a disability

25.7%

of Westminster adults live with a disability (Massachusetts 27.3%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs10.9%
Thinking or memory12.8%
Hearing5.7%
Errands alone6.5%
Vision3.3%
Dressing or bathing2.8%

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

Around Westminster

Westminster 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 Westminster.

Ashburnham: 32.7% Fitchburg: 35.6% Princeton: 30.1% Gardner: 35.8% Hubbardston: 32.7% Ashby: 26.2% Winchendon: 34.9% Leominster: 34% Lunenburg: 31.4% Sterling: 30.3% Rutland: 31.1% Holden: 29.8% Templeton: 33.3% Barre: 34.3% Westminster: 31.6% Westminster Ashburnham Fitchburg Princeton Gardner Hubbardston Heywood Hospital · Gardner · 4.8 mi · 2★ MedicareH Umass Memorial Healthalliance Hospitals · Leominster · 7.2 mi · 3★ MedicareH South Gardner Community Health and Urgent Care Center · Gardner · 4.6 mi+
26.2%35.8%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#7 of 15towns on this map, healthiest first
Princeton30.1%
Westminster31.6%
Ashburnham32.7%
Hubbardston32.7%
Fitchburg35.6%
Gardner35.8%
6 places to get careNearest ER 4.8 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 Westminster

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

HNearest ERHeywood HospitalGardner · 4.8 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyUmass Memorial Healthalliance Hospitals★★★★★ · 7.2 miDirections →
+Low-cost careCommunity Health ConnectionsGardner · 4.6 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
4.6 mi
Community Health Connections
5 sites · nearest in Gardner
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
4.8 mi
Heywood Hospital
Gardner · ★★★★★
ER
7.2 mi
Umass Memorial Healthalliance Hospitals
Leominster · ★★★★★
ER
15.7 mi
Athol Memorial Hospital
Athol · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
17.2 mi
Nashoba Valley Medical Center
Ayer · not rated
ER
18.4 mi
Community Health Center of Franklin County
3 sites · nearest in Orange
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
✓ Primary careWestminster is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careWestminster is not a shortage area
✓ Mental healthWestminster is not a shortage area

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 Westminster. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.

All 40 measures for Westminster
MeasureWestminsterMarginMassachusetts
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure33%30.1–36.1%30.9%about the same
High cholesterol36.3%33.3–39.4%35.4%about the same
Obesity31.6%27.4–36.1%27.7%about the same
Arthritis28.2%25.7–30.9%25.4%worse
Depression26.2%23.5–29.2%23.8%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)9.7%7.8–11.7%11.9%better
Asthma12.2%11–13.6%11.6%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.6%8.6–10.6%8.5%worse
Diabetes9.5%8.2–10.9%9.8%about the same
COPD6%4.9–7.2%5.9%about the same
Heart disease5.7%5–6.5%5.8%about the same
Stroke2.9%2.5–3.3%3%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes11.5%9.1–14.3%11.3%about the same
Binge drink18.8%16.4–21.3%17%about the same
Get no exercise20.3%17–24.1%21.7%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours32.2%28.4–35.7%33.6%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup82.1%79.5–84.4%80.9%about the same
Dentist visit74.3%71.7–76.6%69.8%better
Cholesterol check91.1%89.5–92.5%89.7%about the same
Colon screening72.1%68.4–75.3%68.4%about the same
Mammogram85.2%80.6–88.7%83.7%about the same
Taking BP meds76.1%73–78.7%75.4%about the same
No health insurance3.6%2.8–4.7%5.2%better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely32.6%29–36.3%34.2%about the same
Lack emotional support22.3%19.1–25.6%23.4%about the same
Frequent mental distress16.5%14.5–18.5%16.2%about the same
Fair or poor health14.8%12.3–17.5%16.3%about the same
Frequent physical distress12.7%11–14.6%12.3%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity9.1%7–11.4%12.4%better
Housing insecurity8.3%6.6–10%11.1%better
Utility shut-off threat5.7%4.6–6.8%7%better
No reliable transportation5.9%4.8–6.9%7.6%better
Receive SNAP10.6%8–13.4%14.1%
Disability
Any disability25.7%22.4–29.4%27.3%
Walking or climbing stairs10.9%9.1–12.9%11.6%
Thinking or memory12.8%11–14.9%13.7%
Hearing5.7%4.9–6.5%6%
Vision3.3%2.8–3.9%4.1%
Dressing or bathing2.8%2.3–3.3%3.1%
Errands alone6.5%5.5–7.6%7.2%
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 Westminster door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Massachusetts figure falls inside it, we don't call Westminster better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Westminster by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Westminster by how much of its land each one covers.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Massachusetts 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