Health · Athens

Athens, ME health

Athens differs from Maine on 21 of 40 measures. Where it trails the state most: more smokers (21.1% vs 14.4%) and more adults facing a utility shut-off (10.7% vs 7.4%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 04912, 04942
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 791 people are less certain, so we show Athens's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Athens compares with Maine

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 Athens adults…

41 of every 100 Athens adults have high blood pressure
Maine: 36 in 100 · worse · margin 37.5–44.1%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Athens, betterAthens, worseToo close to callMaine
Get no exerciseshare of adults 29.3% Athens
ME 23.1%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 39.9% Athens
ME 32.8%
Binge drinkshare of adults 13.7% Athens
ME 15.5%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 21.1% Athens
ME 14.4%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

83%
Yearly checkup
ME 81%
53%
Dentist visit
ME 64%
86%
Cholesterol check
ME 87%
65%
Colon screening
ME 71%
74%
Mammogram
ME 80%
77%
Taking BP meds
ME 76%
1 in 10
working-age adults has no health insurance
Athens 9.6% · Maine 1 in 13 (7.8%)
Mind & connection

How Athens adults are doing

1 in 3Athens adults feel lonely
34.2% · Maine 32% · too close to call
1 in 3Athens adults have been diagnosed with depression
28.7% · Maine 26.9% · too close to call
1 in 4Athens adults lack social or emotional support
24.2% · Maine 22.7% · too close to call
1 in 5Athens adults are in frequent mental distress
19.9% · Maine 17.7% · 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 7
Athens adults worry about having enough food
15.3% · ME 10.7% · worse
1 in 8
Athens adults worry about keeping their housing
12.7% · ME 9.8% · worse
1 in 9
Athens adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
10.7% · ME 7.4% · worse
1 in 10
Athens adults lack reliable transportation
10.1% · ME 7.8% · worse

22.4% of Athens adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.3% across Maine.

Disability

Living with a disability

39.1%

of Athens adults live with a disability (Maine 32.1%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs18.8%
Thinking or memory18.7%
Hearing10.3%
Errands alone10.9%
Vision6.3%
Dressing or bathing5.2%

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

Around Athens

Athens 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 Athens.

Hartland: 35.3% Brighton plantation: 37.3% Solon: 34.4% Harmony: 36.9% Cornville: 37.1% St. Albans: 37.1% Canaan: 36.2% Pittsfield: 38% Palmyra: 40.2% Wellington: 36.9% Bingham: 35.1% Embden: 37.1% Madison: 37.8% Cambridge: 37.3% Skowhegan: 37.1% Athens: 37.9% Athens Hartland Brighton plantation Solon Harmony Cornville Redington Fairview General Hospital · Skowhegan · 14.4 mi · 2★ MedicareH Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital · Pittsfield · 18.8 mi · 2★ MedicareH Bingham Area Health Center · Bingham · 12.1 mi+ Sebasticook Family Doctors - Dexter · Dexter · 19 mi+
34.4%40.2%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#14 of 16towns on this map, healthiest first
Solon34.4%
Hartland35.3%
Harmony36.9%
Cornville37.1%
Brighton plantation37.3%
Athens37.9%
6 places to get careNearest ER 14.4 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 Athens

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

HNearest ERRedington Fairview General HospitalSkowhegan · 14.4 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyMainehealth Franklin Hospital★★★★★ · 33.7 miDirections →
+Low-cost careHealth Reach Community Health CentersBingham · 12.1 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
12.1 mi
Health Reach Community Health Centers
5 sites · nearest in Bingham
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
14.4 mi
Redington Fairview General Hospital
Skowhegan · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
18.8 mi
Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital
Pittsfield · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
19 mi
Sebasticook Family Doctors - Dexter
Dexter · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
25.9 mi
Northern Light Mayo Hospital
Dover Foxcroft · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
33.7 mi
Mainehealth Franklin Hospital
Farmington · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
! Primary careAthens is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Skowhegan · need score 13 of 25
! Dental careAthens is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Skowhegan · need score 18 of 25
! Mental healthAthens's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Somerset County · need score 18 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 Athens. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Athens
MeasureAthensMarginMaine
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure40.7%37.5–44.1%35.7%worse
High cholesterol41.9%38.6–45.3%37.4%worse
Obesity37.9%33.1–42.8%32.7%worse
Arthritis36.9%34–40%32%worse
Depression28.7%25.5–32%26.9%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)19.1%16.2–22.3%14.8%worse
Asthma13.6%12.2–15.2%12.6%about the same
Cancer (not skin)10%8.9–11%9.9%about the same
Diabetes14.6%12.7–16.5%11.2%worse
COPD12.1%10.2–14%8.4%worse
Heart disease9.7%8.6–10.9%7.6%worse
Stroke4.7%4.1–5.3%3.6%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes21.1%17.4–24.5%14.4%worse
Binge drink13.7%11.5–16%15.5%about the same
Get no exercise29.3%25.1–33.6%23.1%worse
Sleep under 7 hours39.9%35.6–44.4%32.8%worse
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup82.9%80.2–85.4%81.2%about the same
Dentist visit53.1%49.8–56.4%63.8%worse
Cholesterol check86.3%84.2–88.3%87.1%about the same
Colon screening65.4%61.6–69.3%70.5%worse
Mammogram73.6%67.6–79.2%80.3%worse
Taking BP meds76.8%73.8–79.5%76.4%about the same
No health insurance9.6%7.5–12.1%7.8%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely34.2%30.3–38.2%32%about the same
Lack emotional support24.2%20.8–27.5%22.7%about the same
Frequent mental distress19.9%17.6–22.2%17.7%about the same
Fair or poor health24.8%21.2–28.5%18.7%worse
Frequent physical distress18%15.7–20.2%14.3%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity15.3%12.2–18.6%10.7%worse
Housing insecurity12.7%10.5–15%9.8%worse
Utility shut-off threat10.7%9.1–12.4%7.4%worse
No reliable transportation10.1%8.6–11.8%7.8%worse
Receive SNAP22.4%18.2–26.7%14.3%
Disability
Any disability39.1%34.7–43.3%32.1%
Walking or climbing stairs18.8%16.1–21.6%14%
Thinking or memory18.7%16.2–21.3%15.5%
Hearing10.3%9.1–11.5%8.4%
Vision6.3%5.4–7.2%4.4%
Dressing or bathing5.2%4.4–6%3.5%
Errands alone10.9%9.3–12.5%8.1%
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 Athens door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Maine figure falls inside it, we don't call Athens better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Athens by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Athens by how much of its land each one covers.

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