Health · Bowdoin
Bowdoin, ME health
On every measure CDC estimates, Bowdoin looks like Maine as a whole: no difference is outside the margin of error.
CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 04287 (all of Bowdoin)TownTapestry Health GradeNew
B
Bowdoin’s Health Grade: B
On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Bowdoin is healthier than 62% of U.S. towns and 69% of Maine towns.
B+Self-rated healthB-Physical distressC+Mental distressA-ObesityA-DiabetesCSmokingB+Exercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 62%
Less healthyHealthier
Maine towns we grade (276)Healthier than 69%
Towns with similar incomes, $68K–$114K (9,001)Healthier than 53%
About what its income would suggest. Bowdoin does about as well against towns with similar incomes as against all towns.
These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Bowdoin could be anywhere from C 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 Maine 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 Bowdoin 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. Bowdoin’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 Bowdoin 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
31.2% have obesity
0 better12 close0 worse
Habits
22.4% get no exercise
0 better4 close0 worse
Care & screenings
80.9% had a checkup
0 better7 close0 worse
Mind & connection
30.6% feel lonely
0 better5 close0 worse
Everyday needs
10.7% face food insecurity
0 better5 close0 worse
Disability
29.6% have a disability
7 measures · shown without a better/worse judgment
Chronic conditions
Out of every 100 Bowdoin adults…
33 of every 100 Bowdoin adults have high blood pressure
Maine: 36 in 100 · too close to call · margin 30–36.8%
Bars show Bowdoin; the black tick is Maine. Tap a condition to see it as people.
Habits
Everyday habits, side by side with the state
Bowdoin, betterBowdoin, worseToo close to callMaine
Get no exerciseshare of adults
22.4% Bowdoin
ME 23.1%
ME 23.1%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults
29.6% Bowdoin
ME 32.8%
ME 32.8%
Binge drinkshare of adults
16.6% Bowdoin
ME 15.5%
ME 15.5%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults
16.1% Bowdoin
ME 14.4%
ME 14.4%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings
Keeping up with care
Share of Bowdoin adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Maine.
Yearly checkup
ME 81%Dentist visit
ME 64%Cholesterol check
ME 87%Colon screening
ME 71%Mammogram
ME 80%Taking BP meds
ME 76%1 in 13
working-age adults has no health insurance
Bowdoin 7.6% · Maine 1 in 13 (7.8%)
Mind & connection
How Bowdoin adults are doing
1 in 3Bowdoin adults feel lonely
30.6% · Maine 32% · too close to call
1 in 4Bowdoin adults have been diagnosed with depression
28.5% · Maine 26.9% · too close to call
1 in 5Bowdoin adults lack social or emotional support
21.5% · Maine 22.7% · too close to call
1 in 6Bowdoin adults are in frequent mental distress
17.6% · 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 9
Bowdoin adults worry about having enough food
10.7% · ME 10.7% · about the same
1 in 10
Bowdoin adults worry about keeping their housing
9.6% · ME 9.8% · about the same
1 in 13
Bowdoin adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
7.9% · ME 7.4% · about the same
1 in 13
Bowdoin adults lack reliable transportation
7.5% · ME 7.8% · about the same
14.3% of Bowdoin adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.3% across Maine.
Disability
Living with a disability
29.6%
of Bowdoin adults live with a disability (Maine 32.1%). Thinking or memory is the most common.
Walking or climbing stairs13.2%
Thinking or memory15.2%
Hearing7.3%
Errands alone7.9%
Vision4.2%
Dressing or bathing3.5%
Black tick: Maine. Shown without a better/worse judgment.
Around Bowdoin
Bowdoin 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 Bowdoin.
25.5%37.8%· darker is worse for health
Obesity
#6 of 18towns on this map, healthiest first
Topsham28.7%
Bowdoinham31%
Bowdoin31.2%
Richmond31.7%
Litchfield32.7%
Lisbon34.1%
Care nearby
St. Mary's Regional Medical CenterLewiston · 11.5 mi · ★★★★★ · ER
DirectionsMedicare profile
Mainehealth Mid Coast HospitalBrunswick · 12.2 mi · ★★★★★ · ER
DirectionsMedicare profile
Central Maine Medical CenterLewiston · 12.2 mi · ★★★★★ · ER
DirectionsMedicare profile
Togus VA Medical CenterAugusta · 19.2 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · VA
DirectionsMedicare profile
Richmond Area Health CenterRichmond · 8.2 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees
Directions
Ccs PediatricsLewiston · 11.5 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees
Directions
✓ Primary careBowdoin is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careBowdoin is not a shortage area
✓ Mental healthBowdoin is not a shortage area
Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas. Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Distances are straight-line from the center of Bowdoin. Nearby towns are shaded from CDC's estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC's own figure for cities and villages.
All 40 measures for Bowdoin
| Measure | Bowdoin | Margin | Maine | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions | ||||
| High blood pressure | 33.1% | 30–36.8% | 35.7% | about the same |
| High cholesterol | 37% | 33.9–40.5% | 37.4% | about the same |
| Obesity | 31.2% | 26.7–36.4% | 32.7% | about the same |
| Arthritis | 31.3% | 28.5–34.5% | 32% | about the same |
| Depression | 28.5% | 25.3–32.2% | 26.9% | about the same |
| Lost all teeth (65+) | 17.5% | 14.6–21.1% | 14.8% | about the same |
| Asthma | 12.7% | 11.4–14.4% | 12.6% | about the same |
| Cancer (not skin) | 9% | 8.1–9.9% | 9.9% | about the same |
| Diabetes | 10.3% | 8.9–12.1% | 11.2% | about the same |
| COPD | 8.1% | 6.5–10% | 8.4% | about the same |
| Heart disease | 6.7% | 5.9–7.8% | 7.6% | about the same |
| Stroke | 3.3% | 2.8–3.8% | 3.6% | about the same |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 16.1% | 12.4–20.1% | 14.4% | about the same |
| Binge drink | 16.6% | 14.1–19.3% | 15.5% | about the same |
| Get no exercise | 22.4% | 18.2–27% | 23.1% | about the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 29.6% | 25.6–34.3% | 32.8% | about the same |
| Care & screenings | ||||
| Yearly checkup | 80.9% | 78–83.6% | 81.2% | about the same |
| Dentist visit | 65.7% | 62.6–69% | 63.8% | about the same |
| Cholesterol check | 87% | 84.7–89% | 87.1% | about the same |
| Colon screening | 68.6% | 64.6–72.8% | 70.5% | about the same |
| Mammogram | 77.8% | 72.1–83.5% | 80.3% | about the same |
| Taking BP meds | 74.2% | 70.9–77.3% | 76.4% | about the same |
| No health insurance | 7.6% | 5.6–10% | 7.8% | about the same |
| Mind & connection | ||||
| Feel lonely | 30.6% | 26.8–34.7% | 32% | about the same |
| Lack emotional support | 21.5% | 18.3–25.1% | 22.7% | about the same |
| Frequent mental distress | 17.6% | 15.2–20.3% | 17.7% | about the same |
| Fair or poor health | 17.6% | 14.5–21.2% | 18.7% | about the same |
| Frequent physical distress | 14.1% | 12.1–16.6% | 14.3% | about the same |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Food insecurity | 10.7% | 8.2–13.6% | 10.7% | about the same |
| Housing insecurity | 9.6% | 7.6–11.9% | 9.8% | about the same |
| Utility shut-off threat | 7.9% | 6.5–9.6% | 7.4% | about the same |
| No reliable transportation | 7.5% | 6.1–9% | 7.8% | about the same |
| Receive SNAP | 14.3% | 10.8–18.3% | 14.3% | |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 29.6% | 25.4–34.2% | 32.1% | |
| Walking or climbing stairs | 13.2% | 10.8–16% | 14% | |
| Thinking or memory | 15.2% | 12.7–18.1% | 15.5% | |
| Hearing | 7.3% | 6.5–8.4% | 8.4% | |
| Vision | 4.2% | 3.5–5% | 4.4% | |
| Dressing or bathing | 3.5% | 2.8–4.2% | 3.5% | |
| Errands alone | 7.9% | 6.6–9.5% | 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 Bowdoin door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Maine figure falls inside it, we don't call Bowdoin better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Bowdoin by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Bowdoin 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.