Health · Brooks

Brooks, ME health

On most measures Brooks looks like Maine as a whole. Where it trails the state most: more smokers (18.1% vs 14.4%) and more adults facing a utility shut-off (9.3% vs 7.4%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 04921 (all of Brooks)
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Brooks’s Health Grade: C

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Brooks is healthier than 32% of U.S. towns, and than 52% of towns with similar incomes.

CSelf-rated healthC-Physical distressDMental distressB-ObesityBDiabetesC-SmokingBExercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 32%
Less healthyHealthier
Maine towns we grade (276)Healthier than 31%
Towns with similar incomes, $44K–$74K (7,939)Healthier than 52%

Better than its income would suggest. Brooks is healthier than most towns with similar incomes, even though its overall grade is C.

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Brooks could be anywhere from D to B+.
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 Brooks 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. Brooks’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 Brooks 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 Brooks adults…

35 of every 100 Brooks adults have high blood pressure
Maine: 36 in 100 · too close to call · margin 32.1–38.5%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Brooks, betterBrooks, worseToo close to callMaine
Get no exerciseshare of adults 24.8% Brooks
ME 23.1%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 33.8% Brooks
ME 32.8%
Binge drinkshare of adults 15.2% Brooks
ME 15.5%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 18.1% Brooks
ME 14.4%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

81%
Yearly checkup
ME 81%
62%
Dentist visit
ME 64%
86%
Cholesterol check
ME 87%
69%
Colon screening
ME 71%
77%
Mammogram
ME 80%
76%
Taking BP meds
ME 76%
1 in 11
working-age adults has no health insurance
Brooks 9% · Maine 1 in 13 (7.8%)
Mind & connection

How Brooks adults are doing

1 in 3Brooks adults feel lonely
32.5% · Maine 32% · too close to call
1 in 3Brooks adults have been diagnosed with depression
29.8% · Maine 26.9% · too close to call
1 in 4Brooks adults lack social or emotional support
23.9% · Maine 22.7% · too close to call
1 in 5Brooks 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 8
Brooks adults worry about having enough food
13.2% · ME 10.7% · about the same
1 in 8
Brooks adults worry about keeping their housing
12.3% · ME 9.8% · worse
1 in 11
Brooks adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
9.3% · ME 7.4% · worse
1 in 11
Brooks adults lack reliable transportation
9.2% · ME 7.8% · about the same

19.3% of Brooks adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.3% across Maine.

Disability

Living with a disability

35%

of Brooks adults live with a disability (Maine 32.1%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs15.5%
Thinking or memory17.5%
Hearing8.7%
Errands alone9.6%
Vision5.1%
Dressing or bathing4.1%

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

Around Brooks

Brooks and the towns around it

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

Knox: 35.8% Monroe: 36.2% Waldo: 34.1% Jackson: 36.3% Montville: 34.7% Thorndike: 35.8% Morrill: 34.8% Freedom: 34.7% Unity: 32.7% Frankfort: 35.9% Swanville: 34.1% Winterport: 33.1% Belfast: 33.4% Dixmont: 39.6% Brooks: 36.3% Brooks Knox Monroe Waldo Jackson Mainehealth Waldo Hospital · Belfast · 6.6 mi · 3★ MedicareH Seaport Community Health Center · Belfast · 9.4 mi+
32.7%39.6%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#13 of 15towns on this map, healthiest first
Waldo34.1%
Knox35.8%
Monroe36.2%
Brooks36.3%
Jackson36.3%

Care nearby

Mainehealth Waldo HospitalBelfast · 6.6 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access DirectionsMedicare profile
Northern Light Sebasticook Valley HospitalPittsfield · 21.4 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access DirectionsMedicare profile
St. Joseph HospitalBangor · 25.7 mi · ★★★★★ · ER DirectionsMedicare profile
Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical CenterBangor · 26.2 mi · ★★★★★ · ER DirectionsMedicare profile
Seaport Community Health CenterBelfast · 9.4 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions
Lovejoy Health CenterAlbion · 15.8 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions
! Primary careBrooks is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Unity · need score 15 of 25
! Dental careBrooks is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Unity · need score 16 of 25
✓ Mental healthBrooks is not a shortage area

Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes). Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Distances are straight-line from the center of Brooks. 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 Brooks
MeasureBrooksMarginMaine
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure35.3%32.1–38.5%35.7%about the same
High cholesterol38.2%35–41.5%37.4%about the same
Obesity36.3%31.5–41.3%32.7%about the same
Arthritis33%30.1–35.9%32%about the same
Depression29.8%26.4–33.2%26.9%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)15%12.6–17.7%14.8%about the same
Asthma13.8%12.3–15.4%12.6%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.4%8.4–10.3%9.9%about the same
Diabetes11.7%10.1–13.4%11.2%about the same
COPD9.4%7.8–11.1%8.4%about the same
Heart disease8%7–9.1%7.6%about the same
Stroke3.8%3.3–4.3%3.6%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes18.1%14.7–22%14.4%worse
Binge drink15.2%12.8–17.7%15.5%about the same
Get no exercise24.8%20.8–29.2%23.1%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours33.8%29.9–38.2%32.8%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup80.6%77.7–83.2%81.2%about the same
Dentist visit62.3%59.4–65.5%63.8%about the same
Cholesterol check86.1%83.8–88%87.1%about the same
Colon screening69.1%65.3–72.6%70.5%about the same
Mammogram77.4%71.7–82.6%80.3%about the same
Taking BP meds76.3%73.3–79%76.4%about the same
No health insurance9%6.8–11.6%7.8%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely32.5%28.5–36.5%32%about the same
Lack emotional support23.9%20.5–27.5%22.7%about the same
Frequent mental distress19.9%17.5–22.6%17.7%about the same
Fair or poor health21.6%18.4–25.2%18.7%about the same
Frequent physical distress16.2%14–18.5%14.3%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity13.2%10.3–16.6%10.7%about the same
Housing insecurity12.3%9.9–15%9.8%worse
Utility shut-off threat9.3%7.6–11.1%7.4%worse
No reliable transportation9.2%7.7–11%7.8%about the same
Receive SNAP19.3%15.2–23.7%14.3%
Disability
Any disability35%30.8–39.6%32.1%
Walking or climbing stairs15.5%13–18.1%14%
Thinking or memory17.5%14.9–20.4%15.5%
Hearing8.7%7.7–9.9%8.4%
Vision5.1%4.3–5.9%4.4%
Dressing or bathing4.1%3.4–4.8%3.5%
Errands alone9.6%8.1–11.2%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 Brooks door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Maine figure falls inside it, we don't call Brooks better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Brooks by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Brooks 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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Brooks

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