Health · Knox

Knox, ME health

Knox differs from Maine on 7 of 40 measures. Where it trails the state most: more smokers (18% vs 14.4%) and more adults facing housing insecurity (12.1% vs 9.8%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 04986 (all of Knox)

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 825 people are less certain, so we show Knox's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Knox 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 Knox adults…

36 of every 100 Knox adults have high blood pressure

Maine: 36 in 100 · too close to call · margin 32.2–38.7%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Knox, betterKnox, worseToo close to callMaine

Get no exerciseshare of adults 25.2% Knox
ME 23.1%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 34.2% Knox
ME 32.8%

Binge drinkshare of adults 15.1% Knox
ME 15.5%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 18% Knox
ME 14.4%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Knox 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 10

working-age adults has no health insurance

Knox 9.6% · Maine 1 in 13 (7.8%)

Mind & connection

How Knox adults are doing

1 in 3Knox adults feel lonely

32.9% · Maine 32% · too close to call

1 in 3Knox adults have been diagnosed with depression

29.5% · Maine 26.9% · too close to call

1 in 4Knox adults lack social or emotional support

24.3% · Maine 22.7% · too close to call

1 in 5Knox adults are in frequent mental distress

19.8% · 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

Knox adults worry about having enough food

13.2% · ME 10.7% · worse

1 in 8

Knox adults worry about keeping their housing

12.1% · ME 9.8% · worse

1 in 11

Knox adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

8.9% · ME 7.4% · worse

1 in 11

Knox adults lack reliable transportation

9.1% · ME 7.8% · about the same

19% of Knox adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.3% across Maine.

Disability

Living with a disability

35.7%

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

Walking or climbing stairs15.9%

Thinking or memory17.6%

Hearing9%

Errands alone9.8%

Vision5.2%

Dressing or bathing4.2%

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

Around Knox

Knox 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 Knox.

32.7%37.8%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#9 of 15towns on this map, healthiest first

Unity32.7%

Montville34.7%

Freedom34.7%

Morrill34.8%

Knox35.8%

Thorndike35.8%

Brooks36.3%

Care nearby

Mainehealth Waldo HospitalBelfast · 9.6 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Northern Light Sebasticook Valley HospitalPittsfield · 20.3 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Togus VA Medical CenterAugusta · 29.3 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · VA Directions Medicare profile

St. Joseph HospitalBangor · 30 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Lovejoy Health CenterAlbion · 11.1 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Seaport Community Health CenterBelfast · 11.5 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

! Primary careKnox is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Unity · need score 15 of 25

! Dental careKnox is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Unity · need score 16 of 25

✓ Mental healthKnox 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 Knox. 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 Knox

Measure	Knox	Margin	Maine
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	35.5%	32.2–38.7%	35.7%	about the same
High cholesterol	38.5%	35.2–41.8%	37.4%	about the same
Obesity	35.8%	30.8–40.6%	32.7%	about the same
Arthritis	33.4%	30.5–36.2%	32%	about the same
Depression	29.5%	26.3–32.9%	26.9%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	18.1%	15.2–21.2%	14.8%	worse
Asthma	13.7%	12.2–15.4%	12.6%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	9.6%	8.7–10.5%	9.9%	about the same
Diabetes	11.7%	10.1–13.4%	11.2%	about the same
COPD	9.7%	8.2–11.2%	8.4%	about the same
Heart disease	8.2%	7.2–9.2%	7.6%	about the same
Stroke	3.9%	3.5–4.4%	3.6%	about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	18%	15–21.2%	14.4%	worse
Binge drink	15.1%	12.8–17.5%	15.5%	about the same
Get no exercise	25.2%	21.5–29.2%	23.1%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	34.2%	30.1–38.5%	32.8%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	80.6%	77.8–83.1%	81.2%	about the same
Dentist visit	62%	58.7–65.2%	63.8%	about the same
Cholesterol check	85.9%	83.9–87.7%	87.1%	about the same
Colon screening	68.4%	64.6–72.2%	70.5%	about the same
Mammogram	77.6%	71.8–82.7%	80.3%	about the same
Taking BP meds	76.7%	73.8–79.3%	76.4%	about the same
No health insurance	9.6%	7.7–11.8%	7.8%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	32.9%	29.3–36.8%	32%	about the same
Lack emotional support	24.3%	21.2–27.7%	22.7%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	19.8%	17.5–22.3%	17.7%	about the same
Fair or poor health	22%	18.9–25.2%	18.7%	worse
Frequent physical distress	16.4%	14.4–18.6%	14.3%	worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	13.2%	10.8–15.9%	10.7%	worse
Housing insecurity	12.1%	10.1–14.3%	9.8%	worse
Utility shut-off threat	8.9%	7.6–10.4%	7.4%	worse
No reliable transportation	9.1%	7.8–10.6%	7.8%	about the same
Receive SNAP	19%	15.7–22.5%	14.3%
Disability
Any disability	35.7%	31.7–39.9%	32.1%
Walking or climbing stairs	15.9%	13.7–18.3%	14%
Thinking or memory	17.6%	15.3–20.1%	15.5%
Hearing	9%	7.9–10.1%	8.4%
Vision	5.2%	4.5–5.9%	4.4%
Dressing or bathing	4.2%	3.6–4.8%	3.5%
Errands alone	9.8%	8.4–11.2%	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 Knox door to door.

Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Maine figure falls inside it, we don't call Knox better or worse.

Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Knox by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Knox 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.