Health · Merrill

Merrill, ME health

Merrill differs from Maine on 20 of 40 measures. It has fewer binge drinkers (13.1% vs 15.5%). Where it trails the state: more older adults who have lost all their teeth (24.2% vs 14.8%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 04780 (all of Merrill)
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 372 people are less certain, so we show Merrill's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Merrill 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 Merrill adults…

43 of every 100 Merrill adults have high blood pressure
Maine: 36 in 100 · worse · margin 39.8–46.4%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Merrill, betterMerrill, worseToo close to callMaine
Get no exerciseshare of adults 33.2% Merrill
ME 23.1%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 37.9% Merrill
ME 32.8%
Binge drinkshare of adults 13.1% Merrill
ME 15.5%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 19.9% Merrill
ME 14.4%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

82%
Yearly checkup
ME 81%
52%
Dentist visit
ME 64%
86%
Cholesterol check
ME 87%
71%
Colon screening
ME 71%
77%
Mammogram
ME 80%
79%
Taking BP meds
ME 76%
1 in 11
working-age adults has no health insurance
Merrill 9.3% · Maine 1 in 13 (7.8%)
Mind & connection

How Merrill adults are doing

1 in 3Merrill adults feel lonely
34.8% · Maine 32% · too close to call
1 in 4Merrill adults have been diagnosed with depression
27.2% · Maine 26.9% · too close to call
1 in 4Merrill adults lack social or emotional support
25.6% · Maine 22.7% · too close to call
1 in 5Merrill 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 7
Merrill adults worry about having enough food
15.3% · ME 10.7% · worse
1 in 8
Merrill adults worry about keeping their housing
12.5% · ME 9.8% · worse
1 in 10
Merrill adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
9.7% · ME 7.4% · worse
1 in 10
Merrill adults lack reliable transportation
9.7% · ME 7.8% · worse

22.9% of Merrill adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.3% across Maine.

Disability

Living with a disability

39.7%

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

Walking or climbing stairs19.4%
Thinking or memory18.6%
Hearing10.2%
Errands alone10.6%
Vision6%
Dressing or bathing5%

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

Around Merrill

Merrill and the towns around it

Pick a measure to shade the map. Darker is worse for health.

Moro plantation: 41.3% Dyer Brook: 41.8% Smyrna: 41.3% Hersey: 41.4% Oakfield: 42.1% Island Falls: 41.8% Ludlow: 41.1% New Limerick: 42% Hammond: 41.1% Merrill: 41.3% Merrill Moro plantation Dyer Brook Smyrna
41.1%42.1%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#3 of 10towns on this map, healthiest first
Merrill41.3%
Moro plantation41.3%
Smyrna41.3%
Dyer Brook41.8%
6 places to get careNearest ER 20.5 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 Merrill

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

HNearest ERHoulton Regional HospitalHoulton · 20.5 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyNorthern Light A R Gould Hospital★★★★★ · 38.1 miDirections →
+Low-cost careKatahdin Valley Health CenterPatten · 14.8 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
14.8 mi
Katahdin Valley Health Center
5 sites · nearest in Patten
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
20.5 mi
Houlton Regional Hospital
Houlton · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
38.1 mi
Northern Light A R Gould Hospital
Presque Isle · ★★★★★
ER
38.5 mi
Pines Presque Isle Family Health Center
Presque Isle · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
41.8 mi
Millinocket Regional Hospital
Millinocket · not rated
ERRural critical access
50 mi
Cary Medical Center
Caribou · ★★★★★
ER
! Primary careMerrill is a federal shortage area.Island Falls · need score 13 of 25
! Dental careMerrill is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Houlton · need score 18 of 25
! Mental healthMerrill is a federal shortage area.Houlton · 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 Merrill. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Merrill
MeasureMerrillMarginMaine
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure43.1%39.8–46.4%35.7%worse
High cholesterol41.3%38–44.5%37.4%worse
Obesity41.3%36.6–46.3%32.7%worse
Arthritis36.7%33.8–39.7%32%worse
Depression27.2%24.2–30.5%26.9%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)24.2%20.7–28%14.8%worse
Asthma14%12.5–15.6%12.6%about the same
Cancer (not skin)10%9–11%9.9%about the same
Diabetes15%13.2–17%11.2%worse
COPD11.9%10.3–13.7%8.4%worse
Heart disease9.5%8.5–10.7%7.6%worse
Stroke4.6%4.1–5.2%3.6%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes19.9%16.9–23.2%14.4%worse
Binge drink13.1%11–15.3%15.5%better
Get no exercise33.2%29–37.7%23.1%worse
Sleep under 7 hours37.9%33.6–42.4%32.8%worse
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup81.9%79.2–84.4%81.2%about the same
Dentist visit52.3%48.9–55.5%63.8%worse
Cholesterol check85.6%83.6–87.6%87.1%about the same
Colon screening70.8%67.1–74.7%70.5%about the same
Mammogram77.2%71.7–82.4%80.3%about the same
Taking BP meds78.6%76–81%76.4%about the same
No health insurance9.3%7.4–11.7%7.8%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely34.8%31–38.6%32%about the same
Lack emotional support25.6%22.4–29%22.7%about the same
Frequent mental distress19.8%17.7–22.1%17.7%about the same
Fair or poor health25.1%21.9–28.5%18.7%worse
Frequent physical distress18.3%16.2–20.6%14.3%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity15.3%12.6–18.2%10.7%worse
Housing insecurity12.5%10.5–14.6%9.8%worse
Utility shut-off threat9.7%8.3–11.2%7.4%worse
No reliable transportation9.7%8.4–11.2%7.8%worse
Receive SNAP22.9%19.3–26.7%14.3%
Disability
Any disability39.7%35.6–44.1%32.1%
Walking or climbing stairs19.4%16.9–22%14%
Thinking or memory18.6%16.3–21.1%15.5%
Hearing10.2%9.1–11.4%8.4%
Vision6%5.2–6.8%4.4%
Dressing or bathing5%4.3–5.7%3.5%
Errands alone10.6%9.2–12.1%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 Merrill door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Maine figure falls inside it, we don't call Merrill better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Merrill by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Merrill 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.

The door’s open

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