Health · Boston

Boston, MI health

Boston differs from Michigan on 6 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing food insecurity (11.7% vs 15.4%) and fewer adults facing a utility shut-off (6.8% vs 8.7%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 48881, 49331, 48815

Report card

How Boston compares with Michigan

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 Boston adults…

35 of every 100 Boston adults have high blood pressure

Michigan: 37 in 100 · too close to call · margin 31.2–38.7%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Boston, betterBoston, worseToo close to callMichigan

Get no exerciseshare of adults 22.2% Boston
MI 24.9%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 33.4% Boston
MI 34.7%

Binge drinkshare of adults 17.5% Boston
MI 15.9%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 14.5% Boston
MI 14.6%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

Yearly checkup

MI 80%

Dentist visit

MI 68%

Cholesterol check

MI 87%

Colon screening

MI 69%

Mammogram

MI 77%

Taking BP meds

MI 78%

1 in 17

working-age adults has no health insurance

Boston 5.9% · Michigan 1 in 14 (6.9%)

Mind & connection

How Boston adults are doing

1 in 3Boston adults feel lonely

31.5% · Michigan 32.4% · too close to call

1 in 4Boston adults have been diagnosed with depression

27.7% · Michigan 25.7% · too close to call

1 in 5Boston adults lack social or emotional support

21.7% · Michigan 23.1% · too close to call

1 in 6Boston adults are in frequent mental distress

17.5% · Michigan 17.6% · 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

Boston adults worry about having enough food

11.7% · MI 15.4% · better

1 in 11

Boston adults worry about keeping their housing

9.4% · MI 11.9% · better

1 in 15

Boston adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

6.8% · MI 8.7% · better

1 in 15

Boston adults lack reliable transportation

6.6% · MI 8.3% · better

10.5% of Boston adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.3% across Michigan.

Disability

Living with a disability

28.8%

of Boston adults live with a disability (Michigan 31.1%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs12.3%

Thinking or memory13.8%

Hearing7.1%

Errands alone7.7%

Vision4.1%

Dressing or bathing3.3%

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

Around Boston

Boston 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.

30.2%44.1%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#8 of 17towns on this map, healthiest first

Lowell34.2%

Boston37.5%

Campbell37.6%

Keene38.8%

Berlin40.8%

Care nearby

Sparrow Ionia HospitalIonia · 9.5 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Corewell Health Pennock HospitalHastings · 17.5 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Spectrum Health United HospitalGreenville · 19.4 mi · ★★★★★ Directions Medicare profile

Mercy Health Saint Mary'sGrand Rapids · 21.3 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Great Lakes Bay Health Centers BeldingBelding · 13.9 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Barry Community Health CenterHastings · 17.1 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

! Primary careBoston's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.ME-Ionia County · need score 13 of 25

! Dental careBoston's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.ME - Ionia County · need score 12 of 25

! Mental healthBoston's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.MHCA Ionia County · need score 18 of 25

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 Boston. 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 Boston

Measure	Boston	Margin	Michigan
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	34.9%	31.2–38.7%	36.7%	about the same
High cholesterol	34.1%	30.3–38%	35.4%	about the same
Obesity	37.5%	31.1–44.1%	36.2%	about the same
Arthritis	29.1%	26–32.3%	29.1%	about the same
Depression	27.7%	24.1–31.4%	25.7%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	9%	7.3–10.9%	10.2%	about the same
Asthma	11.3%	10–12.6%	11.5%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	9.4%	8.5–10.3%	8.9%	about the same
Diabetes	10.6%	9.2–12.2%	11.9%	about the same
COPD	7.6%	6.6–8.5%	8.1%	about the same
Heart disease	6.5%	5.7–7.2%	7%	about the same
Stroke	3.2%	2.9–3.5%	3.7%	better
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	14.5%	12.2–16.8%	14.6%	about the same
Binge drink	17.5%	14.7–20.7%	15.9%	about the same
Get no exercise	22.2%	18.5–26%	24.9%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	33.4%	28.2–38.9%	34.7%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	79.5%	76.3–82.6%	80.3%	about the same
Dentist visit	70.5%	67.5–73.5%	68%	about the same
Cholesterol check	87.9%	86.1–89.4%	87.4%	about the same
Colon screening	70.4%	66.1–74.5%	69%	about the same
Mammogram	76.9%	70.1–82.7%	76.9%	about the same
Taking BP meds	75.6%	72.4–78.5%	77.6%	about the same
No health insurance	5.9%	4.9–7.1%	6.9%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	31.5%	26.9–36.4%	32.4%	about the same
Lack emotional support	21.7%	18.5–25.1%	23.1%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	17.5%	15.5–19.6%	17.6%	about the same
Fair or poor health	17%	14.7–19.3%	19.4%	better
Frequent physical distress	13.4%	11.8–15.2%	14%	about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	11.7%	9.8–13.9%	15.4%	better
Housing insecurity	9.4%	8–11%	11.9%	better
Utility shut-off threat	6.8%	5.8–7.9%	8.7%	better
No reliable transportation	6.6%	5.7–7.6%	8.3%	better
Receive SNAP	10.5%	8.7–12.5%	14.3%
Disability
Any disability	28.8%	24.9–32.6%	31.1%
Walking or climbing stairs	12.3%	10.6–14%	14%
Thinking or memory	13.8%	12.1–15.5%	14.3%
Hearing	7.1%	6.3–8%	7.3%
Vision	4.1%	3.6–4.5%	4.9%
Dressing or bathing	3.3%	2.9–3.7%	3.8%
Errands alone	7.7%	6.8–8.7%	8.6%

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 Boston door to door.

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

Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Boston by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Boston by how much of its land each one covers.

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