Health · Elk

Elk, MI health

Elk differs from Michigan on 19 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing housing insecurity (9.5% vs 11.9%) and fewer binge drinkers (13.1% vs 15.9%). Where it trails the state: more adults with heart disease (12.2% vs 7%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 49644 (all of Elk)

Report card

How Elk 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 Elk adults…

49 of every 100 Elk adults have high blood pressure

Michigan: 37 in 100 · worse · margin 43.8–53.2%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Elk, betterElk, worseToo close to callMichigan

Get no exerciseshare of adults 31.3% Elk
MI 24.9%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 32.5% Elk
MI 34.7%

Binge drinkshare of adults 13.1% Elk
MI 15.9%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 18.5% Elk
MI 14.6%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Elk 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 14

working-age adults has no health insurance

Elk 7% · Michigan 1 in 14 (6.9%)

Mind & connection

How Elk adults are doing

1 in 3Elk adults feel lonely

30% · Michigan 32.4% · too close to call

1 in 4Elk adults have been diagnosed with depression

25.8% · Michigan 25.7% · too close to call

1 in 5Elk adults lack social or emotional support

22.1% · Michigan 23.1% · too close to call

1 in 6Elk adults are in frequent mental distress

16.1% · 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 7

Elk adults worry about having enough food

14.7% · MI 15.4% · about the same

1 in 11

Elk adults worry about keeping their housing

9.5% · MI 11.9% · better

1 in 14

Elk adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

7.3% · MI 8.7% · better

1 in 13

Elk adults lack reliable transportation

7.5% · MI 8.3% · about the same

14.9% of Elk adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.3% across Michigan.

Disability

Living with a disability

39.5%

of Elk adults live with a disability (Michigan 31.1%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs21.9%

Thinking or memory15%

Hearing12.3%

Errands alone10.7%

Vision6.6%

Dressing or bathing5.6%

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

Around Elk

Elk 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.

37.1%42.5%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#2 of 15towns on this map, healthiest first

Elk37.4%

Eden37.5%

Meade39.3%

Norman39.5%

Sauble40.2%

Care nearby

Munson Healthcare Manistee HospitalManistee · 17.9 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Corewell Health Ludington HospitalLudington · 23.5 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Corewell Health Reed City HospitalReed City · 28.2 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Munson Healthcare Cadillac HospitalCadillac · 30.1 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Baldwin Family Health CareBaldwin · 16.5 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Family Health Care - Ashby Center Vision DepartmentBaldwin · 16.8 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

! Primary careElk's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Lake County · need score 20 of 25

! Dental careElk's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Lake/Osceola Counties · need score 18 of 25

! Mental healthElk's county is a federal shortage area.Lake County · need score 19 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 Elk. 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 Elk

Measure	Elk	Margin	Michigan
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	48.6%	43.8–53.2%	36.7%	worse
High cholesterol	44.2%	39.4–48.8%	35.4%	worse
Obesity	37.4%	29.7–45.5%	36.2%	about the same
Arthritis	43%	38.8–47.2%	29.1%	worse
Depression	25.8%	22.2–29.7%	25.7%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	17%	13.8–20.6%	10.2%	worse
Asthma	11.5%	10.1–12.9%	11.5%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	13.7%	12.4–15.1%	8.9%	worse
Diabetes	17.3%	14.7–19.9%	11.9%	worse
COPD	13.9%	11.5–16.5%	8.1%	worse
Heart disease	12.2%	10.5–13.9%	7%	worse
Stroke	5.8%	5–6.6%	3.7%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	18.5%	14.8–22.1%	14.6%	worse
Binge drink	13.1%	10.8–15.7%	15.9%	better
Get no exercise	31.3%	25.8–37.2%	24.9%	worse
Sleep under 7 hours	32.5%	26.1–39.2%	34.7%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	84%	81.2–86.6%	80.3%	better
Dentist visit	65.5%	61.8–68.9%	68%	about the same
Cholesterol check	90.6%	89.1–91.9%	87.4%	better
Colon screening	70.7%	65.7–75.3%	69%	about the same
Mammogram	71.5%	63.1–79%	76.9%	about the same
Taking BP meds	84.1%	81.5–86.5%	77.6%	better
No health insurance	7%	5.3–8.9%	6.9%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	30%	25.3–35.2%	32.4%	about the same
Lack emotional support	22.1%	18.6–26%	23.1%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	16.1%	14–18.1%	17.6%	about the same
Fair or poor health	25.3%	20.9–29.9%	19.4%	worse
Frequent physical distress	18.8%	16.1–21.7%	14%	worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	14.7%	11.6–18.1%	15.4%	about the same
Housing insecurity	9.5%	7.8–11.5%	11.9%	better
Utility shut-off threat	7.3%	6.2–8.6%	8.7%	better
No reliable transportation	7.5%	6.3–8.8%	8.3%	about the same
Receive SNAP	14.9%	11.7–18.3%	14.3%
Disability
Any disability	39.5%	33.9–45.2%	31.1%
Walking or climbing stairs	21.9%	18.3–25.9%	14%
Thinking or memory	15%	12.7–17.5%	14.3%
Hearing	12.3%	10.7–13.9%	7.3%
Vision	6.6%	5.6–7.8%	4.9%
Dressing or bathing	5.6%	4.7–6.7%	3.8%
Errands alone	10.7%	8.9–12.5%	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 Elk door to door.

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

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