Health · Ferndale

Ferndale, MI health

Ferndale differs from Michigan on 24 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults who have had a stroke (2% vs 3.7%) and fewer adults with COPD (4.5% vs 8.1%). Where it trails the state: more binge drinkers (20.1% vs 15.9%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · CDC's estimate for Ferndale
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Ferndale’s Health Grade: A

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Ferndale is healthier than 91% of U.S. towns and 96% of Michigan towns.

A+Self-rated healthA+Physical distressBMental distressA-ObesityA+DiabetesA-SmokingA+Exercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 91%
Less healthyHealthier
Michigan towns we grade (1,267)Healthier than 96%
Towns with similar incomes, $71K–$118K (8,658)Healthier than 95%

About what its income would suggest. Ferndale does about as well against towns with similar incomes as against all towns.

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Ferndale could be anywhere from A− to A+.
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 Michigan 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 Ferndale 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. Ferndale uses CDC’s own estimate for it. 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 Ferndale 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 Ferndale adults…

26 of every 100 Ferndale adults have high blood pressure
Michigan: 37 in 100 · better · margin 24–28.5%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Ferndale, betterFerndale, worseToo close to callMichigan
Get no exerciseshare of adults 15.7% Ferndale
MI 24.9%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 31% Ferndale
MI 34.7%
Binge drinkshare of adults 20.1% Ferndale
MI 15.9%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 10.8% Ferndale
MI 14.6%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

77%
Yearly checkup
MI 80%
74%
Dentist visit
MI 68%
88%
Cholesterol check
MI 87%
70%
Colon screening
MI 69%
77%
Mammogram
MI 77%
70%
Taking BP meds
MI 78%
1 in 19
working-age adults has no health insurance
Ferndale 5.2% · Michigan 1 in 14 (6.9%)
Mind & connection

How Ferndale adults are doing

1 in 3Ferndale adults feel lonely
31.5% · Michigan 32.4% · too close to call
1 in 4Ferndale adults have been diagnosed with depression
24% · Michigan 25.7% · too close to call
1 in 5Ferndale adults lack social or emotional support
20.2% · Michigan 23.1% · too close to call
1 in 6Ferndale adults are in frequent mental distress
16.7% · 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 10
Ferndale adults worry about having enough food
9.9% · MI 15.4% · better
1 in 11
Ferndale adults worry about keeping their housing
8.9% · MI 11.9% · better
1 in 16
Ferndale adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
6.3% · MI 8.7% · better
1 in 17
Ferndale adults lack reliable transportation
6% · MI 8.3% · better

8.2% of Ferndale adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.3% across Michigan.

Disability

Living with a disability

20.2%

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

Walking or climbing stairs7.2%
Thinking or memory11.9%
Hearing4.4%
Errands alone5.8%
Vision2.9%
Dressing or bathing2.2%

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

Around Ferndale

Ferndale 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 Ferndale.

Oak Park: 38.9% Hazel Park: 35.5% Royal Oak: 32.8% Pleasant Ridge: 28.4% Royal Oak: 29.6% Detroit: 45.6% Southfield: 39.5% Huntington Woods: 27.7% Berkley: 30% Warren: 39.1% Madison Heights: 32.6% Clawson: 31.1% Troy: 26.5% Dearborn: 33.7% River Rouge: 46.8% Grosse Pointe Park: 28% Dearborn Heights: 35% Melvindale: 40.8% Harper Woods: 40.7% Redford: 37.8% Lincoln Park: 37% Grosse Pointe Woods: 27.5% Ecorse: 42.7% Ferndale: 31.2% Ferndale Oak Park Hazel Park Royal Oak Pleasant Ridge Royal Oak Detroit Southeast Michigan Surgical Hospital · Warren · 2.5 miH Surgeons Choice Medical Center · Southfield · 3.6 miH Sinai-Grace Hospital · Detroit · 3.7 mi · 1★ MedicareH Ascension Providence Hospital, Southfield and Novi · Southfield · 3.8 mi · 4★ MedicareH Nolan Family Health Center · Highland Park · 2.3 mi+ Institute for Population Health Family Health Center · Detroit · 3.5 mi+
26.5%46.8%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#9 of 24towns on this map, healthiest first
Pleasant Ridge28.4%
Royal Oak29.6%
Ferndale31.2%
Royal Oak32.8%
Hazel Park35.5%
Oak Park38.9%
Detroit45.6%
6 places to get careNearest ER 3.7 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 Ferndale

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

HNearest ERSinai-Grace HospitalDetroit · 3.7 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyAscension Providence Hospital, Southfield and Novi★★★★★ · 3.8 miDirections →
+Low-cost careNolan Family Health CenterHighland Park · 2.3 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
2.3 mi
Nolan Family Health Center
Highland Park · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
2.5 mi
Southeast Michigan Surgical Hospital
Warren · not rated
3.5 mi
Institute for Population Health Family Health Center
Detroit · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
3.6 mi
Surgeons Choice Medical Center
Southfield · not rated
3.7 mi
Sinai-Grace Hospital
Detroit · ★★★★★
ER
3.8 mi
Ascension Providence Hospital, Southfield and Novi
Southfield · ★★★★★
ER
✓ Primary careFerndale is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careFerndale is not a shortage area
✓ Mental healthFerndale is not a shortage area

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 Ferndale. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.

All 40 measures for Ferndale
MeasureFerndaleMarginMichigan
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure26.2%24–28.5%36.7%better
High cholesterol28.2%25.8–30.6%35.4%better
Obesity31.2%27.7–34.7%36.2%better
Arthritis18.5%16.9–20.3%29.1%better
Depression24%21.5–26.6%25.7%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)6.7%5.4–8.1%10.2%better
Asthma10.8%9.7–12%11.5%about the same
Cancer (not skin)6.4%5.9–7%8.9%better
Diabetes6.7%5.9–7.6%11.9%better
COPD4.5%4–5.1%8.1%better
Heart disease3.9%3.5–4.3%7%better
Stroke2%1.8–2.1%3.7%better
Habits
Smoke cigarettes10.8%9.1–12.6%14.6%better
Binge drink20.1%17.6–22.9%15.9%worse
Get no exercise15.7%13.5–18.1%24.9%better
Sleep under 7 hours31%28–34.4%34.7%better
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup76.8%74–79.5%80.3%worse
Dentist visit74.3%71.9–76.7%68%better
Cholesterol check87.5%85.7–89%87.4%about the same
Colon screening70.4%67.2–73.7%69%about the same
Mammogram76.9%72–81.5%76.9%about the same
Taking BP meds69.6%66.8–72.2%77.6%worse
No health insurance5.2%4.4–6.3%6.9%better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely31.5%27.8–35.4%32.4%about the same
Lack emotional support20.2%17.5–23.2%23.1%about the same
Frequent mental distress16.7%14.9–18.6%17.6%about the same
Fair or poor health12.3%10.7–14%19.4%better
Frequent physical distress9.8%8.7–11%14%better
Everyday needs
Food insecurity9.9%8.3–11.8%15.4%better
Housing insecurity8.9%7.4–10.4%11.9%better
Utility shut-off threat6.3%5.3–7.4%8.7%better
No reliable transportation6%5.1–6.9%8.3%better
Receive SNAP8.2%6.7–9.9%14.3%
Disability
Any disability20.2%17.9–22.8%31.1%
Walking or climbing stairs7.2%6.3–8.2%14%
Thinking or memory11.9%10.4–13.5%14.3%
Hearing4.4%3.9–4.9%7.3%
Vision2.9%2.6–3.2%4.9%
Dressing or bathing2.2%2–2.4%3.8%
Errands alone5.8%5.1–6.5%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 Ferndale door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Michigan figure falls inside it, we don't call Ferndale better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Ferndale directly, so these are its own figures.

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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01