Health · Foster

Foster, MI health

Foster differs from Michigan on 11 of 40 measures. Where it trails the state most: more adults with COPD (11.1% vs 8.1%) and more adults with heart disease (9.5% vs 7%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 48661, 48654

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 851 people are less certain, so we show Foster's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Foster 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 Foster adults…

42 of every 100 Foster adults have high blood pressure

Michigan: 37 in 100 · worse · margin 37.3–46.4%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Foster, betterFoster, worseToo close to callMichigan

Get no exerciseshare of adults 28.2% Foster
MI 24.9%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 36.3% Foster
MI 34.7%

Binge drinkshare of adults 14.8% Foster
MI 15.9%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 17.2% Foster
MI 14.6%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Foster 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

Foster 6.9% · Michigan 1 in 14 (6.9%)

Mind & connection

How Foster adults are doing

1 in 3Foster adults feel lonely

31.4% · Michigan 32.4% · too close to call

1 in 4Foster adults have been diagnosed with depression

27.7% · Michigan 25.7% · too close to call

1 in 5Foster adults lack social or emotional support

22.2% · Michigan 23.1% · too close to call

1 in 6Foster adults are in frequent mental distress

17.9% · 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

Foster adults worry about having enough food

14.6% · MI 15.4% · about the same

1 in 10

Foster adults worry about keeping their housing

10.4% · MI 11.9% · about the same

1 in 13

Foster adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

7.9% · MI 8.7% · about the same

1 in 13

Foster adults lack reliable transportation

7.8% · MI 8.3% · about the same

14.7% of Foster adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.3% across Michigan.

Disability

Living with a disability

37.2%

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

Walking or climbing stairs18.2%

Thinking or memory15.6%

Hearing10.1%

Errands alone10%

Vision5.7%

Dressing or bathing4.6%

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

Around Foster

Foster 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.

37.2%42.9%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#3 of 20towns on this map, healthiest first

Foster38.4%

Ogemaw38.4%

Klacking38.7%

Big Creek39.1%

Rose39.2%

Au Sable41.1%

Richfield42.9%

Care nearby

Mymichigan Medical Center West BranchWest Branch · 8.2 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Munson Healthcare Grayling HospitalGrayling · 26.2 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Mymichigan Medical Center GladwinGladwin · 32.9 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Saint Mary's Standish Community HospitalStandish · 34.9 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Sterling Area Health Center - West Branch ClinicWest Branch · 11.4 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Midmichigan Medical Offices-West BranchWest Branch · 11.4 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

! Primary careFoster's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Arenac/Ogemaw Counties · need score 17 of 25

! Dental careFoster's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Ogemaw County · need score 9 of 25

! Mental healthFoster's county is a federal shortage area.AuSable Valley Catchment Area · need score 17 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 Foster. 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 Foster

Measure	Foster	Margin	Michigan
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	41.8%	37.3–46.4%	36.7%	worse
High cholesterol	38.8%	34.4–43.5%	35.4%	about the same
Obesity	38.4%	30.6–47.1%	36.2%	about the same
Arthritis	37%	33.2–41%	29.1%	worse
Depression	27.7%	23.7–32%	25.7%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	13.7%	11.1–16.6%	10.2%	worse
Asthma	11.8%	10.4–13.3%	11.5%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	11.4%	10.4–12.6%	8.9%	worse
Diabetes	14.2%	12.3–16.4%	11.9%	worse
COPD	11.1%	9.8–12.5%	8.1%	worse
Heart disease	9.5%	8.4–10.5%	7%	worse
Stroke	4.6%	4.2–5.1%	3.7%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	17.2%	14.7–19.8%	14.6%	worse
Binge drink	14.8%	12.1–17.8%	15.9%	about the same
Get no exercise	28.2%	23.6–33.1%	24.9%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	36.3%	29.5–43.3%	34.7%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	81.1%	77.9–84.3%	80.3%	about the same
Dentist visit	66.5%	62.7–69.8%	68%	about the same
Cholesterol check	87.9%	86.3–89.5%	87.4%	about the same
Colon screening	70.6%	65.6–75.1%	69%	about the same
Mammogram	74.5%	65.9–81.4%	76.9%	about the same
Taking BP meds	80.5%	77.6–83.2%	77.6%	about the same
No health insurance	6.9%	5.7–8.3%	6.9%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	31.4%	26.4–36.6%	32.4%	about the same
Lack emotional support	22.2%	18.8–25.8%	23.1%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	17.9%	15.8–20.1%	17.6%	about the same
Fair or poor health	22.5%	19.6–25.5%	19.4%	worse
Frequent physical distress	16.7%	14.8–18.8%	14%	worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	14.6%	12.3–17%	15.4%	about the same
Housing insecurity	10.4%	8.8–12.1%	11.9%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	7.9%	6.8–9%	8.7%	about the same
No reliable transportation	7.8%	6.8–8.9%	8.3%	about the same
Receive SNAP	14.7%	12.5–17%	14.3%
Disability
Any disability	37.2%	32.5–42%	31.1%
Walking or climbing stairs	18.2%	15.8–20.5%	14%
Thinking or memory	15.6%	13.8–17.5%	14.3%
Hearing	10.1%	9–11.2%	7.3%
Vision	5.7%	5.1–6.3%	4.9%
Dressing or bathing	4.6%	4.2–5.1%	3.8%
Errands alone	10%	8.9–11.2%	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 Foster door to door.

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

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