Health · Grayling
Grayling, MI health
Grayling differs from Michigan on 12 of 40 measures. It has more adults treating high blood pressure (80.9% vs 77.6%). Where it trails the state: more adults with COPD (11.6% vs 8.1%).
CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 49738TownTapestry Health GradeNew
C−
Grayling’s Health Grade: C−
On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Grayling is healthier than 22% of U.S. towns.
CSelf-rated healthDPhysical distressC+Mental distressC+ObesityC-DiabetesC-SmokingCExercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 22%
Less healthyHealthier
Michigan towns we grade (1,267)Healthier than 21%
Towns with similar incomes, $49K–$81K (9,113)Healthier than 26%
About what its income would suggest. Grayling does about as well against towns with similar incomes as against all towns.
These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Grayling could be anywhere from D− to B−.
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 Grayling 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. Grayling’s figures come from the ZIP codes that cover it, weighted by land area. 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 Grayling 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
37.6% have obesity
0 better4 close8 worse
Habits
28.9% get no exercise
0 better3 close1 worse
Care & screenings
81.9% had a checkup
1 better6 close0 worse
Mind & connection
31.3% feel lonely
0 better3 close2 worse
Everyday needs
15.2% face food insecurity
0 better5 close0 worse
Disability
37.1% have a disability
7 measures · shown without a better/worse judgment
Chronic conditions
Out of every 100 Grayling adults…
42 of every 100 Grayling adults have high blood pressure
Michigan: 37 in 100 · worse · margin 37.5–46.6%
Bars show Grayling; the black tick is Michigan. Tap a condition to see it as people.
Habits
Everyday habits, side by side with the state
Grayling, betterGrayling, worseToo close to callMichigan
Get no exerciseshare of adults
28.9% Grayling
MI 24.9%
MI 24.9%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults
32.2% Grayling
MI 34.7%
MI 34.7%
Binge drinkshare of adults
15.2% Grayling
MI 15.9%
MI 15.9%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults
17.8% Grayling
MI 14.6%
MI 14.6%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings
Keeping up with care
Share of Grayling 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
Grayling 6.9% · Michigan 1 in 14 (6.9%)
Mind & connection
How Grayling adults are doing
1 in 3Grayling adults feel lonely
31.3% · Michigan 32.4% · too close to call
1 in 4Grayling adults have been diagnosed with depression
27.8% · Michigan 25.7% · too close to call
1 in 5Grayling adults lack social or emotional support
21.9% · Michigan 23.1% · too close to call
1 in 6Grayling 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
Grayling adults worry about having enough food
15.2% · MI 15.4% · about the same
1 in 9
Grayling adults worry about keeping their housing
10.7% · MI 11.9% · about the same
1 in 12
Grayling adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
8.3% · MI 8.7% · about the same
1 in 12
Grayling adults lack reliable transportation
8.2% · MI 8.3% · about the same
15.8% of Grayling adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.3% across Michigan.
Disability
Living with a disability
37.1%
of Grayling adults live with a disability (Michigan 31.1%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Walking or climbing stairs18.5%
Thinking or memory15.6%
Hearing10.4%
Errands alone10.3%
Vision6%
Dressing or bathing4.9%
Black tick: Michigan. Shown without a better/worse judgment.
Around Grayling
Grayling 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.
36.1%41.1%· darker is worse for health
Obesity
#10 of 21towns on this map, healthiest first
Frederic36.1%
Maple Forest36.3%
South Branch37.2%
Beaver Creek37.3%
Lovells37.5%
Grayling37.6%
Bear Lake38.4%
Care nearby
Munson Healthcare Grayling HospitalGrayling · 3.3 mi · ★★★★★ · ER
DirectionsMedicare profile
Munson Healthcare Otsego Memorial HospitalGaylord · 24.7 mi · ★★★★★
DirectionsMedicare profile
Kalkaska Memorial Health CenterKalkaska · 26.7 mi · ER · rural critical access
DirectionsMedicare profile
Mymichigan Medical Center West BranchWest Branch · 31.9 mi · ★★★★★ · ER
DirectionsMedicare profile
Midmichigan Medical Offices - RoscommonRoscommon · 12.6 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees
Directions
Northern Michigan Children's Assessment CenterRoscommon · 12.7 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees
Directions
! Primary careGrayling's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Crawford/Otsego Counties · need score 13 of 25
! Dental careGrayling's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Crawford County · need score 15 of 25
! Mental healthGrayling's county is a federal shortage area.North Central · need score 16 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 Grayling. 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 Grayling
| Measure | Grayling | Margin | Michigan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions | ||||
| High blood pressure | 42% | 37.5–46.6% | 36.7% | worse |
| High cholesterol | 39.2% | 34.8–43.9% | 35.4% | about the same |
| Obesity | 37.6% | 29.8–46.1% | 36.2% | about the same |
| Arthritis | 36.5% | 32.7–40.4% | 29.1% | worse |
| Depression | 27.8% | 23.9–31.9% | 25.7% | about the same |
| Lost all teeth (65+) | 13.6% | 11–16.5% | 10.2% | worse |
| Asthma | 11.7% | 10.4–13.2% | 11.5% | about the same |
| Cancer (not skin) | 11.5% | 10.5–12.6% | 8.9% | worse |
| Diabetes | 14.7% | 12.8–16.8% | 11.9% | worse |
| COPD | 11.6% | 10.3–12.9% | 8.1% | worse |
| Heart disease | 9.9% | 9–11% | 7% | worse |
| Stroke | 4.8% | 4.4–5.3% | 3.7% | worse |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 17.8% | 15.3–20.3% | 14.6% | worse |
| Binge drink | 15.2% | 12.5–18.3% | 15.9% | about the same |
| Get no exercise | 28.9% | 24.3–33.8% | 24.9% | about the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 32.2% | 26–38.9% | 34.7% | about the same |
| Care & screenings | ||||
| Yearly checkup | 81.9% | 78.7–85% | 80.3% | about the same |
| Dentist visit | 65.8% | 62.3–69.4% | 68% | about the same |
| Cholesterol check | 88.3% | 86.7–89.7% | 87.4% | about the same |
| Colon screening | 71% | 66.4–75.5% | 69% | about the same |
| Mammogram | 75.2% | 67.4–81.9% | 76.9% | about the same |
| Taking BP meds | 80.9% | 78.1–83.6% | 77.6% | better |
| No health insurance | 6.9% | 5.9–8.3% | 6.9% | about the same |
| Mind & connection | ||||
| Feel lonely | 31.3% | 26.4–36.4% | 32.4% | about the same |
| Lack emotional support | 21.9% | 18.5–25.5% | 23.1% | about the same |
| Frequent mental distress | 17.9% | 16–20% | 17.6% | about the same |
| Fair or poor health | 22.9% | 20.1–25.9% | 19.4% | worse |
| Frequent physical distress | 17% | 15–19% | 14% | worse |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Food insecurity | 15.2% | 13–17.8% | 15.4% | about the same |
| Housing insecurity | 10.7% | 9.2–12.5% | 11.9% | about the same |
| Utility shut-off threat | 8.3% | 7.3–9.6% | 8.7% | about the same |
| No reliable transportation | 8.2% | 7.2–9.2% | 8.3% | about the same |
| Receive SNAP | 15.8% | 13.6–18.5% | 14.3% | |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 37.1% | 32.6–41.7% | 31.1% | |
| Walking or climbing stairs | 18.5% | 16.2–20.9% | 14% | |
| Thinking or memory | 15.6% | 13.9–17.5% | 14.3% | |
| Hearing | 10.4% | 9.3–11.6% | 7.3% | |
| Vision | 6% | 5.4–6.6% | 4.9% | |
| Dressing or bathing | 4.9% | 4.4–5.4% | 3.8% | |
| Errands alone | 10.3% | 9.2–11.5% | 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 Grayling door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Michigan figure falls inside it, we don't call Grayling better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Grayling by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Grayling by how much of its land each one covers (84% of the town has data).
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.