Health · Lake

Lake, MI health

Lake differs from Michigan on 14 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing food insecurity (9.7% vs 15.4%) and fewer adults facing housing insecurity (7.5% vs 11.9%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (13.2% vs 8.9%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 49640, 49635, 49617
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Lake’s Health Grade: B

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Lake is healthier than 61% of U.S. towns and 74% of Michigan towns.

B+Self-rated healthB-Physical distressB+Mental distressB-ObesityB-DiabetesBSmokingBExercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 61%
Less healthyHealthier
Michigan towns we grade (1,267)Healthier than 74%
Towns with similar incomes, $62K–$104K (9,662)Healthier than 62%

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

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Lake could be anywhere from C 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 Lake 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. Lake’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 Lake 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 Lake adults…

42 of every 100 Lake adults have high blood pressure
Michigan: 37 in 100 · too close to call · margin 36.7–46.2%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Lake, betterLake, worseToo close to callMichigan
Get no exerciseshare of adults 23.4% Lake
MI 24.9%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 28.6% Lake
MI 34.7%
Binge drinkshare of adults 14.3% Lake
MI 15.9%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 12.8% Lake
MI 14.6%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

83%
Yearly checkup
MI 80%
72%
Dentist visit
MI 68%
91%
Cholesterol check
MI 87%
75%
Colon screening
MI 69%
75%
Mammogram
MI 77%
82%
Taking BP meds
MI 78%
1 in 20
working-age adults has no health insurance
Lake 5.1% · Michigan 1 in 14 (6.9%)
Mind & connection

How Lake adults are doing

1 in 3Lake adults feel lonely
28.8% · Michigan 32.4% · too close to call
1 in 4Lake adults have been diagnosed with depression
25% · Michigan 25.7% · too close to call
1 in 5Lake adults lack social or emotional support
19.8% · Michigan 23.1% · too close to call
1 in 7Lake adults are in frequent mental distress
14.9% · Michigan 17.6% · better
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
Lake adults worry about having enough food
9.7% · MI 15.4% · better
1 in 13
Lake adults worry about keeping their housing
7.5% · MI 11.9% · better
1 in 18
Lake adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5.5% · MI 8.7% · better
1 in 18
Lake adults lack reliable transportation
5.6% · MI 8.3% · better

9.1% of Lake adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.3% across Michigan.

Disability

Living with a disability

32.7%

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

Walking or climbing stairs15.7%
Thinking or memory12.3%
Hearing9.7%
Errands alone7.8%
Vision4.5%
Dressing or bathing3.7%

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

Around Lake

Lake 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 Lake.

Benzonia: 36.1% Platte: 34.9% Crystal Lake: 34.2% Joyfield: 35.9% Homestead: 35.9% Weldon: 38.1% Almira: 35.1% Empire: 31.3% Inland: 36% Frankfort: 33.1% Gilmore: 34.6% Elberta: 36.7% Lake: 34.8% Lake Benzonia Platte Crystal Lake Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital · Frankfort · 7.2 miH Northwest Michigan Health Services · Benzonia · 5.7 mi+
31.3%38.1%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#5 of 13towns on this map, healthiest first
Crystal Lake34.2%
Lake34.8%
Platte34.9%
Benzonia36.1%
6 places to get careNearest ER 7.2 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 Lake

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

HNearest ERPaul Oliver Memorial HospitalFrankfort · 7.2 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyMunson Medical Center★★★★★ · 24.8 miDirections →
+Low-cost careNorthwest Michigan Health ServicesBenzonia · 5.7 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
5.7 mi
Northwest Michigan Health Services
4 sites · nearest in Benzonia
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
7.2 mi
Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital
Frankfort · not rated
ERRural critical access
24.8 mi
Munson Medical Center
Traverse City · ★★★★★
ER
27 mi
Traverse Health Clinic and Coalition
Traverse City · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
31 mi
Munson Healthcare Manistee Hospital
Manistee · ★★★★★
ER
47.3 mi
Kalkaska Memorial Health Center
Kalkaska · not rated
ERRural critical access
! Primary careLake's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.ME - Benzie County · need score 12 of 25
✓ Dental careLake is not a shortage area
! Mental healthLake's county is a federal shortage area.Centra Wellness Network MHCA · need score 13 of 25

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 Lake. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Lake
MeasureLakeMarginMichigan
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure41.5%36.7–46.2%36.7%about the same
High cholesterol40%35.3–45%35.4%about the same
Obesity34.8%26.9–43.7%36.2%about the same
Arthritis37%33–41.1%29.1%worse
Depression25%21.2–29%25.7%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)9.9%8–12%10.2%about the same
Asthma10.9%9.6–12.3%11.5%about the same
Cancer (not skin)13.2%11.9–14.5%8.9%worse
Diabetes13.2%11.2–15.3%11.9%about the same
COPD9.2%7.7–10.7%8.1%about the same
Heart disease9%7.9–10.2%7%worse
Stroke4.3%3.8–4.8%3.7%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes12.8%10.4–15.3%14.6%about the same
Binge drink14.3%11.6–17.4%15.9%about the same
Get no exercise23.4%18.9–28.4%24.9%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours28.6%22.8–34.7%34.7%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup83.3%80.2–86.1%80.3%about the same
Dentist visit71.9%68.6–75%68%better
Cholesterol check91%89.6–92.3%87.4%better
Colon screening75.2%70.6–79.2%69%better
Mammogram74.9%66.9–81.5%76.9%about the same
Taking BP meds82.3%79.4–84.9%77.6%better
No health insurance5.1%4–6.4%6.9%better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely28.8%24.1–33.6%32.4%about the same
Lack emotional support19.8%16.5–23.1%23.1%about the same
Frequent mental distress14.9%13–17%17.6%better
Fair or poor health18.1%15.2–21.3%19.4%about the same
Frequent physical distress14.7%12.6–16.7%14%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity9.7%7.7–11.9%15.4%better
Housing insecurity7.5%6.1–8.8%11.9%better
Utility shut-off threat5.5%4.7–6.5%8.7%better
No reliable transportation5.6%4.7–6.5%8.3%better
Receive SNAP9.1%7.2–11.3%14.3%
Disability
Any disability32.7%27.9–37.5%31.1%
Walking or climbing stairs15.7%13.1–18.3%14%
Thinking or memory12.3%10.5–14.2%14.3%
Hearing9.7%8.5–11.1%7.3%
Vision4.5%3.9–5.1%4.9%
Dressing or bathing3.7%3.2–4.2%3.8%
Errands alone7.8%6.7–9.1%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 Lake door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Michigan figure falls inside it, we don't call Lake better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Lake by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Lake 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.

The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Lake, MIBenzie CountyView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map
Loading boundary…

Lake is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01