Health · Forest

Forest, MO health

Forest differs from Missouri on 7 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing a utility shut-off (7.3% vs 9%) and more adults treating high blood pressure (80.7% vs 77.2%). Where it trails the state: more adults with heart disease (8.5% vs 6.8%).

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

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 193 people are less certain, so we show Forest's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Forest compares with Missouri

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 Forest adults…

39 of every 100 Forest adults have high blood pressure
Missouri: 37 in 100 · too close to call · margin 35.3–44%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Forest, betterForest, worseToo close to callMissouri
Get no exerciseshare of adults 32.1% Forest
MO 28.8%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 37% Forest
MO 36.5%
Binge drinkshare of adults 15.2% Forest
MO 16.3%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 17% Forest
MO 16%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

80%
Yearly checkup
MO 78%
58%
Dentist visit
MO 60%
85%
Cholesterol check
MO 85%
63%
Colon screening
MO 64%
72%
Mammogram
MO 75%
81%
Taking BP meds
MO 77%
1 in 13
working-age adults has no health insurance
Forest 7.9% · Missouri 1 in 11 (8.7%)
Mind & connection

How Forest adults are doing

1 in 3Forest adults feel lonely
30.8% · Missouri 31.7% · too close to call
1 in 4Forest adults have been diagnosed with depression
25.3% · Missouri 24.3% · too close to call
1 in 5Forest adults lack social or emotional support
19.2% · Missouri 20.1% · too close to call
1 in 6Forest adults are in frequent mental distress
17.9% · Missouri 17.5% · 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 8
Forest adults worry about having enough food
12.1% · MO 13.7% · about the same
1 in 10
Forest adults worry about keeping their housing
10.2% · MO 12.1% · about the same
1 in 14
Forest adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
7.3% · MO 9% · better
1 in 13
Forest adults lack reliable transportation
7.5% · MO 8.4% · about the same

9.3% of Forest adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 10.8% across Missouri.

Disability

Living with a disability

39%

of Forest adults live with a disability (Missouri 36.2%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs17.7%
Thinking or memory18%
Hearing10.2%
Errands alone9.7%
Vision5.2%
Dressing or bathing4.1%

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

Getting care

Care in and near Forest

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

HNearest ERHiawatha Community HospitalHiawatha · 20.3 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyCommunity Medical Center★★★★★ · 21.9 miDirections →
+Low-cost careNorthwest Health ServicesMound City · 11.1 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
11.1 mi
Northwest Health Services
7 sites · nearest in Mound City
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
20.3 mi
Hiawatha Community Hospital
Hiawatha · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
21.9 mi
Community Medical Center
Falls City · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
25 mi
Swope Health Kidscare - St. Joseph
Saint Joseph · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
26 mi
Community Hospital Association
Fairfax · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
26.5 mi
Mosaic Life Care at St. Joseph
Saint Joseph · ★★★★★
ER
✓ Primary careForest is not a shortage area
! Dental careForest's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Holt/Atchison Counties · need score 16 of 25
! Mental healthForest's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, St. Joseph MHCA #1 · need score 18 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 Forest. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Forest
MeasureForestMarginMissouri
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure39.4%35.3–44%36.5%about the same
High cholesterol40.9%36.6–45.6%37.5%about the same
Obesity36.2%28.8–45%36.6%about the same
Arthritis33.1%29.8–37%28.8%worse
Depression25.3%21.8–29.4%24.3%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)16.7%13.4–20%15.8%about the same
Asthma10.9%9.7–12.4%10.6%about the same
Cancer (not skin)10.3%9.3–11.5%8.6%worse
Diabetes13.6%11.6–15.8%12.1%about the same
COPD9.8%8.2–11.6%8%worse
Heart disease8.5%7.4–9.7%6.8%worse
Stroke4.2%3.7–4.8%3.6%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes17%13.8–20.5%16%about the same
Binge drink15.2%12.5–18.4%16.3%about the same
Get no exercise32.1%26.6–38.2%28.8%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours37%30.1–44.6%36.5%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup79.5%76–83.1%78.4%about the same
Dentist visit57.8%53.8–61.7%60.4%about the same
Cholesterol check85.1%82.6–87.4%84.5%about the same
Colon screening62.8%57.2–68.4%64%about the same
Mammogram72.2%63.1–79.9%74.7%about the same
Taking BP meds80.7%78.1–83.2%77.2%better
No health insurance7.9%5.8–10.5%8.7%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely30.8%25.8–36.2%31.7%about the same
Lack emotional support19.2%15.8–22.8%20.1%about the same
Frequent mental distress17.9%15.7–20.3%17.5%about the same
Fair or poor health21.5%18–25.6%20.5%about the same
Frequent physical distress15.7%13.5–18.1%14.2%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity12.1%9.4–15.1%13.7%about the same
Housing insecurity10.2%8.1–12.3%12.1%about the same
Utility shut-off threat7.3%6.1–8.7%9%better
No reliable transportation7.5%6.2–8.9%8.4%about the same
Receive SNAP9.3%7.1–11.6%10.8%
Disability
Any disability39%33.6–44.6%36.2%
Walking or climbing stairs17.7%14.9–20.9%15.8%
Thinking or memory18%15.3–20.7%17.2%
Hearing10.2%9–11.5%8.3%
Vision5.2%4.4–6.1%5.1%
Dressing or bathing4.1%3.5–4.9%3.9%
Errands alone9.7%8.2–11.3%9.2%
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 Forest door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Missouri figure falls inside it, we don't call Forest better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Forest directly, so these are its own figures.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Missouri 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