Health · Gulf

Gulf, NC health

Gulf differs from North Carolina on 11 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing food insecurity (10.4% vs 15.2%) and fewer adults without reliable transportation (5.9% vs 8.4%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (10% vs 7.9%).

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

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 178 people are less certain, so we show Gulf's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Gulf compares with North Carolina

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 Gulf adults…

41 of every 100 Gulf adults have high blood pressure
North Carolina: 37 in 100 · too close to call · margin 35.7–45.4%

Bars show Gulf; the black tick is North Carolina. Tap a condition to see it as people.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Gulf, betterGulf, worseToo close to callNorth Carolina
Get no exerciseshare of adults 22.1% Gulf
NC 23.8%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 31.3% Gulf
NC 34.2%
Binge drinkshare of adults 15.7% Gulf
NC 14.7%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 15% Gulf
NC 13.5%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Gulf adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks North Carolina.

82%
Yearly checkup
NC 80%
61%
Dentist visit
NC 64%
91%
Cholesterol check
NC 88%
71%
Colon screening
NC 66%
76%
Mammogram
NC 79%
79%
Taking BP meds
NC 77%
1 in 13
working-age adults has no health insurance
Gulf 7.5% · North Carolina 1 in 10 (10.4%)
Mind & connection

How Gulf adults are doing

1 in 4Gulf adults feel lonely
27.5% · North Carolina 32.5% · better
1 in 4Gulf adults have been diagnosed with depression
23.9% · North Carolina 24.2% · too close to call
1 in 5Gulf adults lack social or emotional support
20.5% · North Carolina 22.5% · too close to call
1 in 7Gulf adults are in frequent mental distress
15.2% · North Carolina 16.5% · 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 10
Gulf adults worry about having enough food
10.4% · NC 15.2% · better
1 in 11
Gulf adults worry about keeping their housing
8.8% · NC 12.2% · better
1 in 18
Gulf adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5.7% · NC 8.1% · better
1 in 17
Gulf adults lack reliable transportation
5.9% · NC 8.4% · better

7.6% of Gulf adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 12.3% across North Carolina.

Disability

Living with a disability

30.1%

of Gulf adults live with a disability (North Carolina 32%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs14.5%
Thinking or memory13.2%
Hearing8.2%
Errands alone7.2%
Vision4.5%
Dressing or bathing3.9%

Black tick: North Carolina. Shown without a better/worse judgment.

Getting care

Care in and near Gulf

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

HNearest ERCentral Carolina HospitalSanford · 8 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyUNC Hospitals★★★★★ · 27.1 miDirections →
+Low-cost carePiedmont Health ServicesSanford · 8.3 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
8 mi
Central Carolina Hospital
Sanford · ★★★★★
ER
8.3 mi
Piedmont Health Services
4 sites · nearest in Sanford
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
10.6 mi
Goshen Medical Center - Sanford
Sanford · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
13.9 mi
Chatham Hospital
Siler City · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
26.3 mi
Firsthealth Moore Regional Hospital
Pinehurst · ★★★★★
ER
27.1 mi
UNC Hospitals
Chapel Hill · ★★★★★
ER
✓ Primary careGulf is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careGulf is not a shortage area
✓ Mental healthGulf 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 Gulf. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.

All 40 measures for Gulf
MeasureGulfMarginNorth Carolina
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure40.5%35.7–45.4%36.8%about the same
High cholesterol40.5%35.6–45.5%35.6%about the same
Obesity32.4%25–40.3%35.1%about the same
Arthritis31.8%27.6–36%26.9%worse
Depression23.9%20.2–28%24.2%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)11.1%9–13.6%13.9%better
Asthma10.6%9.2–12%10.8%about the same
Cancer (not skin)10%8.8–11.1%7.9%worse
Diabetes13%10.9–15.3%12%about the same
COPD7.7%6.2–9.6%7.1%about the same
Heart disease7.7%6.6–9.1%6.6%about the same
Stroke3.8%3.2–4.4%3.6%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes15%11.5–18.8%13.5%about the same
Binge drink15.7%12.7–19%14.7%about the same
Get no exercise22.1%17.3–27.5%23.8%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours31.3%24.9–38.1%34.2%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup81.6%78–84.8%80%about the same
Dentist visit61.4%57.7–65.2%63.6%about the same
Cholesterol check91.4%89.6–92.9%87.5%better
Colon screening71%65.8–76.2%65.7%better
Mammogram75.6%67.1–83%78.7%about the same
Taking BP meds78.9%74.9–82.3%76.7%about the same
No health insurance7.5%5.4–10.2%10.4%better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely27.5%22.8–32.4%32.5%better
Lack emotional support20.5%16.8–24.3%22.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress15.2%12.9–17.5%16.5%about the same
Fair or poor health17.9%14.3–22.1%19%about the same
Frequent physical distress13.5%11.3–16%12.7%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity10.4%7.9–13.4%15.2%better
Housing insecurity8.8%6.9–10.8%12.2%better
Utility shut-off threat5.7%4.6–6.9%8.1%better
No reliable transportation5.9%4.8–7.1%8.4%better
Receive SNAP7.6%5.6–10%12.3%
Disability
Any disability30.1%24.9–35.9%32%
Walking or climbing stairs14.5%11.8–17.8%14.2%
Thinking or memory13.2%10.8–15.9%14.8%
Hearing8.2%7–9.6%7.3%
Vision4.5%3.7–5.5%5.3%
Dressing or bathing3.9%3.3–4.8%4%
Errands alone7.2%5.9–8.8%8.2%
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 Gulf door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the North Carolina figure falls inside it, we don't call Gulf better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Gulf directly, so these are its own figures.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The North Carolina 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/19 · 2025-01-01