Health · Nelson

Nelson, NH health

On most measures Nelson looks like New Hampshire as a whole. It has more adults seeing a dentist (71.9% vs 68.8%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (11.9% vs 9.8%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 03457 (all of Nelson)
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 648 people are less certain, so we show Nelson's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Nelson compares with New Hampshire

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 Nelson adults…

36 of every 100 Nelson adults have high blood pressure
New Hampshire: 33 in 100 · too close to call · margin 32–39.3%

Bars show Nelson; the black tick is New Hampshire. Tap a condition to see it as people.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Nelson, betterNelson, worseToo close to callNew Hampshire
Get no exerciseshare of adults 20.2% Nelson
NH 20.7%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 31.3% Nelson
NH 32.9%
Binge drinkshare of adults 15.1% Nelson
NH 15.7%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 11.7% Nelson
NH 10.8%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Nelson adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks New Hampshire.

77%
Yearly checkup
NH 78%
72%
Dentist visit
NH 69%
90%
Cholesterol check
NH 88%
71%
Colon screening
NH 70%
78%
Mammogram
NH 79%
79%
Taking BP meds
NH 77%
1 in 16
working-age adults has no health insurance
Nelson 6.3% · New Hampshire 1 in 15 (6.8%)
Mind & connection

How Nelson adults are doing

1 in 4Nelson adults feel lonely
28.1% · New Hampshire 30.6% · too close to call
1 in 4Nelson adults have been diagnosed with depression
22.5% · New Hampshire 22.7% · too close to call
1 in 5Nelson adults lack social or emotional support
21.4% · New Hampshire 21.6% · too close to call
1 in 7Nelson adults are in frequent mental distress
14.5% · New Hampshire 15.3% · 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 12
Nelson adults worry about having enough food
8.4% · NH 9.5% · about the same
1 in 14
Nelson adults worry about keeping their housing
7.3% · NH 8.1% · about the same
1 in 20
Nelson adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
4.9% · NH 5.4% · about the same
1 in 20
Nelson adults lack reliable transportation
5.1% · NH 5.6% · about the same

6% of Nelson adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 6.5% across New Hampshire.

Disability

Living with a disability

28%

of Nelson adults live with a disability (New Hampshire 26.1%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs12.4%
Thinking or memory11.7%
Hearing8.3%
Errands alone6.5%
Vision3.8%
Dressing or bathing3.1%

Black tick: New Hampshire. Shown without a better/worse judgment.

Around Nelson

Nelson 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 Nelson.

Harrisville: 29.3% Stoddard: 30.1% Roxbury: 29.7% Sullivan: 30.4% Dublin: 29% Hancock: 31.2% Marlborough: 31% Peterborough: 31.2% Windsor: 35.5% Antrim: 34.8% Washington: 33.1% Keene: 28.6% Gilsum: 32.4% Nelson: 30.3% Nelson Harrisville Stoddard Roxbury Sullivan Cheshire Medical Center · Keene · 9.2 mi · 4★ MedicareH Monadnock Community Hospital · Peterborough · 11.9 mi · 2★ MedicareH
28.6%35.5%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#6 of 14towns on this map, healthiest first
Harrisville29.3%
Roxbury29.7%
Stoddard30.1%
Nelson30.3%
Sullivan30.4%
6 places to get careNearest ER 9.2 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 Nelson

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

HNearest ERCheshire Medical CenterKeene · 9.2 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyBrattleboro Memorial Hospital★★★★★ · 25 miDirections →
+Low-cost careSpringfield Medical Care SystemsCharlestown · 23.2 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
9.2 mi
Cheshire Medical Center
Keene · ★★★★★
ER
11.9 mi
Monadnock Community Hospital
Peterborough · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
23.2 mi
Springfield Medical Care Systems
4 sites · nearest in Charlestown
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
25 mi
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital
Brattleboro · ★★★★★
ER
27.5 mi
Springfield Hospital
Springfield · not rated
ERRural critical access
29.6 mi
Community Health Center of Franklin County
3 sites · nearest in Orange
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
! Primary careNelson is a federal shortage area.Hillsborough · need score 11 of 25
✓ Dental careNelson is not a shortage area
✓ Mental healthNelson 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 Nelson. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Nelson
MeasureNelsonMarginNew Hampshire
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure35.6%32–39.3%33%about the same
High cholesterol35.6%32.1–39.5%35.2%about the same
Obesity30.3%25.4–36%31.8%about the same
Arthritis32.3%29–35.6%27.6%worse
Depression22.5%19.4–25.8%22.7%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)9.7%7.9–11.9%8.9%about the same
Asthma10.4%9.1–11.8%10.5%about the same
Cancer (not skin)11.9%10.8–13.2%9.8%worse
Diabetes10.1%8.5–11.8%9.4%about the same
COPD7.2%5.8–8.9%6.2%about the same
Heart disease6.9%6–8%6%about the same
Stroke3.5%3–4%3.1%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes11.7%9–14.6%10.8%about the same
Binge drink15.1%12.7–18.1%15.7%about the same
Get no exercise20.2%16.4–24.5%20.7%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours31.3%26.9–36.2%32.9%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup76.7%73.3–80.1%77.8%about the same
Dentist visit71.9%68.9–74.9%68.8%better
Cholesterol check90.1%88.3–91.8%88.3%about the same
Colon screening71.4%67.2–75.6%69.5%about the same
Mammogram78.4%72.6–84%78.8%about the same
Taking BP meds78.8%75.7–81.9%76.8%about the same
No health insurance6.3%4.7–8.4%6.8%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely28.1%24.1–32%30.6%about the same
Lack emotional support21.4%18–24.8%21.6%about the same
Frequent mental distress14.5%12.5–16.6%15.3%about the same
Fair or poor health15.3%12.5–18.6%14.5%about the same
Frequent physical distress12.8%10.9–14.9%11.7%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity8.4%6.3–10.9%9.5%about the same
Housing insecurity7.3%5.6–9%8.1%about the same
Utility shut-off threat4.9%3.9–6%5.4%about the same
No reliable transportation5.1%4.1–6.1%5.6%about the same
Receive SNAP6%4.3–8%6.5%
Disability
Any disability28%23.9–32.5%26.1%
Walking or climbing stairs12.4%10.1–15%11.3%
Thinking or memory11.7%9.8–13.9%12%
Hearing8.3%7.1–9.5%7.2%
Vision3.8%3.2–4.6%3.8%
Dressing or bathing3.1%2.6–3.8%2.9%
Errands alone6.5%5.3–7.9%6.6%
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 Nelson door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the New Hampshire figure falls inside it, we don't call Nelson better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Nelson by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Nelson by how much of its land each one covers.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The New Hampshire 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/15 · 2025-01-01