Health · Niagara

Niagara, NY health

Niagara differs from New York on 14 of 40 measures. It has fewer uninsured adults (6.3% vs 7.9%). Where it trails the state: more adults with obesity (40.8% vs 28.8%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 14304, 14305
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Niagara’s Health Grade: C+

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Niagara is healthier than 39% of U.S. towns, and than 67% of towns with similar incomes.

B-Self-rated healthC+Physical distressB-Mental distressC-ObesityB-DiabetesB-SmokingCExercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 39%
Less healthyHealthier
New York towns we grade (1,227)Healthier than 18%
Towns with similar incomes, $42K–$71K (7,286)Healthier than 67%

Better than its income would suggest. Niagara is healthier than most towns with similar incomes, even though its overall grade is C+.

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Niagara 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 New York 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 Niagara 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. Niagara’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 Niagara compares with New York

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 Niagara adults…

38 of every 100 Niagara adults have high blood pressure
New York: 33 in 100 · worse · margin 34.4–42.1%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Niagara, betterNiagara, worseToo close to callNew York
Get no exerciseshare of adults 28.2% Niagara
NY 25.9%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 38.5% Niagara
NY 37.9%
Binge drinkshare of adults 15.7% Niagara
NY 16.3%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 14.8% Niagara
NY 11.3%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

83%
Yearly checkup
NY 81%
63%
Dentist visit
NY 64%
89%
Cholesterol check
NY 89%
67%
Colon screening
NY 67%
77%
Mammogram
NY 79%
78%
Taking BP meds
NY 77%
1 in 16
working-age adults has no health insurance
Niagara 6.3% · New York 1 in 13 (7.9%)
Mind & connection

How Niagara adults are doing

1 in 3Niagara adults feel lonely
31% · New York 34.2% · too close to call
1 in 5Niagara adults have been diagnosed with depression
21.3% · New York 17.5% · worse
1 in 4Niagara adults lack social or emotional support
23.9% · New York 26.4% · too close to call
1 in 6Niagara adults are in frequent mental distress
17% · New York 15% · worse
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 6
Niagara adults worry about having enough food
16.9% · NY 17.2% · about the same
1 in 7
Niagara adults worry about keeping their housing
14.3% · NY 14.5% · about the same
1 in 11
Niagara adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
9.4% · NY 8.2% · worse
1 in 11
Niagara adults lack reliable transportation
9.3% · NY 8.6% · about the same

16.8% of Niagara adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.1% across New York.

Disability

Living with a disability

29.8%

of Niagara adults live with a disability (New York 27.2%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs15.5%
Thinking or memory13.7%
Hearing6.5%
Errands alone9.2%
Vision5.6%
Dressing or bathing4.5%

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

Around Niagara

Niagara 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 Niagara.

Niagara Falls: 44.5% Lewiston: 37% Wheatfield: 38.1% Grand Island: 29.6% Porter: 37.2% Cambria: 38.2% Lewiston: 34.8% North Tonawanda: 39% Pendleton: 38.7% Amherst: 27.7% Niagara: 40.8% Niagara Niagara Falls Lewiston Wheatfield Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center · Niagara Falls · 3.8 mi · 1★ MedicareH Mount St. Mary's Hospital & Health Center · Lewiston · 4 mi · 2★ MedicareH Kenmore Mercy Hospital · Kenmore · 10.7 mi · 3★ MedicareH Upstate New York VA Healthcare System (Western Ny VA Healthcare System) · Buffalo · 14 mi · 5★ MedicareH Community Health Center of Niagara · Niagara Falls · 3.4 mi+ Neighborhood Health Center Northwest · Buffalo · 12.3 mi+
27.7%44.5%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#10 of 11towns on this map, healthiest first
Lewiston37%
Wheatfield38.1%
Niagara40.8%
Niagara Falls44.5%
6 places to get careNearest ER 3.8 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 Niagara

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

HNearest ERNiagara Falls Memorial Medical CenterNiagara Falls · 3.8 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyUpstate New York VA Healthcare System (Western Ny VA Healthcare System)★★★★★ · 14 miDirections →
+Low-cost careCommunity Health Center of BuffaloNiagara Falls · 3.4 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
3.4 mi
Community Health Center of Buffalo
2 sites · nearest in Niagara Falls
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
3.8 mi
Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center
Niagara Falls · ★★★★★
ER
4 mi
Mount St. Mary's Hospital & Health Center
Lewiston · ★★★★★
ER
10.7 mi
Kenmore Mercy Hospital
Kenmore · ★★★★★
ER
12.3 mi
Neighborhood Health Care of Wny
3 sites · nearest in Buffalo
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
14 mi
Upstate New York VA Healthcare System (Western Ny VA Healthcare System)
Buffalo · ★★★★★
ERVA
! Primary carePart of Niagara is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Niagara Falls/Love Canal/N Tonawanda · need score 17 of 25
! Dental careNiagara's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.ME-Niagara County · need score 15 of 25
✓ Mental healthNiagara 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 Niagara. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Niagara
MeasureNiagaraMarginNew York
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure38%34.4–42.1%32.6%worse
High cholesterol35.7%32–39.9%37.7%about the same
Obesity40.8%34.6–48%28.8%worse
Arthritis28.9%25.9–32.2%24%worse
Depression21.3%18.4–24.8%17.5%worse
Lost all teeth (65+)14.4%11.9–17.1%12.8%about the same
Asthma11.8%10.5–13.3%10.3%worse
Cancer (not skin)9.4%8.6–10.3%7.7%worse
Diabetes12.1%10.7–13.8%11.5%about the same
COPD8.1%7.3–9%6%worse
Heart disease7.1%6.4–7.9%6.1%worse
Stroke3.9%3.6–4.3%3.4%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes14.8%12.9–17%11.3%worse
Binge drink15.7%13.2–18.8%16.3%about the same
Get no exercise28.2%24.4–32.5%25.9%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours38.5%33.1–44.2%37.9%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup82.6%79.9–85.5%80.8%about the same
Dentist visit63.2%60–66.5%63.5%about the same
Cholesterol check88.6%87.3–90.1%89.2%about the same
Colon screening67.4%62.8–71.9%66.8%about the same
Mammogram77.3%70.5–83.2%78.9%about the same
Taking BP meds78.1%75.5–80.7%77.2%about the same
No health insurance6.3%5.4–7.3%7.9%better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely31%26.4–35.9%34.2%about the same
Lack emotional support23.9%20.5–27.6%26.4%about the same
Frequent mental distress17%15.3–19.1%15%worse
Fair or poor health19.8%17.5–22.4%18.1%about the same
Frequent physical distress15%13.3–16.8%12.8%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity16.9%14.7–19.2%17.2%about the same
Housing insecurity14.3%12.4–16.2%14.5%about the same
Utility shut-off threat9.4%8.3–10.7%8.2%worse
No reliable transportation9.3%8.3–10.4%8.6%about the same
Receive SNAP16.8%14.9–18.9%14.1%
Disability
Any disability29.8%26.2–33.8%27.2%
Walking or climbing stairs15.5%13.7–17.5%13.4%
Thinking or memory13.7%12.3–15.3%12.1%
Hearing6.5%5.8–7.3%5.6%
Vision5.6%5.1–6.1%5.2%
Dressing or bathing4.5%4–4.9%3.8%
Errands alone9.2%8.3–10.2%7.7%
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 Niagara door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the New York figure falls inside it, we don't call Niagara better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Niagara by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Niagara by how much of its land each one covers.

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