Health · Riverhead

Riverhead, NY health

Riverhead differs from New York on 7 of 40 measures. It has fewer lonely adults (30% vs 34.2%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (9.6% vs 7.7%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 11901, 11933, 11792, 11949
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Riverhead’s Health Grade: B

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Riverhead is healthier than 62% of U.S. towns and 50% of New York towns.

B-Self-rated healthB-Physical distressA-Mental distressA-ObesityBDiabetesB+SmokingCExercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 62%
Less healthyHealthier
New York towns we grade (1,227)Healthier than 50%
Towns with similar incomes, $71K–$118K (8,658)Healthier than 50%

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

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Riverhead 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 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 Riverhead 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. Riverhead’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 Riverhead 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 Riverhead adults…

35 of every 100 Riverhead adults have high blood pressure
New York: 33 in 100 · too close to call · margin 32.6–38.2%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Riverhead, betterRiverhead, worseToo close to callNew York
Get no exerciseshare of adults 28.3% Riverhead
NY 25.9%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 39.3% Riverhead
NY 37.9%
Binge drinkshare of adults 15.5% Riverhead
NY 16.3%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 11.9% Riverhead
NY 11.3%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

82%
Yearly checkup
NY 81%
63%
Dentist visit
NY 64%
90%
Cholesterol check
NY 89%
67%
Colon screening
NY 67%
78%
Mammogram
NY 79%
79%
Taking BP meds
NY 77%
1 in 10
working-age adults has no health insurance
Riverhead 9.7% · New York 1 in 13 (7.9%)
Mind & connection

How Riverhead adults are doing

1 in 3Riverhead adults feel lonely
30% · New York 34.2% · better
1 in 6Riverhead adults have been diagnosed with depression
16.7% · New York 17.5% · too close to call
1 in 4Riverhead adults lack social or emotional support
24.5% · New York 26.4% · too close to call
1 in 6Riverhead adults are in frequent mental distress
15.4% · New York 15% · 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 6
Riverhead adults worry about having enough food
16.2% · NY 17.2% · about the same
1 in 7
Riverhead adults worry about keeping their housing
13.6% · NY 14.5% · about the same
1 in 13
Riverhead adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
7.6% · NY 8.2% · about the same
1 in 12
Riverhead adults lack reliable transportation
8.1% · NY 8.6% · about the same

13.4% of Riverhead adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.1% across New York.

Disability

Living with a disability

30.7%

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

Walking or climbing stairs15.2%
Thinking or memory12.9%
Hearing6.7%
Errands alone8.1%
Vision5.3%
Dressing or bathing4%

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

Around Riverhead

Riverhead 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 Riverhead.

Brookhaven: 29.8% Southampton: 29.5% Southold: 28.1% Islip: 30.3% Smithtown: 27% Head of the Harbor: 26.5% Lake Grove: 27.6% West Hampton Dunes: 25.1% East Hampton: 29.5% Sagaponack: 26.8% Shelter Island: 29.5% Westerly: 28.1% Groton: 30.6% Stonington: 29.5% Riverhead: 32% Riverhead Brookhaven Southampton Southold Peconic Bay Medical Center · Riverhead · 4.9 mi · 2★ MedicareH St. Charles Hospital · Port Jefferson · 18.1 mi · 5★ MedicareH John T Mather Memorial Hospital of Port Jefferson · Port Jefferson · 18.4 mi · 5★ MedicareH Long Island Community Hospital · Patchogue · 19.2 mi · 4★ MedicareH Sun River Health Riverhead · Riverhead · 4.8 mi+
25.1%32%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#15 of 15towns on this map, healthiest first
Southold28.1%
Southampton29.5%
Brookhaven29.8%
Riverhead32%
5 places to get careNearest ER 4.9 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 Riverhead

1 hospital and 1 community health center in Riverhead, plus the nearest just outside it.

HNearest ERPeconic Bay Medical CenterRiverhead · 4.9 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbySt. Charles Hospital★★★★★ · 18.1 miDirections →
+Low-cost careSun River HealthRiverhead · 4.8 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
4.8 mi
Sun River Health
8 sites · nearest in Riverhead
Sliding-scale feesIn Riverhead
Directions to nearest
4.9 mi
Peconic Bay Medical Center
Riverhead · ★★★★★
ERIn Riverhead
18.1 mi
St. Charles Hospital
Port Jefferson · ★★★★★
ER
18.4 mi
John T Mather Memorial Hospital of Port Jefferson
Port Jefferson · ★★★★★
ER
19.2 mi
Long Island Community Hospital
Patchogue · ★★★★★
ER
✓ Primary careRiverhead is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careRiverhead is not a shortage area
✓ Mental healthRiverhead 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 Riverhead. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.

All 40 measures for Riverhead
MeasureRiverheadMarginNew York
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure35.4%32.6–38.2%32.6%about the same
High cholesterol41.5%38.6–44.4%37.7%worse
Obesity32%28.2–35.8%28.8%about the same
Arthritis27.4%25–29.8%24%worse
Depression16.7%14.7–18.9%17.5%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)11.9%9.9–14.1%12.8%about the same
Asthma10.7%9.6–11.9%10.3%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.6%8.7–10.5%7.7%worse
Diabetes11.6%10.2–13.1%11.5%about the same
COPD7.2%6.3–8.2%6%worse
Heart disease7.2%6.4–8%6.1%worse
Stroke3.7%3.4–4.1%3.4%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes11.9%10.1–13.7%11.3%about the same
Binge drink15.5%13.4–17.7%16.3%about the same
Get no exercise28.3%25.1–31.6%25.9%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours39.3%36.1–42.7%37.9%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup81.7%79.5–83.9%80.8%about the same
Dentist visit62.8%60.3–65.5%63.5%about the same
Cholesterol check89.9%88.6–91%89.2%about the same
Colon screening66.8%63.6–70%66.8%about the same
Mammogram77.6%72.7–82%78.9%about the same
Taking BP meds78.6%76–81%77.2%about the same
No health insurance9.7%8.3–11.2%7.9%worse
Mind & connection
Feel lonely30%26.5–33.8%34.2%better
Lack emotional support24.5%21.5–27.8%26.4%about the same
Frequent mental distress15.4%13.7–17.1%15%about the same
Fair or poor health19.4%17.1–21.8%18.1%about the same
Frequent physical distress14%12.5–15.8%12.8%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity16.2%14–18.7%17.2%about the same
Housing insecurity13.6%11.9–15.6%14.5%about the same
Utility shut-off threat7.6%6.6–8.7%8.2%about the same
No reliable transportation8.1%7.1–9.2%8.6%about the same
Receive SNAP13.4%11.5–15.4%14.1%
Disability
Any disability30.7%27.6–34%27.2%
Walking or climbing stairs15.2%13.3–17.2%13.4%
Thinking or memory12.9%11.5–14.5%12.1%
Hearing6.7%6–7.5%5.6%
Vision5.3%4.7–5.8%5.2%
Dressing or bathing4%3.6–4.5%3.8%
Errands alone8.1%7.1–9%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 Riverhead 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 Riverhead better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Riverhead by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Riverhead 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