Health · Upper
Upper, OH health
Upper differs from Ohio on 24 of 40 measures. It has fewer binge drinkers (13.8% vs 16.6%). Where it trails the state: more adults with COPD (12.6% vs 8%).
CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 45638 (all of Upper)TownTapestry Health GradeNew
D−
Upper’s Health Grade: D−
On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Upper is healthier than 4% of U.S. towns.
DSelf-rated healthDPhysical distressDMental distressDObesityDDiabetesD-SmokingDExercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 4%
Less healthyHealthier
Ohio towns we grade (1,692)Healthier than 2%
Towns with similar incomes, $36K–$61K (4,927)Healthier than 8%
About what its income would suggest. Upper does about as well against towns with similar incomes as against all towns.
These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Upper could be anywhere from D− to D.
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 Ohio 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 Upper 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. Upper’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 Upper compares with Ohio
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
43.7% have obesity
0 better2 close10 worse
Habits
35.9% get no exercise
1 better1 close2 worse
Care & screenings
80.5% had a checkup
0 better3 close4 worse
Mind & connection
38% feel lonely
0 better2 close3 worse
Everyday needs
19.8% face food insecurity
0 better1 close4 worse
Disability
40.5% have a disability
7 measures · shown without a better/worse judgment
Chronic conditions
Out of every 100 Upper adults…
45 of every 100 Upper adults have high blood pressure
Ohio: 37 in 100 · worse · margin 41.9–48.8%
Bars show Upper; the black tick is Ohio. Tap a condition to see it as people.
Habits
Everyday habits, side by side with the state
Upper, betterUpper, worseToo close to callOhio
Get no exerciseshare of adults
35.9% Upper
OH 26.9%
OH 26.9%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults
42.4% Upper
OH 37.9%
OH 37.9%
Binge drinkshare of adults
13.8% Upper
OH 16.6%
OH 16.6%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults
22.4% Upper
OH 15.4%
OH 15.4%
0%10%20%30%40%50%
Care & screenings
Keeping up with care
Share of Upper adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Ohio.
Yearly checkup
OH 80%Dentist visit
OH 63%Cholesterol check
OH 86%Colon screening
OH 65%Mammogram
OH 76%Taking BP meds
OH 79%1 in 11
working-age adults has no health insurance
Upper 9.5% · Ohio 1 in 13 (8%)
Mind & connection
How Upper adults are doing
1 in 3Upper adults feel lonely
38% · Ohio 35% · too close to call
1 in 4Upper adults have been diagnosed with depression
28.4% · Ohio 25.4% · too close to call
1 in 5Upper adults lack social or emotional support
22.2% · Ohio 21.3% · too close to call
1 in 5Upper adults are in frequent mental distress
20.7% · Ohio 17.5% · 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 5
Upper adults worry about having enough food
19.8% · OH 14.1% · worse
1 in 7
Upper adults worry about keeping their housing
13.9% · OH 11.3% · worse
1 in 9
Upper adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
11% · OH 8.3% · worse
1 in 10
Upper adults lack reliable transportation
10.1% · OH 7.7% · worse
19.2% of Upper adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 11.7% across Ohio.
Disability
Living with a disability
40.5%
of Upper adults live with a disability (Ohio 29.5%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Walking or climbing stairs20%
Thinking or memory18.2%
Hearing9.3%
Errands alone11.5%
Vision6.9%
Dressing or bathing5.7%
Black tick: Ohio. Shown without a better/worse judgment.
Around Upper
Upper and the towns around it
Pick a measure to shade the map. Darker is worse for health. Pins are the nearest hospitals and community health centers.
40%45.4%· darker is worse for health
Obesity
#12 of 16towns on this map, healthiest first
Lawrence41.4%
Coal Grove42%
Perry42.6%
Elizabeth43.4%
Upper43.7%
Hamilton43.7%
Ironton44.4%
Care nearby
King's Daughters' Medical CenterAshland · 5 mi · ★★★★★ · ER
DirectionsMedicare profile
Huntington VA Medical CenterHuntington · 13.2 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · VA
DirectionsMedicare profile
Cabell Huntington HospitalHuntington · 15.3 mi · ★★★★★ · ER
DirectionsMedicare profile
St. Marys Medical CenterHuntington · 15.8 mi · ★★★★★ · ER
DirectionsMedicare profile
Ironton Health Care CampusIronton · 1.1 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees
Directions
Ironton-Lawrence County Community Action OrganizationIronton · 1.5 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees
Directions
! Primary careUpper's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Lawrence County · need score 16 of 25
! Dental careUpper's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Lawrence County · need score 9 of 25
! Mental healthUpper's county is a federal shortage area.Adams-Lawrence-Scioto MHCA · need score 13 of 25
Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes). Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Distances are straight-line from the center of Upper. Nearby towns are shaded from CDC's estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC's own figure for cities and villages.
All 40 measures for Upper
| Measure | Upper | Margin | Ohio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions | ||||
| High blood pressure | 45.4% | 41.9–48.8% | 37.2% | worse |
| High cholesterol | 40.8% | 37.3–44.2% | 36.7% | worse |
| Obesity | 43.7% | 38.4–49.1% | 37.1% | worse |
| Arthritis | 36.5% | 33.6–39.5% | 29.8% | worse |
| Depression | 28.4% | 25.1–31.7% | 25.4% | about the same |
| Lost all teeth (65+) | 21.6% | 18.3–25.1% | 15.3% | worse |
| Asthma | 12.1% | 10.9–13.5% | 11.1% | about the same |
| Cancer (not skin) | 9.7% | 8.9–10.5% | 8.7% | worse |
| Diabetes | 17% | 15.2–18.8% | 13.2% | worse |
| COPD | 12.6% | 11.4–13.8% | 8% | worse |
| Heart disease | 9.8% | 8.9–10.7% | 7.1% | worse |
| Stroke | 4.9% | 4.6–5.3% | 3.7% | worse |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 22.4% | 20–24.9% | 15.4% | worse |
| Binge drink | 13.8% | 11.5–16.1% | 16.6% | better |
| Get no exercise | 35.9% | 31.9–39.9% | 26.9% | worse |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 42.4% | 37.4–47.3% | 37.9% | about the same |
| Care & screenings | ||||
| Yearly checkup | 80.5% | 77.6–83.1% | 79.9% | about the same |
| Dentist visit | 53.2% | 49.8–56.4% | 62.9% | worse |
| Cholesterol check | 84.2% | 82.5–85.9% | 86.1% | worse |
| Colon screening | 62% | 57.6–66.2% | 65.2% | about the same |
| Mammogram | 69.1% | 61.9–75.3% | 76% | worse |
| Taking BP meds | 81% | 78.7–83% | 79.2% | about the same |
| No health insurance | 9.5% | 8.2–10.9% | 8% | worse |
| Mind & connection | ||||
| Feel lonely | 38% | 32.8–42.9% | 35% | about the same |
| Lack emotional support | 22.2% | 18.8–25.5% | 21.3% | about the same |
| Frequent mental distress | 20.7% | 18.8–22.7% | 17.5% | worse |
| Fair or poor health | 27.2% | 24.5–29.9% | 19.4% | worse |
| Frequent physical distress | 18.2% | 16.4–20.1% | 13.9% | worse |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Food insecurity | 19.8% | 17–22.5% | 14.1% | worse |
| Housing insecurity | 13.9% | 12–16% | 11.3% | worse |
| Utility shut-off threat | 11% | 9.5–12.5% | 8.3% | worse |
| No reliable transportation | 10.1% | 8.8–11.3% | 7.7% | worse |
| Receive SNAP | 19.2% | 16.7–21.9% | 11.7% | |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 40.5% | 36.8–44.1% | 29.5% | |
| Walking or climbing stairs | 20% | 17.9–22.1% | 13.9% | |
| Thinking or memory | 18.2% | 16.4–20% | 13.9% | |
| Hearing | 9.3% | 8.4–10.3% | 6.8% | |
| Vision | 6.9% | 6.3–7.5% | 4.8% | |
| Dressing or bathing | 5.7% | 5.2–6.1% | 3.8% | |
| Errands alone | 11.5% | 10.3–12.6% | 8.1% | |
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 Upper door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Ohio figure falls inside it, we don't call Upper better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Upper by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Upper by how much of its land each one covers.
CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Ohio 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.