Health · Forest Acres

Forest Acres, SC health

Forest Acres differs from South Carolina on 22 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing food insecurity (9% vs 17.4%) and fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth (7.4% vs 13.9%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (10% vs 8.6%).

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

Forest Acres’s Health Grade: A

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Forest Acres is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns and 95% of South Carolina towns.

ASelf-rated healthAPhysical distressAMental distressA-ObesityBDiabetesASmokingA+Exercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 90%
Less healthyHealthier
South Carolina towns we grade (266)Healthier than 95%
Towns with similar incomes, $59K–$98K (9,842)Healthier than 99%

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

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Forest Acres could be anywhere from A− 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 South Carolina 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 Forest Acres 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. Forest Acres uses CDC’s own estimate for it. 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 Forest Acres compares with South 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 Forest Acres adults…

35 of every 100 Forest Acres adults have high blood pressure
South Carolina: 39 in 100 · better · margin 32.3–38.2%

Bars show Forest Acres; the black tick is South Carolina. Tap a condition to see it as people.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Forest Acres, betterForest Acres, worseToo close to callSouth Carolina
Get no exerciseshare of adults 16.6% Forest Acres
SC 25.8%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 34.7% Forest Acres
SC 35.8%
Binge drinkshare of adults 17% Forest Acres
SC 15.7%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 8.4% Forest Acres
SC 13.3%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Forest Acres adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks South Carolina.

82%
Yearly checkup
SC 81%
72%
Dentist visit
SC 63%
90%
Cholesterol check
SC 87%
77%
Colon screening
SC 69%
79%
Mammogram
SC 78%
80%
Taking BP meds
SC 80%
1 in 14
working-age adults has no health insurance
Forest Acres 7.3% · South Carolina 1 in 8 (11.8%)
Mind & connection

How Forest Acres adults are doing

1 in 3Forest Acres adults feel lonely
29.1% · South Carolina 31.7% · too close to call
1 in 4Forest Acres adults have been diagnosed with depression
22.7% · South Carolina 22.3% · too close to call
1 in 5Forest Acres adults lack social or emotional support
18.9% · South Carolina 23.6% · better
1 in 7Forest Acres adults are in frequent mental distress
13.4% · South Carolina 16.4% · better
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 11
Forest Acres adults worry about having enough food
9% · SC 17.4% · better
1 in 12
Forest Acres adults worry about keeping their housing
8.4% · SC 13.3% · better
1 in 18
Forest Acres adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5.7% · SC 8.9% · better
1 in 19
Forest Acres adults lack reliable transportation
5.4% · SC 8.6% · better

5.3% of Forest Acres adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 10.5% across South Carolina.

Disability

Living with a disability

25.7%

of Forest Acres adults live with a disability (South Carolina 31.5%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs12.1%
Thinking or memory10.7%
Hearing6.3%
Errands alone6.4%
Vision3.9%
Dressing or bathing3%

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

Around Forest Acres

Forest Acres 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 Forest Acres.

Columbia: 34.4% Dentsville: 39.9% Arcadia Lakes: 27.3% Woodfield: 39.5% St. Andrews: 40.8% Capitol View: 38.8% Olympia: 37.8% Arthurtown: 37.5% West Columbia: 36.2% Seven Oaks: 36.6% Irmo: 33.3% Cayce: 36.4% Forest Acres: 29.6% Forest Acres Columbia Dentsville Arcadia Lakes Woodfield Musc Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown · Columbia · 2.6 mi · 3★ MedicareH Columbia Sc VA Medical Center · Columbia · 3.7 mi · 5★ MedicareH Prisma Health Baptist · Columbia · 3.8 mi · 4★ MedicareH Prisma Health Richland Hospital · Columbia · 6.1 mi · 3★ MedicareH Waverly Women's Health · Columbia · 3.2 mi+ Genesis Healthcare · Columbia · 3.4 mi+
27.3%40.8%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#2 of 13towns on this map, healthiest first
Arcadia Lakes27.3%
Forest Acres29.6%
Columbia34.4%
Woodfield39.5%
Dentsville39.9%
6 places to get careNearest ER 2.6 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 Forest Acres

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

HNearest ERMusc Health Columbia Medical Center DowntownColumbia · 2.6 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyColumbia Sc VA Medical Center★★★★★ · 3.7 miDirections →
+Low-cost careEau Claire Cooperative Health CenterColumbia · 3.2 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
2.6 mi
Musc Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown
Columbia · ★★★★★
ER
3.2 mi
Eau Claire Cooperative Health Center
7 sites · nearest in Columbia
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
3.4 mi
Genesis Healthcare
Columbia · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
3.7 mi
Columbia Sc VA Medical Center
Columbia · ★★★★★
ERVA
3.8 mi
Prisma Health Baptist
Columbia · ★★★★★
ER
6.1 mi
Prisma Health Richland Hospital
Columbia · ★★★★★
ER
! Primary careForest Acres's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Richland County · need score 12 of 25
! Dental careForest Acres's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Richland County · need score 15 of 25
! Mental healthForest Acres's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Columbia · need score 17 of 25

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 Forest Acres. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Forest Acres
MeasureForest AcresMarginSouth Carolina
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure35.2%32.3–38.2%38.5%better
High cholesterol38.5%35.4–41.6%38.1%about the same
Obesity29.6%25.9–33.6%35.8%better
Arthritis29.1%26.6–31.7%28.5%about the same
Depression22.7%20.1–25.6%22.3%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)7.4%6.1–8.8%13.9%better
Asthma9%8–10.1%9.6%about the same
Cancer (not skin)10%9.2–10.9%8.6%worse
Diabetes11.2%9.9–12.5%13.9%better
COPD5.5%4.8–6.2%7.5%better
Heart disease5.9%5.3–6.5%6.8%better
Stroke3.1%2.9–3.4%3.9%better
Habits
Smoke cigarettes8.4%7.2–9.7%13.3%better
Binge drink17%14.7–19.6%15.7%about the same
Get no exercise16.6%14.4–19%25.8%better
Sleep under 7 hours34.7%30.9–38.3%35.8%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup82.1%79.6–84.4%80.6%about the same
Dentist visit72.3%69.6–74.6%63.1%better
Cholesterol check90.2%88.9–91.3%86.9%better
Colon screening77%73.6–79.9%69.3%better
Mammogram78.7%73.2–83.3%77.6%about the same
Taking BP meds79.5%77–81.9%80.2%about the same
No health insurance7.3%6.3–8.4%11.8%better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely29.1%25.7–32.7%31.7%about the same
Lack emotional support18.9%16.5–21.5%23.6%better
Frequent mental distress13.4%12–15%16.4%better
Fair or poor health14.4%12.8–16.2%20.1%better
Frequent physical distress11.5%10.3–12.9%14%better
Everyday needs
Food insecurity9%7.7–10.3%17.4%better
Housing insecurity8.4%7.3–9.6%13.3%better
Utility shut-off threat5.7%4.9–6.5%8.9%better
No reliable transportation5.4%4.8–6.1%8.6%better
Receive SNAP5.3%4.5–6.2%10.5%
Disability
Any disability25.7%23–28.5%31.5%
Walking or climbing stairs12.1%10.7–13.6%15.4%
Thinking or memory10.7%9.6–12%14.3%
Hearing6.3%5.6–7%7%
Vision3.9%3.5–4.2%5.6%
Dressing or bathing3%2.7–3.3%4.3%
Errands alone6.4%5.7–7.1%8.7%
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 Forest Acres door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the South Carolina figure falls inside it, we don't call Forest Acres better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Forest Acres directly, so these are its own figures.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The South 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/18 · 2025-01-01