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≈ C−Health Grade
Health in Saks · CDC PLACES 2025

On CDC estimates, Saks is healthier than 15% of U.S. towns

Saks trails Alabama on 4 of 32 measures CDC estimates, and leads on none.

Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Saks. How CDC estimates town health

What stands out · In brief

What stands out about health in Saks

Dental care lags in Saks

51.8% of adults saw a dentist this year, vs 56.9% across Alabama. Among those 65 and older, 21.1% have lost all their teeth (Alabama 15.4%). Checkups ↓

COPD runs high in Saks

1 in 11 adults have COPD (9.3%), vs 8% across Alabama. Conditions ↓

Saks is healthier than its income would predict

Against all U.S. towns, Saks is healthier than 15%. Against the 5,714 towns with similar household incomes ($37K–$62K), it’s healthier than 39%. Health Grade ↓

Written from the CDC, Medicare and HRSA data on this page. CDC PLACES 2025 release: modeled estimates for adults, not counts; “higher” and “lower” mean the Alabama figure falls outside Saks’ likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D− to B−.

Health Grade

What’s behind Saks’ grade

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Saks is healthier than 15% of U.S. towns, #128 of 187 in Alabama. Obesity holds the grade up (fewer adults with obesity than 30% of U.S. towns); fair or poor health pulls it down (better than 12%).

DSelf-rated health26.3% · AL 22.8% · U.S. 19.4%
C−Physical distress16% · AL 14.2% · U.S. 13%
CMental distress18.4% · AL 17.2% · U.S. 15.9%
CObesity38.8% · AL 39.4% · U.S. 32.9%
DDiabetes15.3% · AL 14.8% · U.S. 12%
CSmoking17.3% smoke · AL 15.1% · U.S. 11.8%
DExercise32.8% · AL 28.7% · U.S. 24.7%
All U.S. towns we grade (21,250)Healthier than 15%
Less healthyHealthier
Alabama towns we grade (187)Healthier than 32%
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $37K–$62K (5,714)Healthier than 39%

Health estimates follow income closely across the country: towns with higher household incomes usually score higher (a correlation of 0.77 across 21,157 graded towns). Saks’ median household income is $49,753; among the 5,714 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($37K–$62K), it’s healthier than 39%, so it sits below most towns with similar incomes, too.

Few Alabama towns score lower on these estimates than towns elsewhere, so within the state Saks is healthier than 32% of graded towns, against 15% nationally.

A rough placement. CDC’s likely ranges are wide here: with every estimate at one end or the other, Saks could be anywhere from D− to B−. The letter shows with “≈”.

How TownRatings grades health →

Checkups & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Saks adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Alabama.

80%Yearly checkupAL 80%
52%Dentist visitAL 57%
85%Cholesterol checkAL 86%
65%Colon screeningAL 67%
74%MammogramAL 78%
78%Taking BP medsAL 78%
1 in 9
working-age adults has no health insurance
Saks 11.2% · Alabama 1 in 10 (9.9%)
Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Saks adults…

Saks runs above AL on 2 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.

9 of every 100 Saks adults have COPD
Alabama: 8 in 100 · worse · likely 8.1–10.5%
Better than ALWorseAbout the sameAlabama
Getting care

Care in and near Saks

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

HNearest ERNortheast Alabama Regional Medical CenterAnniston · 4.1 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyNortheast Alabama Regional Medical Center★★★★★ · 4.1 miDirections →
+Low-cost careQuality of Life Health ServicesAnniston · 3.7 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
3.7 mi
Quality of Life Health Services
8 sites · nearest in Anniston
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
4.1 mi
Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center
Anniston · ★★★★★
ER
21.6 mi
Gadsden Regional Medical Center
Gadsden · ★★★★★
ER
22 mi
Riverview Regional Medical Center
Gadsden · ★★★★★
ER
23.2 mi
Citizens Baptist Medical Center
Talladega · ★★★★★
ER
✓ Primary careNo HRSA shortage area covers Saks itself
✓ Dental careSaks is not a shortage area
✓ Mental healthNo HRSA shortage area covers Saks itself

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 Saks; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with Alabama

Share of adults, with the Alabama figure marked.

Get no exercise 32.8%AL 28.7%
Sleep under 7 hours 43.8%AL 39.1%
Binge drink 13.9%AL 14.1%
Smoke cigarettes 17.3%AL 15.1%
0%10%20%30%40%50%
Saks, betterSaks, worseAbout the sameAlabama
Where Saks gets moving

Walk with neighbors

The easiest exercise habit to keep is one with company.

Mind & connection

How Saks adults are doing

About the same as Alabama on each measure.

4 in 10Saks adults feel lonely
37.2% · AL 35.4% · About the same as AL
1 in 4Saks adults lack social or emotional support
26.2% · AL 24.8% · About the same as AL
1 in 4Saks adults have been diagnosed with depression
24.4% · AL 23.3% · About the same as AL
1 in 5Saks adults are in frequent mental distress
18.4% · AL 17.2% · About the same as AL
The one neighbors can help with

4 in 10 Saks adults feel lonely. A hello is a start.

Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.

Find a group →

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.

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
Saks adults worry about having enough food
21.4% · AL 19.2%
About the same as AL
1 in 7
Saks adults worry about keeping their housing
14.9% · AL 13.9%
About the same as AL
1 in 10
Saks adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
10.1% · AL 9.6%
About the same as AL
1 in 9
Saks adults lack reliable transportation
10.6% · AL 9.8%
About the same as AL

15.9% of Saks adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14% across Alabama.

Around town

Saks and the towns around it

Saks’s Health Grade ranks 2nd of 4 graded towns around it.

Anniston: 42.9%Alexandria: 36%West End-Cobb Town: 42.6%Oxford: 39.3%Weaver: 35.9%Hobson City: 46.6%Saks: 38.8%SaksAnnistonAlexandriaWest End-Cobb TownNortheast Alabama Regional Medical Center · Anniston · 4.1 mi · 1★ MedicareHAnniston Quality Health Care · Anniston · 3.7 mi+
Healthier than ALNear ALLess healthyHHospital+Health center
Obesity
#3 of 7 towns on this map, healthiest first
Alexandria36%
Saks38.8%
West End-Cobb Town42.6%
Anniston42.9%
AL39.4%

Nearby towns are shaded from CDC’s estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC’s own figure for cities and villages.

Health next door

TownHealthObesityDiabetesSmokingFigures from
SaksC−38.8%15.3%17.3%CDC place
AnnistonD42.9%19.1%18.3%CDC place
AlexandriaB−36%13%14.2%CDC place
West End-Cobb TownD−42.6%17.5%22.1%CDC place

Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.

Disability

Living with a disability

Shown without a better/worse judgment.

39.8%

of Saks adults live with a disability (Alabama 36.5%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs19.2%
Thinking or memory17.8%
Hearing8.9%
Errands alone11%
Vision6.5%
Dressing or bathing5.1%
Alabama

Every CDC estimate for Saks

Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.

On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Saks is better than Alabama on 0 and worse on 4; on the rest, the Alabama figure falls inside Saks’ likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.

Adults who…SaksALU.S.vs AL
Overall health
Fair or poor health26.3%23.3–29.622.8%19.4%Worse
Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month)16%14.1–18.114.2%13%About the same
Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month)18.4%16.4–20.717.2%15.9%About the same
Conditions
Obesity38.8%32.1–46.139.4%32.9%About the same
Diabetes15.3%13.4–17.514.8%12%About the same
High blood pressure46%41.8–50.443.3%34.4%About the same
High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years)41.3%37.1–45.940.7%37.1%About the same
Arthritis32.7%29.3–36.430.3%25.3%About the same
Asthma10.8%9.5–12.210%9.9%About the same
Cancer, other than skin cancer8.4%7.6–9.38.2%7.9%About the same
Coronary heart disease7.9%7–8.87.3%6.4%About the same
COPD9.3%8.1–10.58%6.3%Worse
Stroke4.4%4–4.84.1%3.4%About the same
Lost all teeth (ages 65+)21.1%17.3–25.115.4%12.3%Worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes17.3%15–19.915.1%11.8%About the same
No exercise outside work32.8%28.3–37.928.7%24.7%About the same
Binge drinking13.9%11.4–16.914.1%15.4%About the same
Sleep under 7 hours43.8%37.5–50.239.1%36%About the same
Checkups and coverage
No health insurance (ages 18–64)11.2%9.4–13.29.9%11%About the same
Checkup in the past year79.6%76.1–82.980.4%77.4%About the same
Dentist visit in the past year51.8%47.8–55.956.9%63.2%Worse
Cholesterol check in 5 years85.3%83.4–87.285.8%87.1%About the same
Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure)77.8%74.9–80.578%76.5%About the same
Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75)64.9%59.6–69.667%65.5%About the same
Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74)73.9%65.9–80.677.9%76.4%About the same
Mind and connection
Ever told they have depression24.4%20.9–28.423.3%20.6%About the same
Feel lonely37.2%32.3–42.335.4%32.5%About the same
Lack social and emotional support26.2%22.6–30.124.8%23.6%About the same
Everyday needs
Worried about having enough food21.4%18.7–24.619.2%15%About the same
Worried about keeping housing14.9%12.9–17.113.9%12%About the same
Threatened with a utility shut-off10.1%8.7–11.59.6%7.6%About the same
Lack reliable transportation10.6%9.3–129.8%7.9%About the same
Received SNAP (food stamps)15.9%13.7–18.314%11.6%About the same
Disability
Any disability39.8%35.5–44.736.5%30.1%About the same
Difficulty walking or climbing stairs19.2%16.8–21.617.1%13.6%About the same
Difficulty concentrating or remembering17.8%15.9–20.116.1%13.9%About the same
Hearing difficulty8.9%7.9–10.18.2%6.7%About the same
Vision difficulty6.5%5.9–7.26%5.4%About the same
Difficulty doing errands alone11%9.8–12.49.8%7.9%About the same
Difficulty dressing or bathing5.1%4.6–5.74.6%3.8%About the same

Each figure is the share of adults 18+ unless the label says otherwise; small numbers after it are CDC’s likely range (95% interval). “About the same” means the Alabama figure falls inside that range.

Questions about health in Saks

Is Saks a healthy place to live?

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Saks is healthier than 15% of U.S. towns: ≈ C− for health, #128 of 187 in Alabama. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 39%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.

What is the obesity rate in Saks?

CDC estimates 38.8% of adults have obesity, likely between 32.1% and 46.1%, against 39.4% across Alabama and 32.9% nationally.

What hospital is closest to Saks?

Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center in Anniston, 4.1 miles in a straight line from Saks’ center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 1 of 5 stars.

How many people in Saks have no health insurance?

CDC estimates 11.2% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 9.4–13.2%), against 9.9% across Alabama.

How accurate are these numbers?

They’re modeled estimates: CDC applies national survey answers to each area’s age, sex, race and education mix, so they describe who lives in Saks more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D− to B−.

Neighbors talk health

Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Saks.

Town Square →
Ask your neighbors

Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Alabama figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. The Health Grade is our own summary of CDC’s estimates, not an official rating. Ages: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau. This page isn’t medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.