Fort Oglethorpe Historic District · Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes, Fort Oglethorpe is healthier than 74%
Fort Oglethorpe differs from Georgia on 9 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 4 better, 5 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Fort Oglethorpe. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Fort Oglethorpe
Fort Oglethorpe is healthier than its income would predict
Against all U.S. towns, Fort Oglethorpe is healthier than 39%. Against the 6,413 towns with similar household incomes ($39K–$65K), it’s healthier than 74%. Health Grade ↓
Cancer, COPD and heart disease run high in Fort Oglethorpe
1 in 10 adults have had cancer (10.1%), vs 7% across Georgia. 1 in 12 adults have COPD (8.6%), vs 6.5% across Georgia. Heart disease is also above the state: 7.9%, vs 6.1% across Georgia. In all, Fort Oglethorpe runs above Georgia on five of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 27% of residents are 65 or older (Georgia 15%), and cancer, COPD and heart disease are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
Fewer Fort Oglethorpe adults struggle to make ends meet
Worries about food, housing, utility bills and getting around all run below Georgia. 1 in 7 adults worry about having enough food, vs 1 in 6 adults statewide. Everyday needs ↓
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 Georgia figure falls outside Fort Oglethorpe’s likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D to B+.
What’s behind Fort Oglethorpe’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Fort Oglethorpe is healthier than 39% of U.S. towns, #114 of 261 in Georgia. Obesity holds the grade up (fewer adults with obesity than 66% of U.S. towns); diabetes pulls it down (better than 27%).
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). Fort Oglethorpe’s median household income is $51,867; among the 6,413 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($39K–$65K), it’s healthier than 74%, more than its income alone would suggest.
Few Georgia towns score lower on these estimates than towns elsewhere, so within the state Fort Oglethorpe is healthier than 57% of graded towns, against 39% nationally.
Out of every 100 Fort Oglethorpe adults…
Fort Oglethorpe runs above GA on 5 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Fort Oglethorpe is an older town: 27% of residents are 65 or older, vs 15% across Georgia. Heart disease, COPD and arthritis rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Fort Oglethorpe as about how healthy they are.
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
10.9% of Fort Oglethorpe adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.2% across Georgia.
Care in and near Fort Oglethorpe
1 community health center in Fort Oglethorpe, plus the nearest just outside it.
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 Fort Oglethorpe; ≈ 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).
Everyday habits, side by side with Georgia
Share of adults, with the Georgia figure marked.
34 miles of trails across 2 parks and preserves
Keeping up with care
Share of Fort Oglethorpe adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Georgia.
How Fort Oglethorpe adults are doing
About the same as Georgia on each measure.
4 in 10 Fort Oglethorpe adults feel lonely. A hello is a start.
Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.
Fort Oglethorpe and the towns around it
Fort Oglethorpe has the best Health Grade of the 3 graded towns around it.
Nearby towns are shaded from CDC’s estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC’s own figure for cities and villages.
Health next door
| Town | Health | Obesity | Diabetes | Smoking | Figures from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Oglethorpe | C+ | 34% | 13.7% | 15% | CDC place |
| Lakeview | C | 35.5% | 13.2% | 16.8% | CDC place |
| Fairview | D | 39.1% | 14.5% | 18.4% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Fort Oglethorpe adults live with a disability (Georgia 29.6%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Fort Oglethorpe
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Fort Oglethorpe is better than Georgia on 4 and worse on 5; on the rest, the Georgia figure falls inside Fort Oglethorpe’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Fort Oglethorpe | GA | U.S. | vs GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 21.1%18.4–23.8 | 20.3% | 19.4% | About the same |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 15.3%13.5–17 | 13.5% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 17.4%15.4–19.3 | 16.9% | 15.9% | About the same |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 34%27.2–41.1 | 35.2% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 13.7%11.9–15.5 | 13.3% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 38.7%34.7–42.7 | 37.4% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 40.4%36.1–44.6 | 36.8% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 30.3%27–33.5 | 24.6% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 10.2%9–11.4 | 10.1% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 10.1%9.2–11.1 | 7% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.9%7.1–8.7 | 6.1% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 8.6%7.6–9.6 | 6.5% | 6.3% | Worse |
| Stroke | 4.2%3.8–4.5 | 3.6% | 3.4% | Worse |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 15.4%12.8–18.3 | 14.5% | 12.3% | About the same |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 15%13–17.1 | 13.6% | 11.8% | About the same |
| No exercise outside work | 28.1%23.7–32.4 | 26.5% | 24.7% | About the same |
| Binge drinking | 14.2%11.6–17 | 14.5% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 36.1%29.9–42.6 | 38.4% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 11.7%10–13.6 | 13.1% | 11% | About the same |
| Checkup in the past year | 78.8%75.1–81.9 | 78.4% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 60%56.6–63.5 | 59.2% | 63.2% | About the same |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 86.8%85.1–88.4 | 86.8% | 87.1% | About the same |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 80.1%77.4–82.4 | 77.4% | 76.5% | About the same |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 67.6%62.7–72.2 | 64.4% | 65.5% | About the same |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 76.5%69.3–82.7 | 75.8% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 21.1%17.8–24.4 | 19% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 36.4%31.3–41.7 | 37.3% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 21.8%18.6–25.1 | 24.6% | 23.6% | About the same |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 13.8%11.8–15.9 | 17.7% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 10.9%9.3–12.5 | 15% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 6.8%5.9–7.8 | 9.6% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 7.8%6.8–8.7 | 9.5% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 10.9%9.3–12.6 | 14.2% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 34.9%30.6–39 | 29.6% | 30.1% | Higher |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 16.7%14.6–18.8 | 14% | 13.6% | Higher |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 15.3%13.6–17.1 | 14.4% | 13.9% | About the same |
| Hearing difficulty | 8.8%7.8–9.8 | 6.2% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 5.6%5–6.1 | 5.6% | 5.4% | About the same |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 9.6%8.6–10.7 | 8.7% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 4.2%3.8–4.6 | 4.2% | 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 Georgia figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Fort Oglethorpe
Is Fort Oglethorpe a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Fort Oglethorpe is healthier than 39% of U.S. towns: ≈ C+ for health, #114 of 261 in Georgia. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Fort Oglethorpe?
CDC estimates 34% of adults have obesity, likely between 27.2% and 41.1%, against 35.2% across Georgia and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Fort Oglethorpe?
Commonspirit-Memorial Hospital-North Georgia in Ringgold, 3.3 miles in a straight line from Fort Oglethorpe’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 3 of 5 stars.
How many people in Fort Oglethorpe have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 11.7% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 10–13.6%), against 13.1% across Georgia.
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 Fort Oglethorpe 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 Fort Oglethorpe.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Georgia 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.