Photo: ATLJonJon · CC BY 4.0On CDC estimates, Gainesville is healthier than 28% of U.S. towns
Gainesville trails Georgia on 11 of 32 measures CDC estimates, and leads on none.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Gainesville. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Gainesville
1 in 4 working-age adults in Gainesville has no health insurance
24% of adults 18–64 have no health insurance, vs 13.1% across Georgia. Checkups ↓
Making ends meet is harder in Gainesville
1 in 4 adults worry about having enough food (25.2%), vs 17.7% across Georgia. No reliable transportation (12.7% vs 9.5%) and housing insecurity (19.5% vs 15%) are higher too. 18.9% of adults receive SNAP, vs 14.2% statewide. Everyday needs ↓
More Gainesville adults get no exercise
1 in 3 adults get no exercise outside work (32.5%), vs 26.5% across Georgia. There are 27 miles of trails across 11 parks and preserves in town, a place to start. Habits ↓
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 Gainesville’s likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D to B.
What’s behind Gainesville’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Gainesville is healthier than 28% of U.S. towns, #140 of 261 in Georgia. Obesity holds the grade up (fewer adults with obesity than 68% of U.S. towns); no exercise pulls it down (better than 14%).
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). Gainesville’s median household income is $66,974; among the 10,194 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($50K–$84K), it’s healthier than 34%, so it sits below most towns with similar incomes, too.
Few Georgia towns score lower on these estimates than towns elsewhere, so within the state Gainesville is healthier than 47% of graded towns, against 28% nationally.
Keeping up with care
Share of Gainesville adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Georgia.
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
18.9% of Gainesville adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.2% across Georgia.
Everyday habits, side by side with Georgia
Share of adults, with the Georgia figure marked.
27 miles of trails across 11 parks and preserves
Out of every 100 Gainesville adults…
Gainesville runs above GA on 1 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Care in and near Gainesville
1 hospital and 1 community health center in Gainesville, 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 Gainesville; ≈ 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).
How Gainesville adults are doing
About the same as Georgia on each measure.
2 in 5 Gainesville 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.
Gainesville and the towns around it
How health changes across the town line.
Health next door
| Town | Health | Obesity | Diabetes | Smoking | Figures from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gainesville | C | 33.6% | 13.8% | 15.1% | CDC place |
| Oakwood | C+ | 32.7% | 11.7% | 14.9% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Gainesville adults live with a disability (Georgia 29.6%). Thinking or memory is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Gainesville
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Gainesville is better than Georgia on 0 and worse on 11; on the rest, the Georgia figure falls inside Gainesville’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Gainesville | GA | U.S. | vs GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 25.4%22.8–28.3 | 20.3% | 19.4% | Worse |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 15.6%13.9–17.4 | 13.5% | 13% | Worse |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 18.3%16.3–20.5 | 16.9% | 15.9% | About the same |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 33.6%27.3–40.2 | 35.2% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 13.8%12.2–15.6 | 13.3% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 36.1%32.4–39.8 | 37.4% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 37.4%33.5–41.3 | 36.8% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 24.8%22.1–27.6 | 24.6% | 25.3% | About the same |
| Asthma | 10%8.8–11.2 | 10.1% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 7%6.3–7.7 | 7% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Coronary heart disease | 6.7%6–7.4 | 6.1% | 6.4% | About the same |
| COPD | 7.4%6.7–8.3 | 6.5% | 6.3% | Worse |
| Stroke | 3.8%3.5–4.1 | 3.6% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 16.8%13.9–20 | 14.5% | 12.3% | About the same |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 15.1%13.2–17.1 | 13.6% | 11.8% | About the same |
| No exercise outside work | 32.5%28.3–37 | 26.5% | 24.7% | Worse |
| Binge drinking | 13.8%11.2–16.5 | 14.5% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 40.3%34.6–46.2 | 38.4% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 24%21.5–26.5 | 13.1% | 11% | Worse |
| Checkup in the past year | 75.7%71.9–79.2 | 78.4% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 54.3%50.7–57.7 | 59.2% | 63.2% | Worse |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 82.7%80.8–84.6 | 86.8% | 87.1% | Worse |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 76.1%73.5–78.6 | 77.4% | 76.5% | About the same |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 62.8%58–67.4 | 64.4% | 65.5% | About the same |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 72.3%64.7–78.9 | 75.8% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 20.5%17.4–23.7 | 19% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 39.1%34.2–44.7 | 37.3% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 24.9%21.6–28.7 | 24.6% | 23.6% | About the same |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 25.2%22.5–28 | 17.7% | 15% | Worse |
| Worried about keeping housing | 19.5%17.3–21.9 | 15% | 12% | Worse |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 11.3%10–12.8 | 9.6% | 7.6% | Worse |
| Lack reliable transportation | 12.7%11.4–14.2 | 9.5% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 18.9%16.9–21.2 | 14.2% | 11.6% | Higher |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 35.8%31.8–40 | 29.6% | 30.1% | Higher |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 15.9%14.1–17.8 | 14% | 13.6% | Higher |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 18.1%16.3–20.1 | 14.4% | 13.9% | Higher |
| Hearing difficulty | 7.5%6.7–8.3 | 6.2% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 7.6%7–8.3 | 5.6% | 5.4% | Higher |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 10.8%9.7–11.9 | 8.7% | 7.9% | Higher |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 5%4.6–5.4 | 4.2% | 3.8% | Higher |
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 Gainesville
Is Gainesville a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Gainesville is healthier than 28% of U.S. towns: ≈ C for health, #140 of 261 in Georgia. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 34%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Gainesville?
CDC estimates 33.6% of adults have obesity, likely between 27.3% and 40.2%, against 35.2% across Georgia and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Gainesville?
Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, 1.1 miles in a straight line from Gainesville’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 3 of 5 stars.
How many people in Gainesville have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 24% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 21.5–26.5%), 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 Gainesville 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 Gainesville.
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.