On CDC estimates, Forest Lake is healthier than 97% of U.S. towns
Forest Lake differs from Illinois on 22 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 21 better, 1 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Forest Lake. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Forest Lake
Forest Lake is an active town
Only 14% of adults get no exercise outside work, vs 23% across Illinois. Habits ↓
Forest Lake keeps up with checkups
It beats Illinois on three of five routine checkups and screenings, including dentist visits (75% vs 63.4%) and cholesterol checks (90.9% vs 87.4%). Checkups ↓
Forest Lake adults report less loneliness
Loneliness (27.4% vs 33.5%), frequent mental distress (12.7% vs 15.6%) and lack of emotional support (19.5% vs 25.4%) all run below Illinois. Mind & connection ↓
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 Illinois figure falls outside Forest Lake’s likely range.
What’s behind Forest Lake’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Forest Lake is healthier than 97% of U.S. towns. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is no exercise (fewer adults who get no exercise than almost every town); the weakest is obesity, still better than 81%.
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). Forest Lake’s median household income is $96,250; among the 9,140 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($72K–$120K), it’s healthier than 99%, about where its income would put it.
Everyday habits, side by side with Illinois
Share of adults, with the Illinois figure marked.
0 miles of trails across 1 park or preserve
Keeping up with care
Share of Forest Lake adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Illinois.
How Forest Lake adults are doing
On 3 of 4 measures, Forest Lake does better than Illinois.
1 in 4 Forest Lake 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.
Out of every 100 Forest Lake adults…
Forest Lake runs below IL on 5 of 12 conditions and above it on 1. Tap one to see it as people.
Only 8% of Forest Lake residents are 65 or older, vs 17% across Illinois. Heart disease, COPD and stroke run low partly because the town is young.
Care in and near Forest Lake
No hospital or community health center in Forest Lake itself. These are the nearest.
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 Lake; ≈ 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).
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
5.3% of Forest Lake adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 13.8% across Illinois.
Forest Lake and the towns around it
Forest Lake’s Health Grade ranks 3rd of 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Lake | A+ | 30.7% | 9% | 8.5% | CDC place |
| Hawthorn Woods | A+ | 29% | 9.2% | 8% | CDC place |
| Kildeer | A+ | 28% | 9.3% | 7.2% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Forest Lake adults live with a disability (Illinois 27.6%). Thinking or memory is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Forest Lake
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Forest Lake is better than Illinois on 21 and worse on 1; on the rest, the Illinois figure falls inside Forest Lake’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Forest Lake | IL | U.S. | vs IL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 11.7%9.1–14.5 | 18.6% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 9.5%7.8–11.4 | 12.2% | 13% | Better |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 12.7%10.7–14.7 | 15.6% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 30.7%25.4–35.6 | 34% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 9%7.5–10.7 | 11.7% | 12% | Better |
| High blood pressure | 30.6%26.9–34.1 | 33% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 37.6%33.6–41.4 | 35.4% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 22.5%19.5–25.3 | 24.2% | 25.3% | About the same |
| Asthma | 9.2%8–10.4 | 9.9% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 9%8–10 | 7.6% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 4.7%4–5.6 | 5.9% | 6.4% | Better |
| COPD | 4.6%3.4–6 | 6.3% | 6.3% | Better |
| Stroke | 2.4%2–2.8 | 3.3% | 3.4% | Better |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 6.1%4.8–7.7 | 10.3% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 8.5%6–11.2 | 12.1% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 14%10.8–17.5 | 23% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 17.4%14.5–20.3 | 17.8% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 28.3%24–33.2 | 35.4% | 36% | Better |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 4.9%3.5–6.8 | 9.9% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 78%74.5–81.1 | 77.8% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 75%72.2–77.9 | 63.4% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 90.9%89–92.4 | 87.4% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 74.8%71.1–78 | 75.7% | 76.5% | About the same |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 70.6%66.4–74.9 | 60.2% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 78.3%71.5–84.2 | 73.5% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 19%16–22.1 | 19.8% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 27.4%23.5–31.7 | 33.5% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 19.5%16.3–22.8 | 25.4% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 6.8%4.8–9.2 | 15.9% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 6.4%4.9–8.2 | 13.2% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 3.9%3.1–4.8 | 7.8% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 4.1%3.2–5.1 | 8% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 5.3%3.5–7.5 | 13.8% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 19.2%15.5–22.9 | 27.6% | 30.1% | Lower |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 8.6%6.6–10.8 | 12.8% | 13.6% | Lower |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 8.9%7.1–10.9 | 12.6% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 5%4.3–5.9 | 6.2% | 6.7% | Lower |
| Vision difficulty | 2.8%2.3–3.4 | 4.8% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 4.9%3.8–6 | 7.6% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 2.2%1.8–2.8 | 3.5% | 3.8% | Lower |
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 Illinois figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Forest Lake
Is Forest Lake a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Forest Lake is healthier than 97% of U.S. towns: A+ for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 99%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Forest Lake?
CDC estimates 30.7% of adults have obesity, likely between 25.4% and 35.6%, against 34% across Illinois and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Forest Lake?
Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, 4.0 miles in a straight line from Forest Lake’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 5 of 5 stars.
How many people in Forest Lake have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 4.9% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 3.5–6.8%), against 9.9% across Illinois.
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 Forest Lake more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Forest Lake.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Illinois 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.