Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0On CDC estimates, Norfolk is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns
Norfolk beats Massachusetts on 17 of 32 measures CDC estimates, and trails on none.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, from ZIP code 02056. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Norfolk
Against towns with similar incomes, Norfolk’s lead shrinks
Norfolk is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns, but 61% of the 1,049 towns with similar household incomes ($151K–$251K). Part of its edge is what towns with its incomes tend to have. Health Grade ↓
Norfolk is an active town
Only 14.5% of adults get no exercise outside work, vs 21.7% across Massachusetts. The town has 24 miles of trails across 13 parks and preserves. Habits ↓
Fewer Norfolk adults struggle to make ends meet
Worries about food, housing, utility bills and getting around all run below Massachusetts. 1 in 14 adults worry about having enough food, vs 1 in 8 adults statewide. Everyday needs ↓
COPD and stroke are less common in Norfolk
Norfolk runs below Massachusetts on four chronic conditions, most of all COPD (4.5% vs 5.9%), stroke (2.4% vs 3%) and diabetes (8.1% vs 9.8%). A young population is part of it: only 14% of residents are 65 or older (Massachusetts 18%). Conditions ↓
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 Massachusetts figure falls outside Norfolk’s likely range; Norfolk’s figures come from ZIP code 02056, which may reach past town lines.
What’s behind Norfolk’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Norfolk is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns, #40 of 279 in Massachusetts. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is no exercise (fewer adults who get no exercise than 98% of towns); the weakest is mental distress, still better than 90%.
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). Norfolk’s median household income is $200,720; among the 1,049 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($151K–$251K), it’s healthier than 61%, about where its income would put it.
Everyday habits, side by side with Massachusetts
Share of adults, with the Massachusetts figure marked.
24 miles of trails across 13 parks and preserves
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
8% of Norfolk adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.1% across Massachusetts.
Out of every 100 Norfolk adults…
Norfolk runs below MA on 5 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Care in and near Norfolk
No hospital or community health center in Norfolk 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 Norfolk; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Keeping up with care
Share of Norfolk adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Massachusetts.
How Norfolk adults are doing
On 1 of 4 measures, Norfolk does better than Massachusetts.
1 in 3 Norfolk 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.
Norfolk and the towns around it
Norfolk’s Health Grade ranks 3rd of 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk | A+ | 24.1% | 8.1% | 9.1% | ZIP 02056 |
| Walpole | A+ | 23.3% | 8% | 8.5% | ZIP codes |
| Franklin Town | A | 24% | 8.2% | 9.7% | CDC place |
| Millis | A | 24.4% | 8.6% | 9.7% | ZIP 02054 |
| Medway | A+ | 23.9% | 8% | 9% | ZIP 02053 |
| Millis-Clicquot | — | — | — | — | |
| Wrentham | A | 24.4% | 8.9% | 10.1% | ZIP 02093 |
| Medfield | A+ | 22.7% | 7.7% | 7.4% | ZIP 02052 |
Millis-Clicquot: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Norfolk adults live with a disability (Massachusetts 27.3%). Thinking or memory is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Norfolk
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Norfolk is better than Massachusetts on 17 and worse on 0; on the rest, the Massachusetts figure falls inside Norfolk’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Norfolk | MA | U.S. | vs MA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 11.9%10.1–14.1 | 16.3% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 10.3%9–11.9 | 12.3% | 13% | Better |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 13.9%12.2–15.8 | 16.2% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 24.1%20.4–28.3 | 27.7% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 8.1%7–9.4 | 9.8% | 12% | Better |
| High blood pressure | 29.1%26.4–32.2 | 30.9% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 35.9%32.9–39.2 | 35.4% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 24.8%22.4–27.4 | 25.4% | 25.3% | About the same |
| Asthma | 10.5%9.3–11.7 | 11.6% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 9.2%8.4–10.1 | 8.5% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Coronary heart disease | 4.9%4.3–5.5 | 5.8% | 6.4% | Better |
| COPD | 4.5%3.7–5.3 | 5.9% | 6.3% | Better |
| Stroke | 2.4%2.1–2.7 | 3% | 3.4% | Better |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 6.9%5.6–8.4 | 11.9% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 9.1%7.3–11.2 | 11.3% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 14.5%12–17.5 | 21.7% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 19.3%16.7–22 | 17% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 31%27.3–34.7 | 33.6% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 3.7%2.8–4.6 | 5.2% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 81%78.4–83.4 | 80.9% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 78.5%76.1–80.6 | 69.8% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 92%90.7–93.2 | 89.7% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 74.3%70.9–77.3 | 75.4% | 76.5% | About the same |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 71.2%67.7–74.5 | 68.4% | 65.5% | About the same |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 85.2%80.8–89 | 83.7% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 21.8%19.2–24.6 | 23.8% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 30.9%27.5–34.4 | 34.2% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 21.6%18.8–24.7 | 23.4% | 23.6% | About the same |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 7.3%5.8–9.2 | 12.4% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 7.3%6–8.9 | 11.1% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 4.7%4–5.7 | 7% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 5%4.3–6 | 7.6% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 8%6.3–10.1 | 14.1% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 21.7%18.8–25 | 27.3% | 30.1% | Lower |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 8.6%7.2–10.2 | 11.6% | 13.6% | Lower |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 11.1%9.5–12.9 | 13.7% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 5.1%4.5–5.8 | 6% | 6.7% | Lower |
| Vision difficulty | 2.7%2.4–3.1 | 4.1% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 5.1%4.3–6 | 7.2% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 2.3%1.9–2.6 | 3.1% | 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 Massachusetts figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Norfolk
Is Norfolk a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Norfolk is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for health, #40 of 279 in Massachusetts. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 61%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Norfolk?
CDC estimates 24.1% of adults have obesity, likely between 20.4% and 28.3%, against 27.7% across Massachusetts and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Norfolk?
Norwood Hospital in Norwood, 8.2 miles in a straight line from Norfolk’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; it has no Medicare star rating.
How many people in Norfolk have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 3.7% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 2.8–4.6%), against 5.2% across Massachusetts.
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 Norfolk 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 Norfolk.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Massachusetts 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.