Photo: Andrew Bossi · CC BY-SA 2.5Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes, Bowie is healthier than 31%
Bowie beats Maryland on 13 of 32 measures CDC estimates, and trails on none.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Bowie. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Bowie
Against towns with similar incomes, Bowie’s lead shrinks
Bowie is healthier than 79% of U.S. towns, but 31% of the 3,403 towns with similar household incomes ($106K–$177K). Part of its edge is what towns with its incomes tend to have. Health Grade ↓
Bowie keeps up with checkups
It beats Maryland on three of five routine checkups and screenings, including dentist visits (67.3% vs 64.4%) and cholesterol checks (91.7% vs 89.6%). Checkups ↓
Bowie adults report less mental distress
Frequent mental distress (12.9% vs 15%) and depression (15.3% vs 19.4%) both run below Maryland. 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 Maryland figure falls outside Bowie’s likely range.
What’s behind Bowie’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Bowie is healthier than 79% of U.S. towns, #105 of 261 in Maryland. Smoking holds the grade up (fewer adults who smoke than 95% of U.S. towns); obesity pulls it down (better than 36%).
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). Bowie’s median household income is $141,995; among the 3,403 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($106K–$177K), it’s healthier than 31%, less than its income alone would suggest.
Most Maryland towns score higher on these estimates than towns elsewhere, so within the state Bowie is healthier than 60% of graded towns, against 79% nationally.
Keeping up with care
Share of Bowie adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Maryland.
How Bowie adults are doing
On 2 of 4 measures, Bowie does better than Maryland.
1 in 3 Bowie 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 Bowie adults…
Bowie runs below MD on 4 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Care in and near Bowie
No hospital or community health center in Bowie 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 Bowie; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Everyday habits, side by side with Maryland
Share of adults, with the Maryland figure marked.
9 miles of trails across 17 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.
8.9% of Bowie adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 11.8% across Maryland.
Bowie and the towns around it
Bowie’s Health Grade ranks 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowie | A− | 38% | 12.3% | 8.1% | CDC place |
| Fairwood | A− | 39.5% | 12.3% | 7.1% | CDC place |
| Glenn Dale | A− | 38.3% | 12.8% | 7.9% | CDC place |
| Brock Hall | A− | 42.2% | 12.6% | 7.8% | CDC place |
| Woodmore | B+ | 40.1% | 14.9% | 6.7% | CDC place |
| Kettering | B | 42.5% | 15.9% | 8.2% | CDC place |
| Queen Anne | B+ | 39.3% | 14.4% | 9.3% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Bowie adults live with a disability (Maryland 26.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Bowie
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Bowie is better than Maryland on 13 and worse on 0; on the rest, the Maryland figure falls inside Bowie’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Bowie | MD | U.S. | vs MD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 15.4%13.9–16.9 | 17.9% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 10.8%9.7–11.9 | 12% | 13% | Better |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 12.9%11.6–14.2 | 15% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 38%34.2–41.7 | 35.1% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 12.3%11.1–13.6 | 12.5% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 37.3%34.7–39.8 | 36.8% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 36.8%34.1–39.4 | 38.1% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 25.2%23.2–27.2 | 25.8% | 25.3% | About the same |
| Asthma | 11.3%10.2–12.4 | 10.6% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 7.1%6.4–7.7 | 7.6% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Coronary heart disease | 4.8%4.4–5.3 | 5.8% | 6.4% | Better |
| COPD | 4.6%4.2–5.1 | 5.9% | 6.3% | Better |
| Stroke | 3.1%2.9–3.4 | 3.4% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 7.6%6.3–9.1 | 9.9% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 8.1%7.1–9.1 | 10.9% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 20.8%18.7–23 | 23.6% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 12.9%11.2–14.8 | 14.1% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 40.4%37.1–43.6 | 37.7% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 7.4%6.4–8.4 | 8.7% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 79.4%77–81.6 | 79.2% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 67.3%64.9–69.6 | 64.4% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 91.7%90.7–92.6 | 89.6% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 76.8%74.3–79 | 76.6% | 76.5% | About the same |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 72%69.1–74.9 | 68.2% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 82.5%78.6–86 | 80.7% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 15.3%13.4–17.1 | 19.4% | 20.6% | Better |
| Feel lonely | 33.7%30.5–37.3 | 34.3% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 23.6%21–26.4 | 24.2% | 23.6% | About the same |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 13.7%12–15.5 | 15.4% | 15% | About the same |
| Worried about keeping housing | 13.3%11.8–15.1 | 13.5% | 12% | About the same |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 8%7–9.1 | 8.4% | 7.6% | About the same |
| Lack reliable transportation | 7%6.2–7.9 | 7.8% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 8.9%7.7–10.2 | 11.8% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 22.9%20.8–25 | 26.4% | 30.1% | Lower |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 11.5%10.3–12.7 | 12.4% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 10.1%9.1–11.2 | 12.2% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 4.4%3.9–4.9 | 5.6% | 6.7% | Lower |
| Vision difficulty | 3.9%3.6–4.2 | 4.5% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 5.9%5.3–6.5 | 7% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 3.1%2.9–3.4 | 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 Maryland figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Bowie
Is Bowie a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Bowie is healthier than 79% of U.S. towns: A− for health, #105 of 261 in Maryland. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Bowie?
CDC estimates 38% of adults have obesity, likely between 34.2% and 41.7%, against 35.1% across Maryland and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Bowie?
University of MD Capital Region Medical Center in Upper Marlboro, 6.8 miles in a straight line from Bowie’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 1 of 5 stars.
How many people in Bowie have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 7.4% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 6.4–8.4%), against 8.7% across Maryland.
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 Bowie more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from B+ to A.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Bowie.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Maryland 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.