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Olson HouseOlson House · Photo: Ryan Prescott · CC BY-SA 4.0
≈ B+Health Grade
Health in Cushing · CDC PLACES 2025

On CDC estimates, Cushing is healthier than 72% of U.S. towns

Cushing beats Maine on 2 of 32 measures CDC estimates, and trails on none.

Modeled estimates for adults 18+, from ZIP code 04563. How CDC estimates town health

Health Grade

What’s behind Cushing’s grade

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Cushing is healthier than 72% of U.S. towns. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is obesity (fewer adults with obesity than 86% of towns); the weakest is physical distress, still better than 56%.

B+Self-rated health17.2% · ME 18.7% · U.S. 19.4%
BPhysical distress13.8% · ME 14.3% · U.S. 13%
B+Mental distress15.9% · ME 17.7% · U.S. 15.9%
AObesity29.3% · ME 32.7% · U.S. 32.9%
B+Diabetes11.1% · ME 11.2% · U.S. 12%
BSmoking14.1% smoke · ME 14.4% · U.S. 11.8%
A−Exercise21.4% · ME 23.1% · U.S. 24.7%
All U.S. towns we grade (21,250)Healthier than 72%
Less healthyHealthier
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $63K–$104K (10,491)Healthier than 78%

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). Cushing’s median household income is $83,500; among the 10,491 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($63K–$104K), it’s healthier than 78%, about where its income would put it.

A rough placement. CDC’s likely ranges are wide here: with every estimate at one end or the other, Cushing could be anywhere from C+ to A. The letter shows with “≈”. These are ZIP code figures (ZIP 04563), weighted by land area, which can reach past town lines.

How TownRatings grades health →

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Cushing adults…

Cushing runs below ME on 1 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.

36 of every 100 Cushing adults have high blood pressure
Maine: 36 in 100 · about the same · likely 32.4–39%
Better than MEWorseAbout the sameMaine
Getting care

Care in and near Cushing

No hospital or community health center in Cushing itself. These are the nearest.

HNearest ERMainehealth Pen Bay HospitalRockport · 12.6 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyMainehealth Pen Bay Hospital★★★★★ · 12.6 miDirections →
+Low-cost careMid-Coast Health Net/Knox Clinic Main SiteRockland · 9.7 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
9.7 mi
Mid-Coast Health Net/Knox Clinic Main Site
Rockland · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
12.6 mi
Mainehealth Pen Bay Hospital
Rockport · ★★★★★
ER
13.5 mi
Lincolnhealth
Damariscotta · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
20.7 mi
Islands Community Medical Services
5 sites · nearest in North Haven
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
28.4 mi
Togus VA Medical Center
Augusta · ★★★★★
ERFor veterans
33.7 mi
Maine General Medical Center
Augusta · ★★★★★
ER
✓ Primary careCushing is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careCushing is not a shortage area
✓ Mental healthCushing is not a shortage area

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 Cushing; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with Maine

Share of adults, with the Maine figure marked.

Get no exercise 21.4%ME 23.1%
Sleep under 7 hours 29.2%ME 32.8%
Binge drink 14.4%ME 15.5%
Smoke cigarettes 14.1%ME 14.4%
0%10%20%30%40%
Cushing, betterCushing, worseAbout the sameMaine
Where Cushing gets moving

3.2 miles of trails across 6 parks and preserves

Parks & trails →
Checkups & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Cushing adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Maine.

82%Yearly checkupME 81%
69%Dentist visitME 64%
88%Cholesterol checkME 87%
69%Colon screeningME 71%
79%MammogramME 80%
78%Taking BP medsME 76%
1 in 14
working-age adults has no health insurance
Cushing 7.1% · Maine 1 in 13 (7.8%)
Mind & connection

How Cushing adults are doing

About the same as Maine on each measure.

3 in 10Cushing adults feel lonely
29.6% · ME 32% · About the same as ME
1 in 4Cushing adults lack social or emotional support
22.4% · ME 22.7% · About the same as ME
1 in 4Cushing adults have been diagnosed with depression
26.1% · ME 26.9% · About the same as ME
1 in 6Cushing adults are in frequent mental distress
15.9% · ME 17.7% · About the same as ME
The one neighbors can help with

3 in 10 Cushing adults feel lonely. A hello is a start.

Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.

Find a group →

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.

Everyday needs

Making ends meet

Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.

1 in 11
Cushing adults worry about having enough food
9.1% · ME 10.7%
About the same as ME
1 in 11
Cushing adults worry about keeping their housing
8.7% · ME 9.8%
About the same as ME
1 in 15
Cushing adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
6.8% · ME 7.4%
About the same as ME
1 in 14
Cushing adults lack reliable transportation
7% · ME 7.8%
About the same as ME

12.3% of Cushing adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.3% across Maine.

Around town

Cushing and the towns around it

Cushing’s Health Grade ranks 3rd of 6 graded towns around it.

Friendship: 28.8%St. George: 28%South Thomaston: 28.2%Thomaston: 29.9%Warren: 31.3%Waldoboro: 31.1%Bremen: 29.5%Bristol: 29.4%Monhegan plantation: 31.4%Matinicus Isle plantation: no dataOwls Head: 27.8%Rockland: 28.7%Union: 30.7%Rockport: 27.5%Cushing: 29.3%CushingFriendshipSt. GeorgeSouth ThomastonThomastonWarrenMainehealth Pen Bay Hospital · Rockport · 12.6 mi · 3★ MedicareHLincolnhealth · Damariscotta · 13.5 mi · 3★ MedicareHMid-Coast Health Net/Knox Clinic Main Site · Rockland · 9.7 mi+North Haven Medical Clinic · North Haven · 20.7 mi+
Healthier than MENear MELess healthyHHospital+Health center
Obesity
#7 of 14 towns on this map, healthiest first
St. George28%
South Thomaston28.2%
Friendship28.8%
Cushing29.3%
Thomaston29.9%
Warren31.3%
ME32.7%

Nearby towns are shaded from CDC’s estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC’s own figure for cities and villages.

Health next door

TownHealthObesityDiabetesSmokingFigures from
CushingB+29.3%11.1%14.1%ZIP 04563
FriendshipB+28.8%11.8%13.6%ZIP 04547
St. GeorgeB+28%12.1%12.9%ZIP codes
South ThomastonA−28.2%11%13%ZIP 04858
ThomastonB29.9%11.6%15.5%ZIP 04861
WarrenB31.3%10.2%17.9%ZIP 04864

Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.

Disability

Living with a disability

Shown without a better/worse judgment.

29.8%

of Cushing adults live with a disability (Maine 32.1%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs14%
Thinking or memory14%
Hearing8.7%
Errands alone7.7%
Vision4.4%
Dressing or bathing3.6%
Maine

Every CDC estimate for Cushing

Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.

On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Cushing is better than Maine on 2 and worse on 0; on the rest, the Maine figure falls inside Cushing’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.

Adults who…CushingMEU.S.vs ME
Overall health
Fair or poor health17.2%14.2–20.518.7%19.4%About the same
Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month)13.8%11.8–1614.3%13%About the same
Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month)15.9%13.8–18.117.7%15.9%About the same
Conditions
Obesity29.3%25–3432.7%32.9%About the same
Diabetes11.1%9.5–12.811.2%12%About the same
High blood pressure35.6%32.4–3935.7%34.4%About the same
High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years)39.4%36.3–42.737.4%37.1%About the same
Arthritis33.9%30.8–36.932%25.3%About the same
Asthma12.1%10.8–13.612.6%9.9%About the same
Cancer, other than skin cancer10.5%9.4–11.59.9%7.9%About the same
Coronary heart disease7.9%6.8–9.17.6%6.4%About the same
COPD8.5%6.9–10.38.4%6.3%About the same
Stroke3.8%3.2–4.43.6%3.4%About the same
Lost all teeth (ages 65+)10.8%8.9–12.914.8%12.3%Better
Habits
Smoke cigarettes14.1%11–17.314.4%11.8%About the same
No exercise outside work21.4%17.5–25.623.1%24.7%About the same
Binge drinking14.4%12.2–16.715.5%15.4%About the same
Sleep under 7 hours29.2%25.3–33.232.8%36%About the same
Checkups and coverage
No health insurance (ages 18–64)7.1%5.4–9.27.8%11%About the same
Checkup in the past year81.9%79.2–84.481.2%77.4%About the same
Dentist visit in the past year69%66–71.663.8%63.2%Better
Cholesterol check in 5 years88.4%86.5–90.187.1%87.1%About the same
Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure)77.7%74.7–80.376.4%76.5%About the same
Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75)68.7%64.7–72.370.5%65.5%About the same
Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74)79.1%73.7–83.880.3%76.4%About the same
Mind and connection
Ever told they have depression26.1%23.1–29.326.9%20.6%About the same
Feel lonely29.6%26–33.632%32.5%About the same
Lack social and emotional support22.4%19.1–26.122.7%23.6%About the same
Everyday needs
Worried about having enough food9.1%6.9–11.710.7%15%About the same
Worried about keeping housing8.7%6.9–10.79.8%12%About the same
Threatened with a utility shut-off6.8%5.5–8.17.4%7.6%About the same
Lack reliable transportation7%5.8–8.37.8%7.9%About the same
Received SNAP (food stamps)12.3%9.3–15.614.3%11.6%About the same
Disability
Any disability29.8%25.8–34.232.1%30.1%About the same
Difficulty walking or climbing stairs14%11.6–16.714%13.6%About the same
Difficulty concentrating or remembering14%11.9–16.415.5%13.9%About the same
Hearing difficulty8.7%7.5–9.98.4%6.7%About the same
Vision difficulty4.4%3.7–5.24.4%5.4%About the same
Difficulty doing errands alone7.7%6.4–9.18.1%7.9%About the same
Difficulty dressing or bathing3.6%3–4.33.5%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 Maine figure falls inside that range.

Questions about health in Cushing

Is Cushing a healthy place to live?

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Cushing is healthier than 72% of U.S. towns: ≈ B+ for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 78%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.

What is the obesity rate in Cushing?

CDC estimates 29.3% of adults have obesity, likely between 25% and 34%, against 32.7% across Maine and 32.9% nationally.

What hospital is closest to Cushing?

Mainehealth Pen Bay Hospital in Rockport, 12.6 miles in a straight line from Cushing’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 3 of 5 stars.

How many people in Cushing have no health insurance?

CDC estimates 7.1% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 5.4–9.2%), against 7.8% across Maine.

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 Cushing more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from C+ to A.

Neighbors talk health

Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Cushing.

Town Square →
Ask your neighbors

Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Maine 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.