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≈ B+Health Grade
Health in Holden · CDC PLACES 2025

On CDC estimates, Holden is healthier than 67% of U.S. towns

Holden beats Maine on 7 of 32 measures CDC estimates, and trails on none.

Modeled estimates for adults 18+, from ZIP code 04429. How CDC estimates town health

What stands out

What stands out about health in Holden

Health Grade

What’s behind Holden’s grade

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Holden is healthier than 67% of U.S. towns, #53 of 143 in Maine. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is no exercise (fewer adults who get no exercise than 76% of towns); the weakest is mental distress, still better than 51%.

B+Self-rated health17.3% · ME 18.7% · U.S. 19.4%
B−Physical distress14% · ME 14.3% · U.S. 13%
B−Mental distress17% · ME 17.7% · U.S. 15.9%
BObesity34.2% · ME 32.7% · U.S. 32.9%
B+Diabetes10.8% · ME 11.2% · U.S. 12%
BSmoking13.3% smoke · ME 14.4% · U.S. 11.8%
A−Exercise21.5% · ME 23.1% · U.S. 24.7%
All U.S. towns we grade (21,250)Healthier than 67%
Less healthyHealthier
Maine towns we grade (143)Healthier than 63%
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $69K–$115K (9,692)Healthier than 61%

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). Holden’s median household income is $92,200; among the 9,692 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($69K–$115K), it’s healthier than 61%, 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, Holden could be anywhere from C+ to A. The letter shows with “≈”. Shared figures. CDC doesn’t publish an estimate for Holden itself, so these are ZIP code 04429’s, which Holden shares with Dedham. The two towns get the same figures and the same grade, and the ZIP’s 4,030 adults include people outside Holden.

How TownRatings grades health →

★ What stands out · 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 12
Holden adults worry about having enough food
8.5% · ME 10.7%
Better than ME
1 in 12
Holden adults worry about keeping their housing
8.2% · ME 9.8%
Better than ME
1 in 16
Holden adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
6.1% · ME 7.4%
Better than ME
1 in 15
Holden adults lack reliable transportation
6.6% · ME 7.8%
Better than ME

10.9% of Holden adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.3% across Maine.

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Holden adults…

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

36 of every 100 Holden adults have high blood pressure
Maine: 36 in 100 · about the same · likely 33.7–38.6%
Better than MEWorseAbout the sameMaine
Getting care

Care in and near Holden

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

HNearest ERNorthern Light Eastern Maine Medical CenterBangor · 4.9 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyNorthern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center★★★★★ · 4.9 miDirections →
+Low-cost carePenobscot Community Health CenterBrewer · 2.8 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
2.8 mi
Penobscot Community Health Center
8 sites · nearest in Brewer
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
4.9 mi
Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center
Bangor · ★★★★★
ER
5.9 mi
St. Joseph Hospital
Bangor · ★★★★★
ER
19.6 mi
Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital
Ellsworth · ★★★★★
ER
27.2 mi
Mainehealth Waldo Hospital
Belfast · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
✓ Primary careHolden is not a shortage area
! Dental careHolden is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Old Town · need score 16 of 25
✓ Mental healthHolden 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 Holden; ≈ 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).

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with Maine

Share of adults, with the Maine figure marked.

Get no exercise 21.5%ME 23.1%
Sleep under 7 hours 32%ME 32.8%
Binge drink 15.9%ME 15.5%
Smoke cigarettes 13.3%ME 14.4%
0%10%20%30%40%
Holden, betterHolden, worseAbout the sameMaine
Where Holden gets moving

13 miles of trails across 1 park or preserve

Parks & trails →
Checkups & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

83%Yearly checkupME 81%
67%Dentist visitME 64%
89%Cholesterol checkME 87%
73%Colon screeningME 71%
82%MammogramME 80%
76%Taking BP medsME 76%
1 in 15
working-age adults has no health insurance
Holden 6.7% · Maine 1 in 13 (7.8%)
Mind & connection

How Holden adults are doing

About the same as Maine on each measure.

1 in 3Holden adults feel lonely
31.8% · ME 32% · About the same as ME
1 in 5Holden adults lack social or emotional support
21.8% · ME 22.7% · About the same as ME
1 in 4Holden adults have been diagnosed with depression
26.8% · ME 26.9% · About the same as ME
1 in 6Holden adults are in frequent mental distress
17% · ME 17.7% · About the same as ME
The one neighbors can help with

1 in 3 Holden 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.

Around town

Holden and the towns around it

Holden’s Health Grade ranks 2nd of 6 graded towns around it.

Eddington: 36.8%Orrington: 35.8%Brewer: 39%Dedham: 34.2%Bucksport: 31.6%Veazie: 37.4%Orono: 32.4%Bradley: 40.3%Clifton: 36.8%Hampden: 35.3%Winterport: 33.1%Bangor: 37.9%Ellsworth: 29.1%Otis: 29.7%Orland: 29.2%Prospect: 35.3%Verona Island: 31.6%Frankfort: 35.9%Holden: 34.2%HoldenEddingtonOrringtonBrewerDedhamBucksportNorthern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center · Bangor · 4.9 mi · 5★ MedicareHSt. Joseph Hospital · Bangor · 5.9 mi · 3★ MedicareHNorthern Light Maine Coast Hospital · Ellsworth · 19.6 mi · 3★ MedicareHBrewer Medical Center · Brewer · 2.8 mi+
Healthier than MENear MELess healthyHHospital+Health center
Obesity
#8 of 19 towns on this map, healthiest first
Bucksport31.6%
Holden34.2%
Dedham34.2%
Orrington35.8%
Eddington36.8%
Brewer39%
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
Holden · DedhamB+34.2%10.8%13.3%ZIP 04429
EddingtonB36.8%10.9%13.6%ZIP 04428
OrringtonB+35.8%10.2%12.4%ZIP 04474
BrewerC39%12.1%16.2%CDC place
BucksportB−31.6%11.4%16%ZIP 04416

Holden and Dedham share one ZIP estimate, so they share a row. Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.

Disability

Living with a disability

Shown without a better/worse judgment.

30.1%

of Holden adults live with a disability (Maine 32.1%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs13.1%
Thinking or memory14.2%
Hearing7.8%
Errands alone7%
Vision3.8%
Dressing or bathing3.2%
Maine

Every CDC estimate for Holden

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

On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Holden is better than Maine on 7 and worse on 0; on the rest, the Maine figure falls inside Holden’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.

Adults who…HoldenMEU.S.vs ME
Overall health
Fair or poor health17.3%15.1–19.818.7%19.4%About the same
Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month)14%12.5–15.614.3%13%About the same
Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month)17%15.4–18.717.7%15.9%About the same
Conditions
Obesity34.2%30.8–37.732.7%32.9%About the same
Diabetes10.8%9.6–12.111.2%12%About the same
High blood pressure36.2%33.7–38.635.7%34.4%About the same
High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years)38.8%36.5–41.237.4%37.1%About the same
Arthritis32.2%30–34.432%25.3%About the same
Asthma12.7%11.7–13.912.6%9.9%About the same
Cancer, other than skin cancer10.4%9.7–11.29.9%7.9%About the same
Coronary heart disease7.2%6.4–87.6%6.4%About the same
COPD7.6%6.4–8.88.4%6.3%About the same
Stroke3.3%2.9–3.83.6%3.4%About the same
Lost all teeth (ages 65+)12.2%10.5–1414.8%12.3%Better
Habits
Smoke cigarettes13.3%11–15.814.4%11.8%About the same
No exercise outside work21.5%18.6–24.723.1%24.7%About the same
Binge drinking15.9%14.2–17.715.5%15.4%About the same
Sleep under 7 hours32%28.8–3532.8%36%About the same
Checkups and coverage
No health insurance (ages 18–64)6.7%5.4–8.37.8%11%About the same
Checkup in the past year83%81.1–84.881.2%77.4%About the same
Dentist visit in the past year67.2%64.7–69.563.8%63.2%Better
Cholesterol check in 5 years89%87.5–90.487.1%87.1%Better
Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure)76.3%74–78.576.4%76.5%About the same
Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75)72.8%69.9–75.470.5%65.5%About the same
Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74)81.8%78–85.180.3%76.4%About the same
Mind and connection
Ever told they have depression26.8%24.6–29.226.9%20.6%About the same
Feel lonely31.8%29–34.632%32.5%About the same
Lack social and emotional support21.8%19.4–24.322.7%23.6%About the same
Everyday needs
Worried about having enough food8.5%6.9–10.310.7%15%Better
Worried about keeping housing8.2%6.8–9.69.8%12%Better
Threatened with a utility shut-off6.1%5.2–77.4%7.6%Better
Lack reliable transportation6.6%5.6–7.57.8%7.9%Better
Received SNAP (food stamps)10.9%8.8–13.214.3%11.6%Lower
Disability
Any disability30.1%27–33.232.1%30.1%About the same
Difficulty walking or climbing stairs13.1%11.4–15.114%13.6%About the same
Difficulty concentrating or remembering14.2%12.5–1615.5%13.9%About the same
Hearing difficulty7.8%7–8.68.4%6.7%About the same
Vision difficulty3.8%3.3–4.44.4%5.4%About the same
Difficulty doing errands alone7%6.1–88.1%7.9%Lower
Difficulty dressing or bathing3.2%2.7–3.73.5%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 Holden

Is Holden a healthy place to live?

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Holden is healthier than 67% of U.S. towns: ≈ B+ for health, #53 of 143 in Maine. 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 Holden?

CDC estimates 34.2% of adults (the figure for ZIP code 04429, which Holden shares with Dedham) have obesity, likely between 30.8% and 37.7%, against 32.7% across Maine and 32.9% nationally.

What hospital is closest to Holden?

Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, 4.9 miles in a straight line from Holden’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 5 of 5 stars.

How many people in Holden have no health insurance?

CDC estimates 6.7% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 5.4–8.3%), 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 Holden more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from C+ to A. The figures are ZIP code 04429’s, shared with Dedham.

Neighbors talk health

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

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.