St. Mary's-By-The-Sea · Photo: Suekoehler · CC BY-SA 4.0On CDC estimates, Mount Desert is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns
Mount Desert differs from Maine on 21 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 20 better, 1 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, from ZIP codes 04660, 04662, 04675. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Mount Desert
Mount Desert keeps up with checkups
It beats Maine on four of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (85.1% vs 81.2%) and dentist visits (69.6% vs 63.8%). Checkups ↓
Cancer runs high in Mount Desert
1 in 8 adults have had cancer (12.7%), vs 9.9% across Maine. Conditions ↓
Mount Desert adults report less loneliness
Loneliness (27.6% vs 32%), frequent mental distress (13.6% vs 17.7%), lack of emotional support (18.3% vs 22.7%) and depression (23.4% vs 26.9%) all run below Maine. 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 Maine figure falls outside Mount Desert’s likely range; Mount Desert’s figures come from ZIP codes 04660, 04662, 04675, which may reach past town lines; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
What’s behind Mount Desert’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Mount Desert is healthier than 90% 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 92% of towns); the weakest is diabetes, still better than 71%.
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). Mount Desert’s median household income is $92,813; among the 9,602 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($70K–$116K), it’s healthier than 95%, about where its income would put it.
Keeping up with care
Share of Mount Desert adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Maine.
How Mount Desert adults are doing
On 4 of 4 measures, Mount Desert does better than Maine.
3 in 10 Mount Desert 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 Mount Desert adults…
Mount Desert runs below ME on 3 of 12 conditions and above it on 1. Tap one to see it as people.
Care in and near Mount Desert
No hospital or community health center in Mount Desert 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 Mount Desert; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Everyday habits, side by side with Maine
Share of adults, with the Maine figure marked.
110 miles of trails across 6 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 Mount Desert adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.3% across Maine.
Mount Desert and the towns around it
Mount Desert has the best Health Grade of the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Desert | A | 27.4% | 10.7% | 10% | ZIP codes |
| Bar Harbor | A− | 28.2% | 10.3% | 11.4% | ZIP 04609 |
| Cranberry Isles | — | — | — | — | |
| Tremont | B+ | 28.8% | 11.2% | 13.2% | ZIP codes |
| Southwest Harbor | A− | 28.6% | 10.7% | 12.5% | ZIP 04679 |
| Northeast Harbor | — | — | — | — | |
| Blue Hill | B+ | 29.3% | 12% | 13.2% | ZIP 04614 |
| Surry | B+ | 30% | 12.1% | 13.9% | ZIP 04684 |
Cranberry Isles and Northeast Harbor: fewer than 1,000 residents. Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Mount Desert adults live with a disability (Maine 32.1%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Mount Desert
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Mount Desert is better than Maine on 20 and worse on 1; on the rest, the Maine figure falls inside Mount Desert’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Mount Desert | ME | U.S. | vs ME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 14.5%11.9–17.4 | 18.7% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 12.2%10.4–14.3 | 14.3% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 13.6%11.8–15.7 | 17.7% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 27.4%23.4–31.7 | 32.7% | 32.9% | Better |
| Diabetes | 10.7%9.1–12.4 | 11.2% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 36.5%33.1–39.8 | 35.7% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 40.8%37.4–44.2 | 37.4% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 34.2%31.2–37.3 | 32% | 25.3% | About the same |
| Asthma | 11.4%10.2–12.8 | 12.6% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 12.7%11.3–14 | 9.9% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.7%6.7–8.9 | 7.6% | 6.4% | About the same |
| COPD | 7%5.6–8.7 | 8.4% | 6.3% | About the same |
| Stroke | 3.5%3–4.1 | 3.6% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 8.1%6.6–10 | 14.8% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 10%7.4–13.1 | 14.4% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 17.6%14.1–21.4 | 23.1% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 14.1%12–16.4 | 15.5% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 28.5%24.6–32.7 | 32.8% | 36% | Better |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 5.3%3.9–6.9 | 7.8% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 85.1%82.9–87.2 | 81.2% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 69.6%66.5–72.6 | 63.8% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 91.8%90.4–93.1 | 87.1% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 80.7%78–83.3 | 76.4% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 74.7%71.1–78 | 70.5% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 83.9%79.1–87.9 | 80.3% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 23.4%20.7–26.4 | 26.9% | 20.6% | Better |
| Feel lonely | 27.6%24.1–31.1 | 32% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 18.3%15.4–21.3 | 22.7% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 6.4%4.7–8.4 | 10.7% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 6.3%4.8–7.9 | 9.8% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 4.7%3.7–5.8 | 7.4% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 4.9%4–6 | 7.8% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 8%5.6–10.6 | 14.3% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 27.9%24–32.1 | 32.1% | 30.1% | About the same |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 12.3%10–14.9 | 14% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 11.5%9.6–13.7 | 15.5% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 8.6%7.5–9.8 | 8.4% | 6.7% | About the same |
| Vision difficulty | 3.5%2.9–4.2 | 4.4% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 6.1%5–7.4 | 8.1% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 2.9%2.4–3.5 | 3.5% | 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 Mount Desert
Is Mount Desert a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Mount Desert is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns: A for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 95%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Mount Desert?
CDC estimates 27.4% of adults have obesity, likely between 23.4% and 31.7%, against 32.7% across Maine and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Mount Desert?
Mount Desert Island Hospital in Bar Harbor, 7.2 miles in a straight line from Mount Desert’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; it has no Medicare star rating.
How many people in Mount Desert have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 5.3% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 3.9–6.9%), 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 Mount Desert 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 Mount Desert.
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.