Henry Richardi House · Photo: Dkanaris · CC BY-SA 3.0On CDC estimates, Forest Home Township is healthier than 61% of U.S. towns
Forest Home Township differs from Michigan on 21 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 14 better, 7 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, from ZIP code 49615. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Forest Home Township
Cancer, heart disease and arthritis run high in Forest Home Township
1 in 7 adults have had cancer (13.7%), vs 8.9% across Michigan. 1 in 11 adults have heart disease (9.5%), vs 7% across Michigan. Arthritis is also above the state: 37.6%, vs 29.1% across Michigan. In all, Forest Home Township runs above Michigan on seven of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 36% of residents are 65 or older (Michigan 19%), and cancer, heart disease and arthritis are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
More high blood pressure in Forest Home Township, and more people treating it
42.4% of adults have high blood pressure (Michigan 36.7%), but 83.1% of them take medicine for it, vs 77.6% statewide. Checkups ↓
Forest Home Township keeps up with checkups
It beats Michigan on four of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (84% vs 80.3%) and dentist visits (72.1% vs 68%). Checkups ↓
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 Michigan figure falls outside Forest Home Township’s likely range; Forest Home Township’s figures come from ZIP code 49615, which may reach past town lines; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from C to A.
What’s behind Forest Home Township’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Forest Home Township is healthier than 61% of U.S. towns. Mental distress holds the grade up (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than 85% of U.S. towns); diabetes pulls it down (better than 29%).
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). Forest Home Township’s median household income is $81,111; among the 10,708 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($61K–$101K), it’s healthier than 64%, about where its income would put it.
Out of every 100 Forest Home Township adults…
Forest Home Township runs below MI on 1 of 12 conditions and above it on 7. Tap one to see it as people.
Forest Home Township is an older town: 36% of residents are 65 or older, vs 19% across Michigan. Heart disease, COPD and arthritis rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Forest Home Township as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of Forest Home Township adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Michigan.
Care in and near Forest Home Township
No hospital or community health center in Forest Home Township 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 Forest Home Township; ≈ 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).
Everyday habits, side by side with Michigan
Share of adults, with the Michigan figure marked.
46 miles of trails across 7 parks and preserves
How Forest Home Township adults are doing
On 2 of 4 measures, Forest Home Township does better than Michigan.
3 in 10 Forest Home Township 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.
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
9.1% of Forest Home Township adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 14.3% across Michigan.
Forest Home Township and the towns around it
Forest Home Township’s Health Grade ranks 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Home Township | B | 35.7% | 13.5% | 12.3% | ZIP 49615 |
| Kearney Township | B | 36.1% | 13.4% | 13% | ZIP codes |
| Helena Township | — | — | — | — | |
| Custer Township | C+ | 37.6% | 13% | 15.8% | ZIP codes |
| Bellaire | B+ | 35.8% | 11% | 12.6% | CDC place |
| Torch Lake Township | B+ | 34.9% | 12.8% | 11.2% | ZIP codes |
| Milton Township | B | 35.8% | 12.7% | 12.8% | ZIP codes |
| Central Lake Township | B | 36.9% | 13.4% | 13.5% | ZIP 49622 |
Helena Township: not graded. Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Forest Home Township adults live with a disability (Michigan 31.1%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Forest Home Township
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Forest Home Township is better than Michigan on 14 and worse on 7; on the rest, the Michigan figure falls inside Forest Home Township’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Forest Home Township | MI | U.S. | vs MI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 18.2%15.7–20.8 | 19.4% | 19.4% | About the same |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 14.5%12.7–16.3 | 14% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 14.5%12.8–16.2 | 17.6% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 35.7%27.9–44 | 36.2% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 13.5%11.7–15.5 | 11.9% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 42.4%38–47 | 36.7% | 34.4% | Worse |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 41.5%37–46.2 | 35.4% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 37.6%33.8–41.5 | 29.1% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 10.9%9.6–12.2 | 11.5% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 13.7%12.5–15 | 8.9% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 9.5%8.5–10.5 | 7% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 9.4%8.2–10.6 | 8.1% | 6.3% | Worse |
| Stroke | 4.4%4–4.9 | 3.7% | 3.4% | Worse |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 8%6.4–9.9 | 10.2% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 12.3%10.4–14.3 | 14.6% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 23.5%19.4–27.7 | 24.9% | 24.7% | About the same |
| Binge drinking | 13.4%11–16 | 15.9% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 30.7%24.5–37.3 | 34.7% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 5.1%4.1–6.1 | 6.9% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 84%81.2–86.6 | 80.3% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 72.1%68.7–75.2 | 68% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 91.3%89.9–92.4 | 87.4% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 83.1%80.5–85.5 | 77.6% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 75.4%70.8–79.7 | 69% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 76%68.4–82.6 | 76.9% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 24.3%20.9–28 | 25.7% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 28.1%23.4–33 | 32.4% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 19.4%16.3–22.6 | 23.1% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 9.7%8.1–11.6 | 15.4% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 7.2%6.1–8.5 | 11.9% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 5.4%4.7–6.3 | 8.7% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 5.6%4.8–6.4 | 8.3% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 9.1%7.5–10.8 | 14.3% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 32.7%28.5–37.1 | 31.1% | 30.1% | About the same |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 16.2%14–18.6 | 14% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 12%10.5–13.5 | 14.3% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 10.3%9.1–11.5 | 7.3% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 4.6%4.1–5.2 | 4.9% | 5.4% | About the same |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 8%7–9 | 8.6% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 3.8%3.3–4.2 | 3.8% | 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 Michigan figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Forest Home Township
Is Forest Home Township a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Forest Home Township is healthier than 61% of U.S. towns: ≈ B for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 64%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Forest Home Township?
CDC estimates 35.7% of adults have obesity, likely between 27.9% and 44%, against 36.2% across Michigan and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Forest Home Township?
Kalkaska Memorial Health Center in Kalkaska, 17.5 miles in a straight line from Forest Home Township’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; it has no Medicare star rating.
How many people in Forest Home Township have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 5.1% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 4.1–6.1%), against 6.9% across Michigan.
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 Forest Home Township 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 Forest Home Township.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Michigan 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.