Flat Top Estate · Photo: Bill Russ photographer · Public domainOn CDC estimates, Blowing Rock is healthier than 80% of U.S. towns
Blowing Rock differs from North Carolina on 23 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 17 better, 6 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Blowing Rock. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Blowing Rock
Cancer, heart disease and arthritis run high in Blowing Rock
1 in 6 adults have had cancer (15.6%), about twice the North Carolina rate. 1 in 10 adults have heart disease (9.6%), vs 6.6% across North Carolina. Arthritis is also above the state: 38.5%, vs 26.9% across North Carolina. In all, Blowing Rock runs above North Carolina on six of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 37% of residents are 65 or older (North Carolina 17%), and cancer, heart disease and arthritis are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
Against towns with similar incomes, Blowing Rock’s lead shrinks
Blowing Rock is healthier than 81% of U.S. towns, but 55% of the 5,630 towns with similar household incomes ($91K–$151K). Part of its edge is what towns with its incomes tend to have. Health Grade ↓
More high blood pressure in Blowing Rock, and more people treating it
44.8% of adults have high blood pressure (North Carolina 36.8%), but 85.5% of them take medicine for it, vs 76.7% statewide. Checkups ↓
Blowing Rock keeps up with checkups
It beats North Carolina on four of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (86.4% vs 80%) and dentist visits (74.3% vs 63.6%). 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 North Carolina figure falls outside Blowing Rock’s likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from B− to A.
What’s behind Blowing Rock’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Blowing Rock is healthier than 80% of U.S. towns. Mental distress holds the grade up (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than 98% of U.S. towns); diabetes pulls it down (better than 33%).
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). Blowing Rock’s median household income is $120,938; among the 5,630 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($91K–$151K), it’s healthier than 55%, about where its income would put it.
Out of every 100 Blowing Rock adults…
Blowing Rock runs below NC on 1 of 12 conditions and above it on 6. Tap one to see it as people.
Blowing Rock is an older town: 37% of residents are 65 or older, vs 17% across North Carolina. Heart disease, arthritis and stroke rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Blowing Rock as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of Blowing Rock adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks North Carolina.
Care in and near Blowing Rock
No hospital or community health center in Blowing Rock 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 Blowing Rock; ≈ 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 North Carolina
Share of adults, with the North Carolina figure marked.
3.3 miles of trails across 4 parks and preserves
How Blowing Rock adults are doing
On 3 of 4 measures, Blowing Rock does better than North Carolina.
1 in 4 Blowing Rock 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.
4.6% of Blowing Rock adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 12.3% across North Carolina.
Blowing Rock and the towns around it
How health changes across the town line.
Health next door
| Town | Health | Obesity | Diabetes | Smoking | Figures from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blowing Rock | A− | 30.3% | 13.2% | 9% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Blowing Rock adults live with a disability (North Carolina 32%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Blowing Rock
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Blowing Rock is better than North Carolina on 17 and worse on 6; on the rest, the North Carolina figure falls inside Blowing Rock’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Blowing Rock | NC | U.S. | vs NC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 16%12.9–19.8 | 19% | 19.4% | About the same |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 12.7%10.7–15 | 12.7% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 11.7%10.1–13.3 | 16.5% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 30.3%23.4–37.9 | 35.1% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 13.2%11.2–15.6 | 12% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 44.8%40.2–49.5 | 36.8% | 34.4% | Worse |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 45.3%40.5–50.3 | 35.6% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 38.5%34.4–42.7 | 26.9% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 9.7%8.6–11 | 10.8% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 15.6%14.1–17.3 | 7.9% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 9.6%8.2–11.2 | 6.6% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 8.1%6.4–10.2 | 7.1% | 6.3% | About the same |
| Stroke | 4.5%3.8–5.2 | 3.6% | 3.4% | Worse |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 8.5%6.9–10.3 | 13.9% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 9%6.8–11.5 | 13.5% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 20.9%16.6–25.8 | 23.8% | 24.7% | About the same |
| Binge drinking | 11.7%9.6–14.2 | 14.7% | 15.4% | Better |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 25%20–30.5 | 34.2% | 36% | Better |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 5.9%4.4–7.8 | 10.4% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 86.4%83.9–88.8 | 80% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 74.3%71.1–77 | 63.6% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 93.9%92.8–95 | 87.5% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 85.5%83–87.8 | 76.7% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 77%73–80.7 | 65.7% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 81.5%75.1–86.8 | 78.7% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 21.9%18.7–25.5 | 24.2% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 26.8%22.2–31.7 | 32.5% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 16.2%13.2–19.4 | 22.5% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 6.4%4.7–8.3 | 15.2% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 4.9%3.8–6.1 | 12.2% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 3.3%2.6–3.9 | 8.1% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 4%3.2–4.8 | 8.4% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 4.6%3.2–6.3 | 12.3% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 32.6%27.6–38 | 32% | 30.1% | About the same |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 16.1%13–19.6 | 14.2% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 10.4%8.6–12.3 | 14.8% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 11.2%9.7–12.9 | 7.3% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 4.3%3.5–5.2 | 5.3% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 6.8%5.5–8.3 | 8.2% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 3.4%2.8–4.2 | 4% | 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 North Carolina figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Blowing Rock
Is Blowing Rock a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Blowing Rock is healthier than 80% of U.S. towns: A− for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 55%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Blowing Rock?
CDC estimates 30.3% of adults have obesity, likely between 23.4% and 37.9%, against 35.1% across North Carolina and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Blowing Rock?
Watauga Medical Center in Boone, 4.7 miles in a straight line from Blowing Rock’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 3 of 5 stars.
How many people in Blowing Rock have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 5.9% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 4.4–7.8%), against 10.4% across North Carolina.
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 Blowing Rock 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 Blowing Rock.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The North Carolina 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.