Photo: G Keith Hall · CC BY-SA 3.0Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes, Mount Airy is healthier than 54%
Mount Airy differs from North Carolina on 20 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 2 better, 18 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Mount Airy. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Mount Airy
Mount Airy is healthier than its income would predict
Against all U.S. towns, Mount Airy is healthier than 12%. Against the 2,471 towns with similar household incomes ($30K–$50K), it’s healthier than 54%. Health Grade ↓
COPD, heart disease and stroke run high in Mount Airy
1 in 8 adults have COPD (12.6%), vs 7.1% across North Carolina. 1 in 9 adults have heart disease (10.7%), vs 6.6% across North Carolina. Stroke is also above the state: 5.8%, vs 3.6% across North Carolina. In all, Mount Airy runs above North Carolina on eight of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 26% of residents are 65 or older (North Carolina 17%), and COPD, heart disease and stroke are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
More Mount Airy adults get no exercise
1 in 3 adults get no exercise outside work (32.8%), vs 23.8% across North Carolina. Habits ↓
Dental care lags in Mount Airy
56.8% of adults saw a dentist this year, vs 63.6% across North Carolina. Among those 65 and older, 20.2% have lost all their teeth (North Carolina 13.9%). Checkups ↓
Mount Airy has a top-rated hospital
Northern Regional Hospital is rated 4 of 5 stars by Medicare and has an emergency room. Getting care ↓
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 Mount Airy’s likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D− to C+.
What’s behind Mount Airy’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Mount Airy is healthier than 12% of U.S. towns, #255 of 289 in North Carolina. Mental distress holds the grade up (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than 42% of U.S. towns); diabetes pulls it down (better than 8%).
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 Airy’s median household income is $40,275; among the 2,471 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($30K–$50K), it’s healthier than 54%, about where its income would put it.
Where Mount Airy compares well: binge drinking, 11.8% (U.S. 15.4%); taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure), 81.5% (U.S. 76.5%).
Out of every 100 Mount Airy adults…
Mount Airy runs above NC on 9 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Mount Airy is an older town: 26% of residents are 65 or older, vs 17% across North Carolina. Heart disease, COPD and arthritis rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Mount Airy as about how healthy they are.
Everyday habits, side by side with North Carolina
Share of adults, with the North Carolina figure marked.
2 miles of trails across 6 parks and preserves
Keeping up with care
Share of Mount Airy adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks North Carolina.
Care in and near Mount Airy
1 hospital and 1 community health center in Mount Airy, plus the nearest just outside it.
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 Airy; ≈ 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).
How Mount Airy adults are doing
About the same as North Carolina on each measure.
1 in 3 Mount Airy 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.
19.7% of Mount Airy adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 12.3% across North Carolina.
Mount Airy and the towns around it
How health changes across the town line.
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 Airy | D | 42% | 16.4% | 18% | CDC place |
| Toast | — | — | — | — | |
| Flat Rock | D− | 44.7% | 16.9% | 22.7% | CDC place |
| White Plains | — | — | — | — |
Toast and White Plains: 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 Airy adults live with a disability (North Carolina 32%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Mount Airy
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Mount Airy is better than North Carolina on 2 and worse on 18; on the rest, the North Carolina figure falls inside Mount Airy’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Mount Airy | NC | U.S. | vs NC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 27.4%24.3–30.4 | 19% | 19.4% | Worse |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 17.4%15.4–19.4 | 12.7% | 13% | Worse |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 17.5%15.5–19.6 | 16.5% | 15.9% | About the same |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 42%34–49.9 | 35.1% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 16.4%14.4–18.6 | 12% | 12% | Worse |
| High blood pressure | 45%40.8–49.2 | 36.8% | 34.4% | Worse |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 42.1%37.6–46.6 | 35.6% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 36.1%32.6–39.8 | 26.9% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 11.5%10.1–13 | 10.8% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 11%9.9–12.1 | 7.9% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 10.7%9.7–11.8 | 6.6% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 12.6%11.2–14.1 | 7.1% | 6.3% | Worse |
| Stroke | 5.8%5.3–6.3 | 3.6% | 3.4% | Worse |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 20.2%16.6–23.9 | 13.9% | 12.3% | Worse |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 18%15.6–20.6 | 13.5% | 11.8% | Worse |
| No exercise outside work | 32.8%28.1–37.5 | 23.8% | 24.7% | Worse |
| Binge drinking | 11.8%9.6–14.3 | 14.7% | 15.4% | Better |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 32.9%26.2–39.6 | 34.2% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 13.8%11.9–16 | 10.4% | 11% | Worse |
| Checkup in the past year | 82%78.7–84.9 | 80% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 56.8%52.9–60.3 | 63.6% | 63.2% | Worse |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 87.3%85.6–89 | 87.5% | 87.1% | About the same |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 81.5%78.8–83.8 | 76.7% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 65.7%60.3–70.6 | 65.7% | 65.5% | About the same |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 74.8%66.5–81.4 | 78.7% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 26.5%22.8–30.5 | 24.2% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 31.7%26.8–36.7 | 32.5% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 21.5%18.2–24.9 | 22.5% | 23.6% | About the same |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 20.6%18–23.3 | 15.2% | 15% | Worse |
| Worried about keeping housing | 13.8%11.9–15.6 | 12.2% | 12% | About the same |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 10%8.8–11.4 | 8.1% | 7.6% | Worse |
| Lack reliable transportation | 10.7%9.5–12 | 8.4% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 19.7%17.3–22.4 | 12.3% | 11.6% | Higher |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 43.2%38.6–47.6 | 32% | 30.1% | Higher |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 23%20.5–25.6 | 14.2% | 13.6% | Higher |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 18.2%16.1–20.2 | 14.8% | 13.9% | Higher |
| Hearing difficulty | 11.9%10.6–13.3 | 7.3% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 8.7%7.9–9.6 | 5.3% | 5.4% | Higher |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 12.4%11.1–13.8 | 8.2% | 7.9% | Higher |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 6.7%6.1–7.4 | 4% | 3.8% | Higher |
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 Mount Airy
Is Mount Airy a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Mount Airy is healthier than 12% of U.S. towns: D for health, #255 of 289 in North Carolina. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Mount Airy?
CDC estimates 42% of adults have obesity, likely between 34% and 49.9%, against 35.1% across North Carolina and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Mount Airy?
Northern Regional Hospital in Mount Airy, 1.4 miles in a straight line from Mount Airy’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 4 of 5 stars.
How many people in Mount Airy have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 13.8% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 11.9–16%), 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 Mount Airy more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D− to C+.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Mount Airy.
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.