Photo: RyeCityRoller · CC BY-SA 4.0On CDC estimates, Fort Lee is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns
Fort Lee differs from New Jersey on 20 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 19 better, 1 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Fort Lee. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Fort Lee
New Jersey sets a high bar
Fort Lee is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns, but only 64% of the 468 New Jersey towns we grade. Health Grade ↓
Fort Lee keeps up with checkups
It beats New Jersey on three of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (80.9% vs 78%) and dentist visits (69.2% vs 65.9%). Checkups ↓
Few Fort Lee adults smoke
7.4% of adults smoke cigarettes, vs 10.9% across New Jersey. Habits ↓
Fewer Fort Lee adults struggle to make ends meet
Worries about food, housing, utility bills and getting around all run below New Jersey. 1 in 10 adults worry about having enough food, vs 1 in 7 adults statewide. Everyday needs ↓
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 New Jersey figure falls outside Fort Lee’s likely range.
What’s behind Fort Lee’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Fort Lee is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns, #171 of 468 in New Jersey. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is obesity (fewer adults with obesity than almost every town); the weakest is diabetes, still better than 70%.
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). Fort Lee’s median household income is $107,274; among the 7,575 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($80K–$134K), it’s healthier than 93%, about where its income would put it.
Most New Jersey towns score higher on these estimates than towns elsewhere, so within the state Fort Lee is healthier than 64% of graded towns, against 93% nationally.
Keeping up with care
Share of Fort Lee adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks New Jersey.
Everyday habits, side by side with New Jersey
Share of adults, with the New Jersey figure marked.
3.8 miles of trails across 10 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.
5% of Fort Lee adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 8.4% across New Jersey.
Out of every 100 Fort Lee adults…
Fort Lee runs below NJ on 5 of 12 conditions and above it on 1. Tap one to see it as people.
Fort Lee is an older town: 25% of residents are 65 or older, vs 17% across New Jersey. Many conditions rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Fort Lee as about how healthy they are.
Care in and near Fort Lee
No hospital or community health center in Fort Lee 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 Fort Lee; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
How Fort Lee adults are doing
On 2 of 4 measures, Fort Lee does better than New Jersey.
1 in 3 Fort Lee 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.
Fort Lee and the towns around it
Fort Lee’s Health Grade ranks 4th of 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Lee | A | 21.8% | 10.8% | 7.4% | CDC place |
| Edgewater | A+ | 22.5% | 7.7% | 6.6% | CDC place |
| Leonia | A+ | 21.4% | 10% | 7.1% | CDC place |
| Englewood Cliffs | A+ | 19.2% | 10.8% | 5.7% | CDC place |
| Palisades Park | A | 20.2% | 11% | 8% | CDC place |
| Englewood | A− | 30.1% | 11.4% | 9.6% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Fort Lee adults live with a disability (New Jersey 24.8%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Fort Lee
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Fort Lee is better than New Jersey on 19 and worse on 1; on the rest, the New Jersey figure falls inside Fort Lee’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Fort Lee | NJ | U.S. | vs NJ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 14.1%12.5–15.8 | 17.1% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 9.8%8.8–11 | 12.2% | 13% | Better |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 11.6%10.3–12.9 | 14.7% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 21.8%18.7–25.2 | 28.9% | 32.9% | Better |
| Diabetes | 10.8%9.5–12.2 | 10.9% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 34.2%31.5–37.1 | 32.8% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 43.9%40.8–47.1 | 39.3% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 20.8%18.8–22.9 | 22.2% | 25.3% | About the same |
| Asthma | 7.2%6.4–8.1 | 8.9% | 9.9% | Better |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 8%7.3–8.7 | 7.5% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Coronary heart disease | 5.6%5.1–6.2 | 5.6% | 6.4% | About the same |
| COPD | 4.2%3.7–4.8 | 5.1% | 6.3% | Better |
| Stroke | 2.9%2.7–3.2 | 3.1% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 6.5%5.3–8 | 9.6% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 7.4%6.3–8.5 | 10.9% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 22.5%19.8–25.4 | 24.8% | 24.7% | About the same |
| Binge drinking | 12.3%10.5–14.2 | 15.5% | 15.4% | Better |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 37.9%33.9–42 | 37.5% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 7.8%6.7–9 | 11.3% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 80.9%78.4–83.2 | 78% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 69.2%66.3–71.9 | 65.9% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 91.9%90.8–92.8 | 89.1% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 79.9%77.4–82.3 | 77.2% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 65.3%61.3–69 | 63.4% | 65.5% | About the same |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 76.5%70.3–81.8 | 75.7% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 11.8%10.2–13.6 | 15.1% | 20.6% | Better |
| Feel lonely | 32.4%28.9–35.9 | 32.4% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 24.9%22.1–27.8 | 24% | 23.6% | About the same |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 10.1%8.7–11.6 | 14.3% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 8.2%7.1–9.5 | 12.3% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 4.4%3.9–5.1 | 7% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 5.1%4.5–5.8 | 7.4% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 5%4.3–5.9 | 8.4% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 20.6%18.3–23.1 | 24.8% | 30.1% | Lower |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 10%8.8–11.4 | 11.3% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 8%7.1–9 | 11.5% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 5.8%5.2–6.5 | 5.7% | 6.7% | About the same |
| Vision difficulty | 3.8%3.5–4.2 | 4.7% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 5.1%4.5–5.7 | 6.6% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 2.5%2.3–2.8 | 3.3% | 3.8% | Lower |
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 New Jersey figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Fort Lee
Is Fort Lee a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Fort Lee is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns: A for health, #171 of 468 in New Jersey. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 93%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Fort Lee?
CDC estimates 21.8% of adults have obesity, likely between 18.7% and 25.2%, against 28.9% across New Jersey and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Fort Lee?
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in Englewood, 2.8 miles in a straight line from Fort Lee’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 4 of 5 stars.
How many people in Fort Lee have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 7.8% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 6.7–9%), against 11.3% across New Jersey.
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 Fort Lee more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Fort Lee.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The New Jersey 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.