Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0On CDC estimates, Ship Bottom is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns
Ship Bottom differs from New Jersey on 25 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 20 better, 5 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Ship Bottom. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Ship Bottom
Cancer, arthritis and heart disease run high in Ship Bottom
1 in 7 adults have had cancer (13.9%), about twice the New Jersey rate. 1 in 3 adults have arthritis (33.9%), vs 22.2% across New Jersey. Heart disease is also above the state: 7.4%, vs 5.6% across New Jersey. In all, Ship Bottom runs above New Jersey on four of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 46% of residents are 65 or older (New Jersey 17%), and cancer, arthritis and heart disease are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
Ship Bottom keeps up with checkups
It beats New Jersey on five of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (83% vs 78%) and dentist visits (76.6% vs 65.9%). Checkups ↓
Ship Bottom adults report less loneliness
Loneliness (24.5% vs 32.4%), frequent mental distress (10.7% vs 14.7%) and lack of emotional support (16.6% vs 24%) all run below New Jersey. 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 New Jersey figure falls outside Ship Bottom’s likely range.
What’s behind Ship Bottom’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Ship Bottom is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is mental distress (fewer adults with frequent mental distress 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). Ship Bottom’s median household income is $108,750; among the 7,331 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($82K–$136K), it’s healthier than 93%, about where its income would put it.
Out of every 100 Ship Bottom adults…
Ship Bottom runs below NJ on 1 of 12 conditions and above it on 5. Tap one to see it as people.
Ship Bottom is an older town: 46% of residents are 65 or older, vs 17% across New Jersey. Heart disease, arthritis and cancer rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Ship Bottom as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of Ship Bottom adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks New Jersey.
How Ship Bottom adults are doing
On 3 of 4 measures, Ship Bottom does better than New Jersey.
1 in 4 Ship Bottom 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.
Care in and near Ship Bottom
No hospital or community health center in Ship Bottom 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 Ship Bottom; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Everyday habits, side by side with New Jersey
Share of adults, with the New Jersey figure marked.
1.6 miles of trails across 4 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.
2.9% of Ship Bottom adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 8.4% across New Jersey.
Ship Bottom and the towns around it
Ship Bottom has the best Health Grade of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ship Bottom | A | 25.8% | 10.8% | 8.1% | CDC place |
| Stafford Township | A− | 28.1% | 10% | 11.9% | ZIP codes |
| Long Beach Township | A | 25.4% | 11.2% | 8% | ZIP 08008 |
| Surf City | A | 25.4% | 11% | 7.9% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Ship Bottom adults live with a disability (New Jersey 24.8%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Ship Bottom
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Ship Bottom is better than New Jersey on 20 and worse on 5; on the rest, the New Jersey figure falls inside Ship Bottom’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Ship Bottom | NJ | U.S. | vs NJ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 12.6%10.2–15.1 | 17.1% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 11.8%9.9–13.7 | 12.2% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 10.7%9.2–12.3 | 14.7% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 25.8%21.9–29.8 | 28.9% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 10.8%9.1–12.6 | 10.9% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 37.5%34–40.9 | 32.8% | 34.4% | Worse |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 47.6%44.2–50.9 | 39.3% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 33.9%30.5–37.1 | 22.2% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 8.5%7.4–9.5 | 8.9% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 13.9%12.6–15.2 | 7.5% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.4%6.2–8.5 | 5.6% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 5.6%4.3–7 | 5.1% | 6.3% | About the same |
| Stroke | 3.5%2.9–4.1 | 3.1% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 4.4%3.5–5.5 | 9.6% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 8.1%6.1–10.4 | 10.9% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 19.5%15.7–23.5 | 24.8% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 12.6%10.7–14.5 | 15.5% | 15.4% | Better |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 30.7%26.8–34.8 | 37.5% | 36% | Better |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 5.1%3.9–6.6 | 11.3% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 83%80.7–85.1 | 78% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 76.6%74.1–79.1 | 65.9% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 93.9%92.8–94.8 | 89.1% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 84.7%82.2–87 | 77.2% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 74.4%70.6–78 | 63.4% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 82.9%77.9–87.2 | 75.7% | 76.4% | Better |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 13.8%11.8–15.9 | 15.1% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 24.5%21.3–28 | 32.4% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 16.6%14.1–19.5 | 24% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 5.4%4–7.2 | 14.3% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 4.8%3.7–6 | 12.3% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 3.1%2.4–3.8 | 7% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 3.6%2.9–4.3 | 7.4% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 2.9%2–4.1 | 8.4% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 23.2%19.4–26.9 | 24.8% | 30.1% | About the same |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 11.2%8.9–13.7 | 11.3% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 7.7%6.4–9.1 | 11.5% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 7.7%6.5–8.9 | 5.7% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 3.3%2.7–3.9 | 4.7% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 5.2%4.2–6.3 | 6.6% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 2.6%2.1–3.2 | 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 Ship Bottom
Is Ship Bottom a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Ship Bottom is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns: A for health. 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 Ship Bottom?
CDC estimates 25.8% of adults have obesity, likely between 21.9% and 29.8%, against 28.9% across New Jersey and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Ship Bottom?
Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, 7.4 miles in a straight line from Ship Bottom’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 4 of 5 stars.
How many people in Ship Bottom have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 5.1% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 3.9–6.6%), 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 Ship Bottom 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 Ship Bottom.
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.