Stewart's Tavern · Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY-SA 3.0Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes, Fort Ashby is healthier than 79%
Fort Ashby beats West Virginia on 14 of 32 measures CDC estimates, and trails on none.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Fort Ashby. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Fort Ashby
Fort Ashby is healthier than its income would predict
Against all U.S. towns, Fort Ashby is healthier than 32%. Against the 3,838 towns with similar household incomes ($33K–$56K), it’s healthier than 79%. Health Grade ↓
Fort Ashby is older than West Virginia, yet healthier on chronic conditions
Fort Ashby runs below West Virginia on four chronic conditions, most of all COPD (8.3% vs 10.6%), stroke (3.5% vs 4.2%) and heart disease (7.3% vs 8.7%). That’s despite an older population: 30% of residents are 65 or older (West Virginia 21%). Conditions ↓
Fort Ashby is short on primary care and dental care
Fort Ashby’s county is a federal shortage area for primary care and dental care, meaning too few providers for the people who live there. Getting care ↓
Fewer Fort Ashby adults struggle to make ends meet
Worries about food, housing, utility bills and getting around all run below West Virginia. 1 in 10 adults worry about having enough food, vs 1 in 6 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 West Virginia figure falls outside Fort Ashby’s likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D to B+.
What’s behind Fort Ashby’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Fort Ashby is healthier than 32% of U.S. towns. Smoking holds the grade up (fewer adults who smoke than 43% of U.S. towns); mental distress pulls it down (better than 21%).
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 Ashby’s median household income is $44,538; among the 3,838 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($33K–$56K), it’s healthier than 79%, more than its income alone would suggest.
Where Fort Ashby compares well: no health insurance (ages 18–64), 6.4% (U.S. 11%); worried about having enough food, 10.3% (U.S. 15%); worried about keeping housing, 9% (U.S. 12%).
Out of every 100 Fort Ashby adults…
Fort Ashby runs below WV on 5 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Fort Ashby is an older town: 30% of residents are 65 or older, vs 21% across West Virginia. Many conditions rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Fort Ashby as about how healthy they are.
Care in and near Fort Ashby
No hospital or community health center in Fort Ashby 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 Ashby; ≈ 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).
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
10.6% of Fort Ashby adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 17.8% across West Virginia.
Everyday habits, side by side with West Virginia
Share of adults, with the West Virginia figure marked.
0.6 miles of trails across 2 parks and preserves
Keeping up with care
Share of Fort Ashby adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks West Virginia.
How Fort Ashby adults are doing
About the same as West Virginia on each measure.
1 in 3 Fort Ashby 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 Ashby and the towns around it
How health changes across the town line.
Health next door
| Town | Health | Obesity | Diabetes | Smoking | Figures from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Ashby | C | 37.4% | 13.4% | 15.5% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Fort Ashby adults live with a disability (West Virginia 39.2%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Fort Ashby
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Fort Ashby is better than West Virginia on 14 and worse on 0; on the rest, the West Virginia figure falls inside Fort Ashby’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Fort Ashby | WV | U.S. | vs WV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 20.4%17.2–24.3 | 25.4% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 15.1%13.1–17.4 | 17.3% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 18.8%16.5–21.3 | 21.1% | 15.9% | About the same |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 37.4%31–44.1 | 40.6% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 13.4%11.6–15.4 | 15.9% | 12% | Better |
| High blood pressure | 40.5%36.7–44.5 | 44% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 40.4%36.5–44.3 | 42.7% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 36.9%33.4–40.2 | 37.7% | 25.3% | About the same |
| Asthma | 11.7%10.4–13.2 | 12.2% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 10.1%9.2–11.2 | 9.6% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.3%6.4–8.3 | 8.7% | 6.4% | Better |
| COPD | 8.3%6.9–9.9 | 10.6% | 6.3% | Better |
| Stroke | 3.5%3–4 | 4.2% | 3.4% | Better |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 12.5%10.1–15.3 | 19.5% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 15.5%12.4–19 | 19.3% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 27.5%23.1–33.1 | 32.8% | 24.7% | About the same |
| Binge drinking | 15.4%12.9–18.1 | 14.1% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 34.7%28.9–41.2 | 40.7% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 6.4%4.7–8.4 | 8.5% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 81%78–83.9 | 81% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 65.5%62–68.9 | 55.5% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 89%87.1–90.9 | 86.8% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 80.1%77.4–82.4 | 79.5% | 76.5% | About the same |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 66.8%62.1–71.4 | 66.5% | 65.5% | About the same |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 79.3%72.6–85.2 | 76.1% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 30.2%26.6–34 | 30.4% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 31.1%26.1–36.5 | 33.8% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 21.2%17.8–25.1 | 23% | 23.6% | About the same |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 10.3%8–13.3 | 16.2% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 9%7.2–11.1 | 12.4% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 7.6%6.3–9.1 | 11% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 6.3%5.2–7.5 | 8.9% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 10.6%8.1–13.7 | 17.8% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 33.4%29–38.5 | 39.2% | 30.1% | Lower |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 15.3%12.9–18.1 | 18.7% | 13.6% | Lower |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 15.3%13.1–17.9 | 18.6% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 7.9%7–8.9 | 9% | 6.7% | Lower |
| Vision difficulty | 4.2%3.6–4.9 | 5.7% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 8.5%7.2–10.1 | 10.9% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 3.3%2.8–3.9 | 4.6% | 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 West Virginia figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Fort Ashby
Is Fort Ashby a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Fort Ashby is healthier than 32% of U.S. towns: ≈ C for health. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Fort Ashby?
CDC estimates 37.4% of adults have obesity, likely between 31% and 44.1%, against 40.6% across West Virginia and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Fort Ashby?
Western Maryland Regional Medical Center in Cumberland, 11.1 miles in a straight line from Fort Ashby’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 4 of 5 stars.
How many people in Fort Ashby have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 6.4% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 4.7–8.4%), against 8.5% across West Virginia.
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 Ashby more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D to B+.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Fort Ashby.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The West Virginia 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.