The objective of this study was to examine associations of gait score, lying behavior, hygiene, and body condition score (BCS) between cows with low and high SCC. Cows from14 commercial free-stall dairy herds were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Enrollment of herds was based on monthly participation in DHI milk testing. Each farm was visited for a total of 3 observation periods (at ~5-wk intervals) on 2 occasions per period (7 d apart) until 3 DHI milk tests had been completed. Upon immediate receiving of the results of each DHI test, lactating Holstein cows were selected according to SCC. Cows with the highest 10% SCC in the herd (≥200,000 cells/mL) were first selected and matched for parity and DIM to cows with low SCC (≤100,000 cells/mL). Lying behavior was recorded for 6 d after each milk sampling using data loggers. On the visit where data loggers were attached, cows were scored for gait (1 = sound to 5 = lame) and hygiene of udder, lower legs, and upper legs/flank (1 = clean to 4 = dirty). On the visit where data loggers were removed 7 d later, BCS (1 = thin to 5 = fat) and hygiene were scored. Cows were then classified into each of the scoring categories for hygiene (dirty: ≤ 2, clean: ≥ 3), BCS (high: ≥ 4, normal: 3–3.5, low: ≤ 2.5), and gait (sound: ≤ 2, lame: ≥ 3). Association of cows being high (n = 352) and low (n = 362) in SCC with lying behavior, BCS, gait score, and hygiene score were tested in mixed-effect linear and logistic regression models. As compared with normal BCS cows, low BCS cows were found to be at greater odds of having a high SCC (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.00–2.47, P = 0.049). As compared with normal BCS cows, low BCS cows were at a higher odds of having dirty lower legs (OR = 2.64, 95% CI = 1.08–6.46, P = 0.03), spent less time lying down (−27.2 ± 12.5 min/d, P = 0.03), and produced more milk (+2.90 ± 0.88 kg/d, P < 0.01). On average, cows with high SCC produced 2.2 ± 0.72 kg/d less milk (P < 0.01) than those with low SCC. These results suggest that cows with low BCS, which were at greater risk of having high SCC, were also the highest producing, had poorest lower leg hygiene, and spent the most time standing.