Health · Melvin

Melvin, IA health

Melvin differs from Iowa on 11 of 40 measures. It has more adults treating high blood pressure (81.1% vs 77.8%). Where it trails the state: more adults with heart disease (8.9% vs 6.6%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · CDC's estimate for Melvin
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 230 people are less certain, so we show Melvin's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Melvin compares with Iowa

Each theme counts how many of its measures are better, worse or too close to call against the state. Tap one to jump to it.

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Melvin adults…

40 of every 100 Melvin adults have high blood pressure
Iowa: 34 in 100 · worse · margin 35.3–44.7%

Bars show Melvin; the black tick is Iowa. Tap a condition to see it as people.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Melvin, betterMelvin, worseToo close to callIowa
Get no exerciseshare of adults 29.6% Melvin
IA 24.8%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 32.6% Melvin
IA 32.5%
Binge drinkshare of adults 17.8% Melvin
IA 20.5%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 17.1% Melvin
IA 14.5%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Melvin adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Iowa.

79%
Yearly checkup
IA 78%
62%
Dentist visit
IA 67%
86%
Cholesterol check
IA 84%
72%
Colon screening
IA 67%
79%
Mammogram
IA 79%
81%
Taking BP meds
IA 78%
1 in 11
working-age adults has no health insurance
Melvin 9.1% · Iowa 1 in 14 (7.3%)
Mind & connection

How Melvin adults are doing

1 in 3Melvin adults feel lonely
32.2% · Iowa 32.3% · too close to call
1 in 5Melvin adults have been diagnosed with depression
19.8% · Iowa 20.7% · too close to call
1 in 4Melvin adults lack social or emotional support
24.8% · Iowa 23.3% · too close to call
1 in 6Melvin adults are in frequent mental distress
15.8% · Iowa 16.4% · too close to call
Everyday needs

Making ends meet

Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.

1 in 8
Melvin adults worry about having enough food
13.3% · IA 12% · about the same
1 in 10
Melvin adults worry about keeping their housing
9.8% · IA 9.4% · about the same
1 in 16
Melvin adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
6.4% · IA 6.4% · about the same
1 in 14
Melvin adults lack reliable transportation
7% · IA 6.8% · about the same

10.7% of Melvin adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 10% across Iowa.

Disability

Living with a disability

33.6%

of Melvin adults live with a disability (Iowa 28.1%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs16.9%
Thinking or memory14.5%
Hearing9.9%
Errands alone8.6%
Vision5.4%
Dressing or bathing4.4%

Black tick: Iowa. Shown without a better/worse judgment.

Getting care

Care in and near Melvin

No hospital or community health center in Melvin itself. These are the nearest.

HNearest EROsceola Community HospitalSibley · 10.4 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbySanford Worthington Medical Center★★★★★ · 23.2 miDirections →
+Low-cost careRural Health CareWorthington · 24.1 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
10.4 mi
Osceola Community Hospital
Sibley · not rated
ERRural critical access
13.9 mi
Sanford Sheldon Medical Center
Sheldon · not rated
ERRural critical access
23.2 mi
Sanford Worthington Medical Center
Worthington · ★★★★★
ER
24.1 mi
Rural Health Care
3 sites · nearest in Worthington
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
25.1 mi
Community Health Center of Spencer
Spencer · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
25.2 mi
Spencer Municipal Hospital
Spencer · ★★★★★
ER
✓ Primary careMelvin is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careMelvin is not a shortage area
! Mental healthMelvin's county is a federal shortage area.Northwest Iowa · need score 17 of 25

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 Melvin. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Melvin
MeasureMelvinMarginIowa
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure39.9%35.3–44.7%33.9%worse
High cholesterol39.7%35.1–44.5%35.3%about the same
Obesity39.4%31.1–48.3%37.7%about the same
Arthritis31.6%27.9–35.6%27%worse
Depression19.8%16.8–23.4%20.7%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)10.1%8.1–12.3%11.6%about the same
Asthma10%8.7–11.3%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)10.5%9.4–11.6%8.7%worse
Diabetes14.2%12.2–16.6%11.2%worse
COPD9.1%7.5–11.1%6.9%worse
Heart disease8.9%7.7–10.2%6.6%worse
Stroke4.4%3.8–5.1%3.3%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes17.1%13.9–20.7%14.5%about the same
Binge drink17.8%14.5–21.3%20.5%about the same
Get no exercise29.6%24.3–35.6%24.8%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours32.6%26.1–39.6%32.5%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup78.6%74.7–81.9%77.5%about the same
Dentist visit62.3%58.7–66%66.8%worse
Cholesterol check85.9%83.5–87.9%84.1%about the same
Colon screening71.5%66.6–76%66.6%about the same
Mammogram78.9%71.2–85.2%78.7%about the same
Taking BP meds81.1%78.1–83.7%77.8%better
No health insurance9.1%7–11.5%7.3%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely32.2%27.1–37.7%32.3%about the same
Lack emotional support24.8%21–29%23.3%about the same
Frequent mental distress15.8%13.7–18%16.4%about the same
Fair or poor health21.9%18.2–26.2%17.8%worse
Frequent physical distress15.4%13.1–17.8%12.7%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity13.3%10.4–16.2%12%about the same
Housing insecurity9.8%8.2–11.7%9.4%about the same
Utility shut-off threat6.4%5.4–7.4%6.4%about the same
No reliable transportation7%5.8–8.2%6.8%about the same
Receive SNAP10.7%8.4–13.2%10%
Disability
Any disability33.6%28.5–38.9%28.1%
Walking or climbing stairs16.9%14.1–20.2%12.7%
Thinking or memory14.5%12.3–17%13.5%
Hearing9.9%8.7–11.3%7.4%
Vision5.4%4.6–6.4%4.3%
Dressing or bathing4.4%3.7–5.3%3.4%
Errands alone8.6%7.2–10.2%7.4%
About these numbers

How CDC estimates town health

They're modeled estimatesCDC combines a large national health survey with each area's age, sex, race and income mix to estimate local rates. Nobody surveyed Melvin door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Iowa figure falls inside it, we don't call Melvin better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Melvin directly, so these are its own figures.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Iowa figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population.

Health estimates: CDC PLACES. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau.

We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Melvin, IAView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map
Loading boundary…

Melvin is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01