Health · Nelson

Nelson, IL health

Nelson differs from Illinois on 9 of 40 measures. Where it trails the state most: more adults with COPD (8.7% vs 6.3%) and more smokers (15.8% vs 12.1%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 61021, 61042, 61071
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 644 people are less certain, so we show Nelson's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Nelson compares with Illinois

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 Nelson adults…

38 of every 100 Nelson adults have high blood pressure
Illinois: 33 in 100 · worse · margin 33.9–42.6%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Nelson, betterNelson, worseToo close to callIllinois
Get no exerciseshare of adults 26% Nelson
IL 23%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 36.9% Nelson
IL 35.4%
Binge drinkshare of adults 17.4% Nelson
IL 17.8%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 15.8% Nelson
IL 12.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

79%
Yearly checkup
IL 78%
61%
Dentist visit
IL 63%
87%
Cholesterol check
IL 87%
63%
Colon screening
IL 60%
71%
Mammogram
IL 74%
78%
Taking BP meds
IL 76%
1 in 11
working-age adults has no health insurance
Nelson 9.3% · Illinois 1 in 10 (9.9%)
Mind & connection

How Nelson adults are doing

1 in 3Nelson adults feel lonely
32.5% · Illinois 33.5% · too close to call
1 in 5Nelson adults have been diagnosed with depression
21.5% · Illinois 19.8% · too close to call
1 in 4Nelson adults lack social or emotional support
24.9% · Illinois 25.4% · too close to call
1 in 6Nelson adults are in frequent mental distress
16.9% · Illinois 15.6% · 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 6
Nelson adults worry about having enough food
15.4% · IL 15.9% · about the same
1 in 8
Nelson adults worry about keeping their housing
12.3% · IL 13.2% · about the same
1 in 13
Nelson adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
7.9% · IL 7.8% · about the same
1 in 13
Nelson adults lack reliable transportation
8% · IL 8% · about the same

15% of Nelson adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 13.8% across Illinois.

Disability

Living with a disability

32.3%

of Nelson adults live with a disability (Illinois 27.6%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs15.6%
Thinking or memory14.2%
Hearing8.2%
Errands alone8.8%
Vision5.3%
Dressing or bathing4.2%

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

Around Nelson

Nelson and the towns around it

Pick a measure to shade the map. Darker is worse for health. Pins are hospitals and community health centers in and near Nelson.

Palmyra: 39.5% South Dixon: 40% Coloma: 38% Harmon: 37% Woosung: 42% Sterling: 36.9% Dixon: 40% Jordan: 37% Marion: 39.1% Nachusa: 37.8% Sterling: 37.4% Hopkins: 36.5% Rock Falls: 38.6% Montmorency: 37.9% Hume: 36.9% Hamilton: 37.1% Nelson: 39.1% Nelson Palmyra South Dixon Coloma Harmon Osf Saint Katharine Medical Center · Dixon · 6.2 mi · 2★ MedicareH Cgh Medical Center · Sterling · 6.5 mi · 1★ MedicareH Whiteside Chd - Rock Falls · Rock Falls · 6.9 mi+
36.5%42%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#12 of 17towns on this map, healthiest first
Harmon37%
Coloma38%
Nelson39.1%
Palmyra39.5%
South Dixon40%
6 places to get careNearest ER 6.2 mi

Nearby towns are shaded from CDC's estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC's own figure for cities and villages.

Getting care

Care in and near Nelson

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

HNearest EROsf Saint Katharine Medical CenterDixon · 6.2 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyOsf Saint Paul Medical Center★★★★★ · 30.4 miDirections →
+Low-cost careWhiteside Chd - Rock FallsRock Falls · 6.9 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
6.2 mi
Osf Saint Katharine Medical Center
Dixon · ★★★★★
ER
6.5 mi
Cgh Medical Center
Sterling · ★★★★★
ER
6.9 mi
Whiteside Chd - Rock Falls
Rock Falls · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
19.8 mi
Morrison Community Hospital
Morrison · not rated
ERRural critical access
28.6 mi
Community Health Partnership of Illinois
Mendota · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
30.4 mi
Osf Saint Paul Medical Center
Mendota · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
! Primary careNelson's county is a federal shortage area.Lee County · need score 8 of 25
✓ Dental careNelson is not a shortage area
! Mental healthNelson's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Northern IL MHCA · 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 Nelson. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Nelson
MeasureNelsonMarginIllinois
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure38.2%33.9–42.6%33%worse
High cholesterol38.3%33.8–42.8%35.4%about the same
Obesity39.1%30.9–47.7%34%about the same
Arthritis29.4%26–32.9%24.2%worse
Depression21.5%18.3–25.2%19.8%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)13.3%10.8–16.2%10.3%worse
Asthma10.3%9.2–11.7%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.4%8.5–10.3%7.6%worse
Diabetes13.1%11.3–15%11.7%about the same
COPD8.7%7.7–9.8%6.3%worse
Heart disease7.7%6.8–8.5%5.9%worse
Stroke3.9%3.6–4.4%3.3%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes15.8%13.5–18.2%12.1%worse
Binge drink17.4%14.4–20.9%17.8%about the same
Get no exercise26%21.7–30.6%23%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours36.9%30.1–43.9%35.4%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup78.6%75–82%77.8%about the same
Dentist visit60.7%56.6–64.5%63.4%about the same
Cholesterol check86.8%85–88.5%87.4%about the same
Colon screening62.7%57.1–67.7%60.2%about the same
Mammogram70.7%61.7–78.2%73.5%about the same
Taking BP meds77.9%74.8–80.7%75.7%about the same
No health insurance9.3%7.9–10.9%9.9%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely32.5%27.6–37.6%33.5%about the same
Lack emotional support24.9%21.4–28.6%25.4%about the same
Frequent mental distress16.9%14.9–18.9%15.6%about the same
Fair or poor health21%18.3–23.9%18.6%about the same
Frequent physical distress14.6%12.9–16.4%12.2%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity15.4%13.2–17.9%15.9%about the same
Housing insecurity12.3%10.6–14.2%13.2%about the same
Utility shut-off threat7.9%6.8–9%7.8%about the same
No reliable transportation8%7.1–9.1%8%about the same
Receive SNAP15%12.8–17.3%13.8%
Disability
Any disability32.3%28–36.7%27.6%
Walking or climbing stairs15.6%13.6–17.8%12.8%
Thinking or memory14.2%12.5–16%12.6%
Hearing8.2%7.2–9.1%6.2%
Vision5.3%4.8–5.9%4.8%
Dressing or bathing4.2%3.8–4.6%3.5%
Errands alone8.8%7.9–9.9%7.6%
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 Nelson door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Illinois figure falls inside it, we don't call Nelson better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Nelson by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Nelson by how much of its land each one covers.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Illinois 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01