Health · Nelson

Nelson, KS health

Nelson differs from Kansas on 7 of 40 measures. Where it trails the state most: more older adults who have lost all their teeth (14.3% vs 11.3%) and more adults with COPD (8.4% vs 6.7%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 66901, 67417
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 27 people are less certain, so we show Nelson's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Nelson compares with Kansas

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
Kansas: 34 in 100 · too close to call · margin 33.9–42.3%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Nelson, betterNelson, worseToo close to callKansas
Get no exerciseshare of adults 29% Nelson
KS 25.6%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 34.5% Nelson
KS 34.3%
Binge drinkshare of adults 15.8% Nelson
KS 16.3%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 16% Nelson
KS 14%
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 Kansas.

77%
Yearly checkup
KS 77%
60%
Dentist visit
KS 65%
84%
Cholesterol check
KS 84%
64%
Colon screening
KS 64%
73%
Mammogram
KS 75%
79%
Taking BP meds
KS 78%
1 in 11
working-age adults has no health insurance
Nelson 8.7% · Kansas 1 in 10 (9.9%)
Mind & connection

How Nelson adults are doing

1 in 3Nelson adults feel lonely
30.5% · Kansas 30.9% · too close to call
1 in 4Nelson adults have been diagnosed with depression
22.4% · Kansas 20.8% · too close to call
1 in 5Nelson adults lack social or emotional support
21.1% · Kansas 21.1% · too close to call
1 in 6Nelson adults are in frequent mental distress
17.4% · Kansas 16% · 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
Nelson adults worry about having enough food
12.7% · KS 13% · about the same
1 in 9
Nelson adults worry about keeping their housing
10.6% · KS 11.2% · about the same
1 in 12
Nelson adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
8.1% · KS 8.2% · about the same
1 in 14
Nelson adults lack reliable transportation
7.2% · KS 7.1% · about the same

8% of Nelson adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.4% across Kansas.

Disability

Living with a disability

34.6%

of Nelson adults live with a disability (Kansas 30.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs15.8%
Thinking or memory15.8%
Hearing9.1%
Errands alone8.8%
Vision4.9%
Dressing or bathing4%

Black tick: Kansas. 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.

Shirley: 40.7% Lawrence: 41.3% Center: 41.5% Aurora: 41.5% Lincoln: 41.6% Elk: 40.3% Colfax: 40.8% Grant: 42.1% Sibley: 41.6% Meredith: 40.1% Arion: 41.1% Oakland: 41.1% Concordia: 41.3% Buffalo: 40.8% Nelson: 41.6% Nelson Shirley Lawrence Center Aurora Lincoln Cloud County Health Center · Concordia · 6.9 miH
40.1%42.1%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#12 of 15towns on this map, healthiest first
Shirley40.7%
Lawrence41.3%
Center41.5%
Aurora41.5%
Nelson41.6%
Lincoln41.6%
6 places to get careNearest ER 6.9 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 ERCloud County Health CenterConcordia · 6.9 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyRepublic County Hospital★★★★★ · 21.1 miDirections →
+Low-cost careKonza Prairie Community Health CenterChapman · 47.1 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
6.9 mi
Cloud County Health Center
Concordia · not rated
ERRural critical access
21.1 mi
Republic County Hospital
Belleville · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
23.8 mi
Clay County Medical Center
Clay Center · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
33 mi
Washington County Hospital
Washington · not rated
ERRural critical access
47.1 mi
Konza Prairie Community Health Center
3 sites · nearest in Chapman
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
48.2 mi
Salina Health Education Foundation
2 sites · nearest in Salina
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
! Primary careNelson's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Cloud County · need score 13 of 25
! Dental careNelson's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Cloud County · need score 16 of 25
! Mental healthNelson's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, MHCA 14 · need score 19 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
MeasureNelsonMarginKansas
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure38.1%33.9–42.3%34.4%about the same
High cholesterol36.9%32.6–41.3%36.7%about the same
Obesity41.6%33.3–49.9%36.5%about the same
Arthritis29.4%26.1–32.9%25.5%worse
Depression22.4%18.9–26%20.8%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)14.3%11.6–17.4%11.3%worse
Asthma10.4%9.2–11.6%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.4%8.4–10.5%8.1%worse
Diabetes12.2%10.5–14%11.4%about the same
COPD8.4%7.4–9.7%6.7%worse
Heart disease7.7%6.8–8.6%6.4%worse
Stroke3.8%3.4–4.2%3.2%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes16%13.6–18.6%14%about the same
Binge drink15.8%12.8–18.9%16.3%about the same
Get no exercise29%24.3–34%25.6%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours34.5%28–41.1%34.3%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup76.7%72.9–80.2%76.6%about the same
Dentist visit60.2%56.4–63.8%64.9%worse
Cholesterol check83.5%81.3–85.6%84.1%about the same
Colon screening63.8%58.6–68.7%63.5%about the same
Mammogram73.3%64.9–80.2%74.6%about the same
Taking BP meds79.1%76.4–81.5%77.6%about the same
No health insurance8.7%7.3–10.6%9.9%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely30.5%25.8–35.5%30.9%about the same
Lack emotional support21.1%17.9–24.7%21.1%about the same
Frequent mental distress17.4%15.4–19.6%16%about the same
Fair or poor health19.4%16.7–22.2%18%about the same
Frequent physical distress13.9%12.2–15.8%12.3%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity12.7%10.4–15.1%13%about the same
Housing insecurity10.6%8.9–12.5%11.2%about the same
Utility shut-off threat8.1%7–9.4%8.2%about the same
No reliable transportation7.2%6.2–8.3%7.1%about the same
Receive SNAP8%6.4–9.6%7.4%
Disability
Any disability34.6%29.9–39.3%30.4%
Walking or climbing stairs15.8%13.6–18.1%13.4%
Thinking or memory15.8%13.9–17.9%14.4%
Hearing9.1%8–10.1%7.4%
Vision4.9%4.4–5.5%4.6%
Dressing or bathing4%3.6–4.5%3.5%
Errands alone8.8%7.7–10%7.7%
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 Kansas 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 Kansas 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