Health · Amherst

Amherst, MN health

Amherst differs from Minnesota on 13 of 40 measures. It has more adults treating high blood pressure (79.6% vs 76.1%). Where it trails the state: more adults with COPD (7.5% vs 5.4%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 55949, 55922, 55939
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 400 people are less certain, so we show Amherst's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Amherst compares with Minnesota

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 Amherst adults…

38 of every 100 Amherst adults have high blood pressure
Minnesota: 31 in 100 · worse · margin 33.6–41.8%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Amherst, betterAmherst, worseToo close to callMinnesota
Get no exerciseshare of adults 26.4% Amherst
MN 22.3%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 30.3% Amherst
MN 29.2%
Binge drinkshare of adults 16.8% Amherst
MN 17.8%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 16.2% Amherst
MN 13.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

76%
Yearly checkup
MN 75%
65%
Dentist visit
MN 68%
86%
Cholesterol check
MN 85%
72%
Colon screening
MN 69%
76%
Mammogram
MN 79%
80%
Taking BP meds
MN 76%
1 in 13
working-age adults has no health insurance
Amherst 7.9% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)
Mind & connection

How Amherst adults are doing

1 in 3Amherst adults feel lonely
28.7% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call
1 in 4Amherst adults have been diagnosed with depression
23.8% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call
1 in 5Amherst adults lack social or emotional support
20.4% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call
1 in 6Amherst adults are in frequent mental distress
15.4% · Minnesota 15.1% · 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 9
Amherst adults worry about having enough food
11.7% · MN 11.4% · about the same
1 in 11
Amherst adults worry about keeping their housing
8.9% · MN 9.3% · about the same
1 in 18
Amherst adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5.7% · MN 5.7% · about the same
1 in 14
Amherst adults lack reliable transportation
7.1% · MN 7.1% · about the same

8.9% of Amherst adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

32.5%

of Amherst adults live with a disability (Minnesota 27.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs14.6%
Thinking or memory13.7%
Hearing8.9%
Errands alone8.2%
Vision4.8%
Dressing or bathing3.9%

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

Around Amherst

Amherst and the towns around it

Pick a measure to shade the map. Darker is worse for health.

Preble: 39.7% Preston: 41.4% Holt: 40.6% Canton: 42% Black Hammer: 34.9% Newburg: 39.9% Norway: 39.5% Preston: 41% Carrolton: 40.9% Harmony: 42% Carimona: 41.3% Lanesboro: 40.9% Arendahl: 40.1% Amherst: 41.4% Amherst Preble Preston Holt Canton
34.9%42%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#11 of 14towns on this map, healthiest first
Preble39.7%
Holt40.6%
Amherst41.4%
Preston41.4%
Canton42%
6 places to get careNearest ER 20.1 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 Amherst

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

HNearest ERRegional Health Services of Howard CountyCresco · 20.1 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyWinnmed★★★★★ · 24.2 miDirections →
+Low-cost careScenic Bluffs Health CenterLa Crosse · 35.4 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
20.1 mi
Regional Health Services of Howard County
Cresco · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
24.2 mi
Winnmed
Decorah · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
31.2 mi
Winona Health Services
Winona · ★★★★★
ER
33.2 mi
Veterans Memorial Hospital
Waukon · not rated
ERRural critical access
35.4 mi
Scenic Bluffs Health Center
5 sites · nearest in La Crosse
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
39.8 mi
Community Health Service Inc. - Rochester
Rochester · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
! Primary careAmherst's county is a federal shortage area.Fillmore County · need score 11 of 25
✓ Dental careAmherst is not a shortage area
✓ Mental healthAmherst is not a shortage area

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

All 40 measures for Amherst
MeasureAmherstMarginMinnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure37.5%33.6–41.8%31%worse
High cholesterol36.9%32.9–41.3%33.4%about the same
Obesity41.4%34.2–49.2%33.5%worse
Arthritis27.8%24.7–31.2%22.3%worse
Depression23.8%20.5–27.6%24.4%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)11.6%9.5–14.1%8.9%worse
Asthma10.3%9.1–11.6%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)10.4%9.5–11.6%8.5%worse
Diabetes12.6%10.8–14.5%10.1%worse
COPD7.5%6.4–8.6%5.4%worse
Heart disease7.9%7–8.9%5.9%worse
Stroke4%3.6–4.5%3.1%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes16.2%13.7–18.9%13.1%worse
Binge drink16.8%14–20%17.8%about the same
Get no exercise26.4%22.1–31.1%22.3%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours30.3%24.5–36.4%29.2%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup76.4%72.7–79.8%74.8%about the same
Dentist visit64.9%61.5–68.1%67.5%about the same
Cholesterol check85.9%84–87.8%85.3%about the same
Colon screening71.9%67.2–76%68.7%about the same
Mammogram75.9%68.5–82.3%78.5%about the same
Taking BP meds79.6%76.8–82.1%76.1%better
No health insurance7.9%6.5–9.6%7.5%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely28.7%24.2–33.3%31.2%about the same
Lack emotional support20.4%17.4–23.6%21.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress15.4%13.6–17.4%15.1%about the same
Fair or poor health18.7%16.1–21.7%16%worse
Frequent physical distress13.7%12–15.7%11.3%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity11.7%9.7–14.1%11.4%about the same
Housing insecurity8.9%7.5–10.4%9.3%about the same
Utility shut-off threat5.7%4.9–6.6%5.7%about the same
No reliable transportation7.1%6.2–8.1%7.1%about the same
Receive SNAP8.9%7.3–10.7%7.9%
Disability
Any disability32.5%28.2–37.2%27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs14.6%12.5–16.9%11.4%
Thinking or memory13.7%11.9–15.6%12.8%
Hearing8.9%7.9–10%6.8%
Vision4.8%4.2–5.4%4%
Dressing or bathing3.9%3.5–4.5%3.1%
Errands alone8.2%7.2–9.5%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 Amherst door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Minnesota figure falls inside it, we don't call Amherst better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Amherst by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Amherst by how much of its land each one covers.

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