Health · Baxter

Baxter, MN health

Baxter differs from Minnesota on 7 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults lacking emotional support (18.2% vs 21.5%). Where it trails the state: more older adults who have lost all their teeth (11.7% vs 8.9%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · CDC's estimate for Baxter

Report card

How Baxter 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 Baxter adults…

34 of every 100 Baxter adults have high blood pressure

Minnesota: 31 in 100 · too close to call · margin 30.7–37.5%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Baxter, betterBaxter, worseToo close to callMinnesota

Get no exerciseshare of adults 23.5% Baxter
MN 22.3%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 28.8% Baxter
MN 29.2%

Binge drinkshare of adults 18.2% Baxter
MN 17.8%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 13.8% Baxter
MN 13.1%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

Yearly checkup

MN 75%

Dentist visit

MN 68%

Cholesterol check

MN 85%

Colon screening

MN 69%

Mammogram

MN 79%

Taking BP meds

MN 76%

1 in 15

working-age adults has no health insurance

Baxter 6.7% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)

Mind & connection

How Baxter adults are doing

1 in 4Baxter adults feel lonely

27.2% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call

1 in 4Baxter adults have been diagnosed with depression

23.3% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call

1 in 5Baxter adults lack social or emotional support

18.2% · Minnesota 21.5% · better

1 in 7Baxter adults are in frequent mental distress

14.6% · 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 10

Baxter adults worry about having enough food

9.9% · MN 11.4% · about the same

1 in 13

Baxter adults worry about keeping their housing

7.8% · MN 9.3% · about the same

1 in 19

Baxter adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

5.2% · MN 5.7% · about the same

1 in 16

Baxter adults lack reliable transportation

6.4% · MN 7.1% · about the same

7.5% of Baxter adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

29.7%

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

Walking or climbing stairs13.1%

Thinking or memory12.6%

Hearing8.2%

Errands alone7.5%

Vision4.2%

Dressing or bathing3.4%

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

Around Baxter

Baxter and the towns around it

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

34%38.9%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#6 of 17towns on this map, healthiest first

Sylvan36.2%

Baxter36.6%

Fort Ripley37.7%

Crow Wing38.1%

Brainerd38.9%

Care nearby

Essentia Health St. Joseph's Medical CenterBrainerd · 3.6 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Cuyuna Regional Medical CenterCrosby · 18.4 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Lakewood Health SystemStaples · 22.5 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

St. Gabriels HospitalLittle Falls · 26.3 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Scenic Rivers Health ServicesFloodwood · 76.3 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Lake Superior Community Health Center White Pine ClinicCarlton · 90.8 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

✓ Primary careBaxter is not a shortage area

! Dental careBaxter's county is a federal shortage area.Crow Wing County · need score 10 of 25

! Mental healthBaxter's county is a federal shortage area.Region 5 Mental Health Service Area · need score 16 of 25

Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes). Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Distances are straight-line from the center of Baxter. Nearby towns are shaded from CDC's estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC's own figure for cities and villages.

All 40 measures for Baxter

Measure	Baxter	Margin	Minnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	34%	30.7–37.5%	31%	about the same
High cholesterol	32.6%	29.2–36.1%	33.4%	about the same
Obesity	36.6%	31.1–42.2%	33.5%	about the same
Arthritis	26.5%	23.8–29.3%	22.3%	worse
Depression	23.3%	20.3–26.5%	24.4%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	11.7%	9.6–14%	8.9%	worse
Asthma	10.3%	9.3–11.6%	9.9%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	10.2%	9.3–11.1%	8.5%	worse
Diabetes	10.8%	9.4–12.3%	10.1%	about the same
COPD	6.3%	5.5–7.3%	5.4%	worse
Heart disease	7.2%	6.4–8%	5.9%	worse
Stroke	3.6%	3.2–4%	3.1%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	13.8%	11.5–16.3%	13.1%	about the same
Binge drink	18.2%	15.4–21.2%	17.8%	about the same
Get no exercise	23.5%	20–27.4%	22.3%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	28.8%	24.3–33.4%	29.2%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	76%	72.7–79.2%	74.8%	about the same
Dentist visit	68.2%	65.1–71.2%	67.5%	about the same
Cholesterol check	86%	84.1–87.8%	85.3%	about the same
Colon screening	69.6%	65.3–73.7%	68.7%	about the same
Mammogram	80.4%	74.7–85.5%	78.5%	about the same
Taking BP meds	78.4%	75.7–80.9%	76.1%	about the same
No health insurance	6.7%	5.3–8.2%	7.5%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	27.2%	23.5–31.4%	31.2%	about the same
Lack emotional support	18.2%	15.6–21.1%	21.5%	better
Frequent mental distress	14.6%	12.9–16.5%	15.1%	about the same
Fair or poor health	15.8%	13.6–18.3%	16%	about the same
Frequent physical distress	11.9%	10.4–13.4%	11.3%	about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	9.9%	8.2–11.9%	11.4%	about the same
Housing insecurity	7.8%	6.6–9.3%	9.3%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	5.2%	4.4–6.1%	5.7%	about the same
No reliable transportation	6.4%	5.6–7.4%	7.1%	about the same
Receive SNAP	7.5%	6.1–9.1%	7.9%
Disability
Any disability	29.7%	26.1–33.4%	27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	13.1%	11.3–15%	11.4%
Thinking or memory	12.6%	11–14.3%	12.8%
Hearing	8.2%	7.3–9.2%	6.8%
Vision	4.2%	3.7–4.8%	4%
Dressing or bathing	3.4%	3–3.8%	3.1%
Errands alone	7.5%	6.6–8.6%	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 Baxter door to door.

Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Minnesota figure falls inside it, we don't call Baxter better or worse.

CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Baxter directly, so these are its own figures.

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.