Health · Bowstring

Bowstring, MN health

Bowstring differs from Minnesota on 18 of 40 measures. It has more adults treating high blood pressure (80.3% vs 76.1%). Where it trails the state: more adults with COPD (8.9% vs 5.4%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 56636, 56637

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 177 people are less certain, so we show Bowstring's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Bowstring 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 Bowstring adults…

41 of every 100 Bowstring adults have high blood pressure

Minnesota: 31 in 100 · worse · margin 37–44.2%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Bowstring, betterBowstring, worseToo close to callMinnesota

Get no exerciseshare of adults 28.9% Bowstring
MN 22.3%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 29.5% Bowstring
MN 29.2%

Binge drinkshare of adults 15.5% Bowstring
MN 17.8%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 19.5% Bowstring
MN 13.1%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Bowstring 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 12

working-age adults has no health insurance

Bowstring 8.3% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)

Mind & connection

How Bowstring adults are doing

1 in 3Bowstring adults feel lonely

28.9% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call

1 in 4Bowstring adults have been diagnosed with depression

24.2% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call

1 in 5Bowstring adults lack social or emotional support

21.7% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call

1 in 6Bowstring adults are in frequent mental distress

16.1% · 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 6

Bowstring adults worry about having enough food

16.1% · MN 11.4% · worse

1 in 9

Bowstring adults worry about keeping their housing

11.3% · MN 9.3% · worse

1 in 13

Bowstring adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

7.7% · MN 5.7% · worse

1 in 11

Bowstring adults lack reliable transportation

9.3% · MN 7.1% · worse

12.6% of Bowstring adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

36.8%

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

Walking or climbing stairs17.9%

Thinking or memory15.1%

Hearing10.7%

Errands alone9.6%

Vision6.1%

Dressing or bathing4.9%

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

Around Bowstring

Bowstring 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 Bowstring.

36.8%38.7%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#5 of 8towns on this map, healthiest first

Lake Jessie36.8%

Marcell38.3%

Bowstring38.6%

Oteneagen38.7%

Care nearby

Essentia Health Deer RiverDeer River · 14.5 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Bigfork Valley HospitalBigfork · 16.2 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Grand Itasca Clinic and HospitalGrand Rapids · 26.3 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Cass Lake Indian Health Services HospitalCass Lake · 37.7 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Scenic Rivers Health ServicesBigfork · 16 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

! Primary careBowstring is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, North Itasca · need score 14 of 25

! Dental careBowstring's county is a federal shortage area.Itasca County · need score 12 of 25

! Mental healthBowstring's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Region 3 Arrowhead · 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 Bowstring. 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 Bowstring

Measure	Bowstring	Margin	Minnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	40.6%	37–44.2%	31%	worse
High cholesterol	36.6%	33–40.2%	33.4%	about the same
Obesity	38.6%	32.8–44.4%	33.5%	about the same
Arthritis	30.5%	27.4–33.5%	22.3%	worse
Depression	24.2%	21.1–27.4%	24.4%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	14%	11.7–16.6%	8.9%	worse
Asthma	10.9%	9.7–12.1%	9.9%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	10.6%	9.7–11.5%	8.5%	worse
Diabetes	16.1%	14.2–18%	10.1%	worse
COPD	8.9%	8–10%	5.4%	worse
Heart disease	9.6%	8.6–10.5%	5.9%	worse
Stroke	4.8%	4.4–5.2%	3.1%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	19.5%	17.1–22.1%	13.1%	worse
Binge drink	15.5%	13–18.1%	17.8%	about the same
Get no exercise	28.9%	24.8–33.1%	22.3%	worse
Sleep under 7 hours	29.5%	25.1–34.3%	29.2%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	77%	73.8–79.9%	74.8%	about the same
Dentist visit	59.9%	56.7–63.2%	67.5%	worse
Cholesterol check	85.7%	84.1–87.2%	85.3%	about the same
Colon screening	70.5%	66.5–74.3%	68.7%	about the same
Mammogram	74.7%	68.2–80.6%	78.5%	about the same
Taking BP meds	80.3%	77.7–82.5%	76.1%	better
No health insurance	8.3%	7.1–9.8%	7.5%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	28.9%	24.8–33.1%	31.2%	about the same
Lack emotional support	21.7%	18.7–24.8%	21.5%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	16.1%	14.4–17.9%	15.1%	about the same
Fair or poor health	22.4%	19.7–25.1%	16%	worse
Frequent physical distress	15.6%	13.8–17.4%	11.3%	worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	16.1%	13.8–18.3%	11.4%	worse
Housing insecurity	11.3%	9.8–12.9%	9.3%	worse
Utility shut-off threat	7.7%	6.7–8.7%	5.7%	worse
No reliable transportation	9.3%	8.3–10.4%	7.1%	worse
Receive SNAP	12.6%	10.8–14.4%	7.9%
Disability
Any disability	36.8%	32.8–40.8%	27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	17.9%	15.7–20.1%	11.4%
Thinking or memory	15.1%	13.4–16.8%	12.8%
Hearing	10.7%	9.5–11.8%	6.8%
Vision	6.1%	5.5–6.7%	4%
Dressing or bathing	4.9%	4.4–5.3%	3.1%
Errands alone	9.6%	8.6–10.7%	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 Bowstring door to door.

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

Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Bowstring by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Bowstring 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.