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Health in Brooks · CDC PLACES 2025

How healthy is Brooks?

Brooks differs from Minnesota on 11 of 40 measures. It has more adults treating high blood pressure (80.1% vs 76.1%). Where it trails the state: more adults with COPD (7.6% vs 5.4%).

Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Brooks. How CDC estimates town health

What stands out about health in Brooks

Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with Minnesota

Share of adults, with the Minnesota figure marked.

Get no exercise 27.5%MN 22.3%
Sleep under 7 hours 32.1%MN 29.2%
Binge drink 16.6%MN 17.8%
Smoke cigarettes 16.9%MN 13.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Brooks, betterBrooks, worseAbout the sameMinnesota
Where Brooks gets moving

0.7 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves

Parks & trails →
Getting care

Care in and near Brooks

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

HNearest EREssentia Health FosstonFosston · 20.9 miDirections →
+Low-cost careSpectra HealthGrand Forks · 48 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
20.9 mi
Essentia Health Fosston
Fosston · not rated
ERRural critical access
22.8 mi
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center
Thief River Falls · not rated
ERRural critical access
28.7 mi
Riverview Hospital
Crookston · not rated
ERRural critical access
32.8 mi
Red Lake Hospital
Redlake · not rated
48 mi
Spectra Health
3 sites · nearest in Grand Forks
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
73.4 mi
Community Health Service
2 sites · nearest in Moorhead
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
! Primary careBrooks’s county is a federal shortage area.Polk/Red Lake Counties · need score 7 of 25
✓ Dental careBrooks is not a shortage area
! Mental healthBrooks’s county is a federal shortage area.MHSA Region 1 · 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 Brooks; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Brooks adults…

Brooks runs above MN on 7 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.

8 of every 100 Brooks adults have COPD
Minnesota: 5 in 100 · worse · likely 6.3–8.9%
Better than MNWorseAbout the sameMinnesota
Checkups & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

77% Yearly checkupMN 75%
64% Dentist visitMN 68%
87% Cholesterol checkMN 85%
69% Colon screeningMN 69%
77% MammogramMN 79%
80% Taking BP medsMN 76%
1 in 13
working-age adults has no health insurance
Brooks 7.7% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)
Mind & connection

How Brooks adults are doing

About the same as Minnesota on each measure.

1 in 3Brooks adults feel lonely
29.7% · MN 31.2% · About the same as MN
1 in 5Brooks adults lack social or emotional support
21.3% · MN 21.5% · About the same as MN
1 in 4Brooks adults have been diagnosed with depression
24.4% · MN 24.4% · About the same as MN
1 in 6Brooks adults are in frequent mental distress
15.7% · MN 15.1% · About the same as MN
The one neighbors can help with

1 in 3 Brooks adults feel lonely. A hello is a start.

Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.

Find a group →

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.

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
Brooks adults worry about having enough food
12.6% · MN 11.4%
About the same as MN
1 in 10
Brooks adults worry about keeping their housing
9.8% · MN 9.3%
About the same as MN
1 in 16
Brooks adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
6.4% · MN 5.7%
About the same as MN
1 in 13
Brooks adults lack reliable transportation
7.6% · MN 7.1%
About the same as MN

9.3% of Brooks adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

Shown without a better/worse judgment.

31.5%

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

Walking or climbing stairs14.9%
Thinking or memory13.8%
Hearing8.4%
Errands alone8.1%
Vision4.9%
Dressing or bathing4.2%
Minnesota
Health Grade

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 133 people are less certain, so we show Brooks's figures without a grade.

All 40 CDC measures for Brooks
MeasureBrooksLikely rangeMinnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure37.4%32.5–41.9%31%worse
High cholesterol37.2%32.7–41.7%33.4%about the same
Obesity41%32.2–49.9%33.5%about the same
Arthritis28.5%24.9–32.1%22.3%worse
Depression24.4%20.7–28.2%24.4%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)11.1%8.9–13.6%8.9%about the same
Asthma10.7%9.5–12.1%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.9%8.9–11%8.5%worse
Diabetes13.5%11.4–15.7%10.1%worse
COPD7.6%6.3–8.9%5.4%worse
Heart disease7.8%6.8–8.9%5.9%worse
Stroke4.1%3.5–4.6%3.1%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes16.9%13.5–20.2%13.1%worse
Binge drink16.6%13.7–19.8%17.8%about the same
Get no exercise27.5%22–32.9%22.3%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours32.1%25.6–39%29.2%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup77.3%73.7–80.8%74.8%about the same
Dentist visit63.9%60.1–67.4%67.5%worse
Cholesterol check86.8%84.9–88.6%85.3%about the same
Colon screening69%64.3–73.6%68.7%about the same
Mammogram77.1%69.7–83.5%78.5%about the same
Taking BP meds80.1%77–82.9%76.1%better
No health insurance7.7%6–9.6%7.5%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely29.7%24.9–34.7%31.2%about the same
Lack emotional support21.3%17.9–25%21.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress15.7%13.6–17.9%15.1%about the same
Fair or poor health19.3%16–22.7%16%about the same
Frequent physical distress14.1%12–16.2%11.3%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity12.6%10.1–15.6%11.4%about the same
Housing insecurity9.8%8.1–11.7%9.3%about the same
Utility shut-off threat6.4%5.4–7.5%5.7%about the same
No reliable transportation7.6%6.5–8.9%7.1%about the same
Receive SNAP9.3%7.3–11.5%7.9%
Disability
Any disability31.5%26.5–36.4%27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs14.9%12.4–17.6%11.4%
Thinking or memory13.8%11.8–15.9%12.8%
Hearing8.4%7.3–9.5%6.8%
Vision4.9%4.2–5.6%4%
Dressing or bathing4.2%3.5–4.8%3.1%
Errands alone8.1%6.9–9.4%7%

How CDC estimates town health

Modeled estimates

CDC combines a large national health survey with each area’s age, sex, race and income mix to estimate local rates. Nobody surveyed Brooks door to door.

Close calls stay gray

Every figure has a likely range. When the Minnesota figure falls inside it, we don’t call Brooks better or worse.

CDC’s own town estimate

CDC publishes Brooks directly, so these are its own figures.

Neighbors talk health

Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Brooks.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Is Brooks a healthy place to live?

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Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Minnesota figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. Ages: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau. This page isn’t medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.

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