Health · Chester

Chester, MN health

Chester differs from Minnesota on 15 of 40 measures. It has more adults treating high blood pressure (81% vs 76.1%). Where it trails the state: more adults with COPD (8.1% vs 5.4%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 56684, 56742, 56715

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 107 people are less certain, so we show Chester's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Chester 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 Chester adults…

37 of every 100 Chester adults have high blood pressure

Minnesota: 31 in 100 · worse · margin 34.1–40.5%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Chester, betterChester, worseToo close to callMinnesota

Get no exerciseshare of adults 27.5% Chester
MN 22.3%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 30.8% Chester
MN 29.2%

Binge drinkshare of adults 16.8% Chester
MN 17.8%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 16.5% Chester
MN 13.1%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Chester 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 13

working-age adults has no health insurance

Chester 7.7% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)

Mind & connection

How Chester adults are doing

1 in 3Chester adults feel lonely

29.7% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call

1 in 4Chester adults have been diagnosed with depression

24.3% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call

1 in 5Chester adults lack social or emotional support

21.1% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call

1 in 7Chester adults are in frequent mental distress

15.2% · 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 8

Chester adults worry about having enough food

12.1% · MN 11.4% · about the same

1 in 11

Chester adults worry about keeping their housing

8.9% · MN 9.3% · about the same

1 in 17

Chester adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

5.8% · MN 5.7% · about the same

1 in 14

Chester adults lack reliable transportation

7.3% · MN 7.1% · about the same

9.4% of Chester adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

32.6%

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

Walking or climbing stairs15.5%

Thinking or memory13.8%

Hearing9.9%

Errands alone8.4%

Vision5%

Dressing or bathing4.1%

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

Around Chester

Chester and the towns around it

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

34%40.9%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#9 of 16towns on this map, healthiest first

Equality39.3%

Hill River39.8%

Chester40%

Lambert40%

Trail40.1%

Gully40.9%

Care nearby

Essentia Health FosstonFosston · 15.8 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Red Lake HospitalRedlake · 23.7 mi Directions Medicare profile

Sanford Bagley Medical CenterBagley · 26.3 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Sanford Thief River Falls Medical CenterThief River Falls · 28.9 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Spectra Health Dental ClinicGrand Forks · 57.8 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Spectra Health Grand Forks MedicalGrand Forks · 57.8 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

! Primary careChester's county is a federal shortage area.Polk/Red Lake Counties · need score 7 of 25

✓ Dental careChester is not a shortage area

! Mental healthChester's county is a federal shortage area.MHSA Region 1 · need score 17 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 Chester. 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 Chester

Measure	Chester	Margin	Minnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	37.2%	34.1–40.5%	31%	worse
High cholesterol	36.9%	33.8–40.1%	33.4%	worse
Obesity	40%	34.5–45.8%	33.5%	worse
Arthritis	29.3%	26.8–32.1%	22.3%	worse
Depression	24.3%	21.6–27%	24.4%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	10.9%	9.1–12.9%	8.9%	worse
Asthma	10.2%	9.3–11.2%	9.9%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	11%	10.1–12%	8.5%	worse
Diabetes	13%	11.5–14.6%	10.1%	worse
COPD	8.1%	6.8–9.3%	5.4%	worse
Heart disease	8.8%	7.8–9.8%	5.9%	worse
Stroke	4.4%	3.9–4.9%	3.1%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	16.5%	14–19%	13.1%	worse
Binge drink	16.8%	14.7–19.2%	17.8%	about the same
Get no exercise	27.5%	23.6–31.5%	22.3%	worse
Sleep under 7 hours	30.8%	26.6–35.3%	29.2%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	76.9%	74.1–79.6%	74.8%	about the same
Dentist visit	66.7%	64–69.4%	67.5%	about the same
Cholesterol check	86.1%	84.4–87.6%	85.3%	about the same
Colon screening	70.2%	66.4–73.7%	68.7%	about the same
Mammogram	79.2%	73.6–83.7%	78.5%	about the same
Taking BP meds	81%	78.8–83%	76.1%	better
No health insurance	7.7%	6.2–9.5%	7.5%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	29.7%	26.1–33.5%	31.2%	about the same
Lack emotional support	21.1%	18.4–24.1%	21.5%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	15.2%	13.6–16.9%	15.1%	about the same
Fair or poor health	19.6%	16.9–22.3%	16%	worse
Frequent physical distress	14%	12.3–15.6%	11.3%	worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	12.1%	9.9–14.4%	11.4%	about the same
Housing insecurity	8.9%	7.5–10.3%	9.3%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	5.8%	5–6.7%	5.7%	about the same
No reliable transportation	7.3%	6.3–8.3%	7.1%	about the same
Receive SNAP	9.4%	7.6–11.3%	7.9%
Disability
Any disability	32.6%	28.9–36.3%	27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	15.5%	13.4–17.7%	11.4%
Thinking or memory	13.8%	12.1–15.5%	12.8%
Hearing	9.9%	8.9–10.9%	6.8%
Vision	5%	4.3–5.7%	4%
Dressing or bathing	4.1%	3.6–4.8%	3.1%
Errands alone	8.4%	7.4–9.5%	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 Chester door to door.

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

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