Health · Des Moines

Des Moines, MN health

On most measures Des Moines looks like Minnesota as a whole. Where it trails the state most: more older adults who have lost all their teeth (13.2% vs 8.9%) and more adults with heart disease (7% vs 5.9%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 56143, 56150

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 234 people are less certain, so we show Des Moines's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Des Moines 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 Des Moines adults…

34 of every 100 Des Moines adults have high blood pressure

Minnesota: 31 in 100 · too close to call · margin 29.9–38%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Des Moines, betterDes Moines, worseToo close to callMinnesota

Get no exerciseshare of adults 24.7% Des Moines
MN 22.3%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 30.2% Des Moines
MN 29.2%

Binge drinkshare of adults 17.3% Des Moines
MN 17.8%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 14.3% Des Moines
MN 13.1%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Des Moines 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 14

working-age adults has no health insurance

Des Moines 7.3% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)

Mind & connection

How Des Moines adults are doing

1 in 4Des Moines adults feel lonely

28.1% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call

1 in 4Des Moines adults have been diagnosed with depression

23.3% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call

1 in 5Des Moines adults lack social or emotional support

20.5% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call

1 in 7Des Moines 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 9

Des Moines adults worry about having enough food

10.6% · MN 11.4% · about the same

1 in 12

Des Moines adults worry about keeping their housing

8.6% · MN 9.3% · about the same

1 in 19

Des Moines adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

5.4% · MN 5.7% · about the same

1 in 15

Des Moines adults lack reliable transportation

6.8% · MN 7.1% · about the same

7.7% of Des Moines adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

30%

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

Walking or climbing stairs13.2%

Thinking or memory13.1%

Hearing8.2%

Errands alone7.5%

Vision4.3%

Dressing or bathing3.4%

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

Around Des Moines

Des Moines 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.

35.3%39.5%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#5 of 14towns on this map, healthiest first

Wisconsin35.5%

Des Moines35.8%

Middletown35.8%

Jackson35.9%

Belmont35.9%

Hunter36.4%

Care nearby

Sanford Jackson Medical CenterJackson · 3 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Lakes Regional HealthcareSpirit Lake · 15.3 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Windom Area HealthWindom · 17.3 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Avera Holy Family HospitalEstherville · 19.3 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Access Health - WindomWindom · 17.1 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Access Health - WorthingtonWorthington · 26.8 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

! Primary careDes Moines's county is a federal shortage area.Jackson County · need score 13 of 25

! Dental careDes Moines's county is a federal shortage area.Jackson County · need score 11 of 25

! Mental healthDes Moines's county is a federal shortage area.Southwest Central Region MHCA · need score 19 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 Des Moines. 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 Des Moines

Measure	Des Moines	Margin	Minnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	33.9%	29.9–38%	31%	about the same
High cholesterol	35.2%	31–39.5%	33.4%	about the same
Obesity	35.8%	28.2–43.8%	33.5%	about the same
Arthritis	25.4%	22.2–28.6%	22.3%	about the same
Depression	23.3%	19.9–27.1%	24.4%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	13.2%	10.6–16%	8.9%	worse
Asthma	10%	8.8–11.3%	9.9%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	9.8%	8.8–10.8%	8.5%	worse
Diabetes	11.2%	9.6–12.9%	10.1%	about the same
COPD	6.4%	5.4–7.5%	5.4%	about the same
Heart disease	7%	6.2–7.9%	5.9%	worse
Stroke	3.6%	3.1–4%	3.1%	about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	14.3%	11.9–17%	13.1%	about the same
Binge drink	17.3%	14.2–20.5%	17.8%	about the same
Get no exercise	24.7%	20.5–29.4%	22.3%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	30.2%	23.9–36.7%	29.2%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	75.6%	71.8–79.1%	74.8%	about the same
Dentist visit	65.9%	62.2–69.4%	67.5%	about the same
Cholesterol check	85.4%	83.3–87.3%	85.3%	about the same
Colon screening	69.4%	64.6–73.7%	68.7%	about the same
Mammogram	77.7%	70.3–83.9%	78.5%	about the same
Taking BP meds	78.6%	75.7–81.2%	76.1%	about the same
No health insurance	7.3%	5.8–8.9%	7.5%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	28.1%	23.5–32.8%	31.2%	about the same
Lack emotional support	20.5%	17.3–24%	21.5%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	15.2%	13.2–17.2%	15.1%	about the same
Fair or poor health	16.7%	14.2–19.4%	16%	about the same
Frequent physical distress	12.4%	10.7–14.2%	11.3%	about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	10.6%	8.7–13%	11.4%	about the same
Housing insecurity	8.6%	7.1–10.3%	9.3%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	5.4%	4.6–6.4%	5.7%	about the same
No reliable transportation	6.8%	5.8–7.9%	7.1%	about the same
Receive SNAP	7.7%	6.3–9.6%	7.9%
Disability
Any disability	30%	25.8–34.6%	27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	13.2%	11.3–15.4%	11.4%
Thinking or memory	13.1%	11.3–15%	12.8%
Hearing	8.2%	7.2–9.2%	6.8%
Vision	4.3%	3.7–4.9%	4%
Dressing or bathing	3.4%	3–3.9%	3.1%
Errands alone	7.5%	6.5–8.6%	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 Des Moines door to door.

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

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