Health · Duluth

Duluth, MN health

Duluth differs from Minnesota on 9 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults with high cholesterol (29.4% vs 33.4%). Where it trails the state: more older adults who have lost all their teeth (12.2% vs 8.9%).

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

Report card

How Duluth 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 Duluth adults…

29 of every 100 Duluth adults have high blood pressure

Minnesota: 31 in 100 · too close to call · margin 25.9–32.1%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Duluth, betterDuluth, worseToo close to callMinnesota

Get no exerciseshare of adults 23% Duluth
MN 22.3%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 33.9% Duluth
MN 29.2%

Binge drinkshare of adults 20.1% Duluth
MN 17.8%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 15.1% Duluth
MN 13.1%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Duluth 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

Duluth 7.3% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)

Mind & connection

How Duluth adults are doing

1 in 3Duluth adults feel lonely

34.4% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call

1 in 4Duluth adults have been diagnosed with depression

26.1% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call

1 in 5Duluth adults lack social or emotional support

21.7% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call

1 in 6Duluth adults are in frequent mental distress

17.7% · Minnesota 15.1% · worse

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 7

Duluth adults worry about having enough food

13.7% · MN 11.4% · worse

1 in 10

Duluth adults worry about keeping their housing

10.1% · MN 9.3% · about the same

1 in 14

Duluth adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

7% · MN 5.7% · worse

1 in 11

Duluth adults lack reliable transportation

9.3% · MN 7.1% · worse

11.2% of Duluth adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

30.5%

of Duluth adults live with a disability (Minnesota 27.4%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs12.2%

Thinking or memory14.9%

Hearing7%

Errands alone8.2%

Vision4.6%

Dressing or bathing3.4%

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

Around Duluth

Duluth 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.

32.8%41.3%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#10 of 28towns on this map, healthiest first

Lakewood32.8%

Hermantown33.2%

Canosia33.2%

Proctor34.8%

Midway34.9%

Duluth35.1%

Rice Lake35.4%

Twin Lakes37.4%

Oliver40.2%

Superior41%

Superior41.1%

Care nearby

Essentia Health St. Mary's Medical CenterDuluth · 2.2 mi · ★★★★★ · ER

Essentia Health DuluthDuluth · 2.3 mi

St. Lukes HospitalDuluth · 2.7 mi · ★★★★★ · ER

St. Marys Hospital SuperiorSuperior · 5.5 mi · ER · rural critical access

Chum Warming CenterDuluth · 0.5 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees

Lake Superior Community Health CenterDuluth · 2.1 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees

! Primary carePart of Duluth is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Duluth · need score 13 of 25

! Dental carePart of Duluth is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Duluth · need score 17 of 25

! Mental healthDuluth'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 Duluth. 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 Duluth

Measure	Duluth	Margin	Minnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	29%	25.9–32.1%	31%	about the same
High cholesterol	29.4%	26.3–32.7%	33.4%	better
Obesity	35.1%	30.2–40.1%	33.5%	about the same
Arthritis	22.3%	19.8–24.9%	22.3%	about the same
Depression	26.1%	22.7–29.6%	24.4%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	12.2%	10.1–14.6%	8.9%	worse
Asthma	10.8%	9.5–12.2%	9.9%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	7.9%	7.1–8.7%	8.5%	about the same
Diabetes	10%	8.6–11.5%	10.1%	about the same
COPD	5.9%	5.3–6.7%	5.4%	about the same
Heart disease	6.1%	5.4–6.8%	5.9%	about the same
Stroke	3.1%	2.9–3.4%	3.1%	about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	15.1%	13–17.2%	13.1%	about the same
Binge drink	20.1%	16.9–23.5%	17.8%	about the same
Get no exercise	23%	19.8–26.4%	22.3%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	33.9%	30.1–37.6%	29.2%	worse
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	73.3%	69.6–76.7%	74.8%	about the same
Dentist visit	63%	60–65.8%	67.5%	worse
Cholesterol check	81.6%	79.5–83.7%	85.3%	worse
Colon screening	68.6%	64.8–72.2%	68.7%	about the same
Mammogram	78.3%	72.8–83%	78.5%	about the same
Taking BP meds	75.1%	72.1–77.8%	76.1%	about the same
No health insurance	7.3%	6.2–8.5%	7.5%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	34.4%	30.8–38.1%	31.2%	about the same
Lack emotional support	21.7%	19.1–24.5%	21.5%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	17.7%	15.6–19.8%	15.1%	worse
Fair or poor health	17.5%	15.4–19.8%	16%	about the same
Frequent physical distress	12.3%	10.8–13.9%	11.3%	about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	13.7%	12.1–15.5%	11.4%	worse
Housing insecurity	10.1%	8.8–11.5%	9.3%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	7%	6.1–7.9%	5.7%	worse
No reliable transportation	9.3%	8.4–10.3%	7.1%	worse
Receive SNAP	11.2%	9.9–12.7%	7.9%
Disability
Any disability	30.5%	27–34%	27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	12.2%	10.7–13.8%	11.4%
Thinking or memory	14.9%	13.1–16.6%	12.8%
Hearing	7%	6.2–7.9%	6.8%
Vision	4.6%	4.2–5%	4%
Dressing or bathing	3.4%	3.1–3.8%	3.1%
Errands alone	8.2%	7.3–9.2%	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 Duluth door to door.

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

CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Duluth 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.