Health · Fern

Fern, MN health

On most measures Fern looks like Minnesota as a whole. Where it trails the state most: more smokers (16.2% vs 13.1%) and more adults with COPD (6.6% vs 5.4%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 56678, 56601

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 383 people are less certain, so we show Fern's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Fern 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 Fern adults…

32 of every 100 Fern adults have high blood pressure

Minnesota: 31 in 100 · too close to call · margin 29.5–35%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Fern, betterFern, worseToo close to callMinnesota

Get no exerciseshare of adults 23.9% Fern
MN 22.3%

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

Binge drinkshare of adults 18.2% Fern
MN 17.8%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 16.2% Fern
MN 13.1%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Fern 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

Fern 7.1% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)

Mind & connection

How Fern adults are doing

1 in 3Fern adults feel lonely

28.9% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call

1 in 4Fern adults have been diagnosed with depression

25.6% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call

1 in 5Fern adults lack social or emotional support

20.7% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call

1 in 6Fern 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 8

Fern adults worry about having enough food

11.9% · MN 11.4% · about the same

1 in 11

Fern adults worry about keeping their housing

9.2% · MN 9.3% · about the same

1 in 16

Fern adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

6.1% · MN 5.7% · about the same

1 in 14

Fern adults lack reliable transportation

7.4% · MN 7.1% · about the same

9% of Fern adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

29.2%

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

Walking or climbing stairs12.4%

Thinking or memory13.8%

Hearing7.6%

Errands alone7.6%

Vision4.4%

Dressing or bathing3.6%

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

Around Fern

Fern 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.

35.1%37.7%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#17 of 17towns on this map, healthiest first

Bear Creek36.2%

Lake Hattie36.8%

Rockwood37.4%

Grant Valley37.4%

Jones37.6%

Fern37.7%

Care nearby

Sanford Bemidji Medical CenterBemidji · 14.1 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Sanford Bagley Medical CenterBagley · 17.9 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Cass Lake Indian Health Services HospitalCass Lake · 23.5 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

St. Josephs Area Health ServicesPark Rapids · 30.6 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Scenic Rivers Health ServicesNorthome · 52.5 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Scenic Rivers Health ServicesBigfork · 73 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

! Primary careFern's county is a federal shortage area.Hubbard County · need score 12 of 25

! Dental careFern's county is a federal shortage area.Hubbard County · need score 10 of 25

! Mental healthFern's county is a federal shortage area.Mental Health Service Area Region 2 · 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 Fern. 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 Fern

Measure	Fern	Margin	Minnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	32.2%	29.5–35%	31%	about the same
High cholesterol	33.7%	31–36.5%	33.4%	about the same
Obesity	37.7%	33.4–42.2%	33.5%	about the same
Arthritis	26.6%	24.4–28.9%	22.3%	worse
Depression	25.6%	22.9–28.3%	24.4%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	9.8%	8.2–11.5%	8.9%	about the same
Asthma	10.6%	9.5–11.6%	9.9%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	8.9%	8.3–9.6%	8.5%	about the same
Diabetes	10.9%	9.7–12.2%	10.1%	about the same
COPD	6.6%	5.7–7.5%	5.4%	worse
Heart disease	6.8%	6.1–7.5%	5.9%	worse
Stroke	3.4%	3.1–3.8%	3.1%	about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	16.2%	13.9–18.5%	13.1%	worse
Binge drink	18.2%	16–20.6%	17.8%	about the same
Get no exercise	23.9%	20.8–27.3%	22.3%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	30.8%	26.9–34.5%	29.2%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	74.4%	71.6–77%	74.8%	about the same
Dentist visit	65%	62.2–67.6%	67.5%	about the same
Cholesterol check	84.8%	83–86.4%	85.3%	about the same
Colon screening	69.9%	66.4–72.9%	68.7%	about the same
Mammogram	78.6%	73.1–82.8%	78.5%	about the same
Taking BP meds	77%	74.6–79.2%	76.1%	about the same
No health insurance	7.1%	5.8–8.5%	7.5%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	28.9%	25.7–32.1%	31.2%	about the same
Lack emotional support	20.7%	18.2–23.4%	21.5%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	16.1%	14.5–17.9%	15.1%	about the same
Fair or poor health	17.1%	15–19.4%	16%	about the same
Frequent physical distress	12.4%	11.1–13.8%	11.3%	about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	11.9%	9.9–13.9%	11.4%	about the same
Housing insecurity	9.2%	7.8–10.7%	9.3%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	6.1%	5.3–7.1%	5.7%	about the same
No reliable transportation	7.4%	6.5–8.4%	7.1%	about the same
Receive SNAP	9%	7.4–10.9%	7.9%
Disability
Any disability	29.2%	26–32.4%	27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	12.4%	10.9–14.1%	11.4%
Thinking or memory	13.8%	12.3–15.5%	12.8%
Hearing	7.6%	6.8–8.4%	6.8%
Vision	4.4%	3.9–4.9%	4%
Dressing or bathing	3.6%	3.2–4%	3.1%
Errands alone	7.6%	6.8–8.6%	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 Fern door to door.

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

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