Health · Ford

Ford, MN health

Ford differs from Minnesota on 19 of 40 measures. It has fewer binge drinkers (15.6% vs 17.8%) and more adults treating high blood pressure (82.1% vs 76.1%). Where it trails the state: more adults with COPD (9% vs 5.4%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 56342, 55051, 55037
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 204 people are less certain, so we show Ford's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Ford 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 Ford adults…

42 of every 100 Ford adults have high blood pressure
Minnesota: 31 in 100 · worse · margin 38.4–45%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Ford, betterFord, worseToo close to callMinnesota
Get no exerciseshare of adults 30.2% Ford
MN 22.3%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 32% Ford
MN 29.2%
Binge drinkshare of adults 15.6% Ford
MN 17.8%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 17.8% Ford
MN 13.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

78%
Yearly checkup
MN 75%
63%
Dentist visit
MN 68%
87%
Cholesterol check
MN 85%
69%
Colon screening
MN 69%
77%
Mammogram
MN 79%
82%
Taking BP meds
MN 76%
1 in 13
working-age adults has no health insurance
Ford 7.9% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)
Mind & connection

How Ford adults are doing

1 in 3Ford adults feel lonely
28.7% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call
1 in 4Ford adults have been diagnosed with depression
23.7% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call
1 in 5Ford adults lack social or emotional support
21.3% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call
1 in 7Ford adults are in frequent mental distress
15.1% · 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 7
Ford adults worry about having enough food
13.6% · MN 11.4% · worse
1 in 10
Ford adults worry about keeping their housing
9.6% · MN 9.3% · about the same
1 in 16
Ford adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
6.3% · MN 5.7% · about the same
1 in 13
Ford adults lack reliable transportation
7.8% · MN 7.1% · about the same

10.4% of Ford adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

36.1%

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

Walking or climbing stairs17.9%
Thinking or memory14.2%
Hearing10.8%
Errands alone9.2%
Vision5.7%
Dressing or bathing4.7%

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

Around Ford

Ford and the towns around it

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

Williams: 35.5% Kroschel: 42.2% Hay Brook: 37.5% Peace: 38.8% Wagner: 39% Idun: 36.7% Pliny: 34.6% McGrath: 34.6% Dell Grove: 42.3% Pomroy: 40.3% Isle Harbor: 38.4% Hillman: 37.7% Whited: 39.6% Ford: 37.9% Ford Williams Kroschel Hay Brook Peace
34.6%42.3%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#7 of 14towns on this map, healthiest first
Williams35.5%
Hay Brook37.5%
Ford37.9%
Peace38.8%
Kroschel42.2%
6 places to get careNearest ER 17.4 mi

Nearby towns are shaded from CDC's estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC's own figure for cities and villages.

Getting care

Care in and near Ford

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

HNearest ERWelia HealthMora · 17.4 miDirections →
+Low-cost careLake Superior Community Health CenterCarlton · 54.6 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
17.4 mi
Welia Health
Mora · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
18 mi
Essentia Health Sandstone
Sandstone · not rated
ERRural critical access
19.6 mi
Mille Lacs Health System
Onamia · not rated
ERRural critical access
32.8 mi
Essentia Health Moose Lake
Moose Lake · not rated
ERRural critical access
54.6 mi
Lake Superior Community Health Center
5 sites · nearest in Carlton
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
57.9 mi
Scenic Rivers Health Services
Floodwood · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
! Primary careFord's county is a federal shortage area.Kanabec County · need score 8 of 25
! Dental careFord's county is a federal shortage area.Kanabec County · need score 12 of 25
! Mental healthFord's county is a federal shortage area.Region 7E · need score 16 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 Ford. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Ford
MeasureFordMarginMinnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure41.8%38.4–45%31%worse
High cholesterol39.6%36.2–42.9%33.4%worse
Obesity37.9%32.8–43%33.5%about the same
Arthritis31.3%28.6–34.1%22.3%worse
Depression23.7%21–26.4%24.4%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)14.1%12.2–16.6%8.9%worse
Asthma10.5%9.5–11.4%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)11.7%10.8–12.6%8.5%worse
Diabetes15.1%13.5–16.8%10.1%worse
COPD9%8–10%5.4%worse
Heart disease9.6%8.8–10.5%5.9%worse
Stroke4.9%4.5–5.3%3.1%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes17.8%15.7–20%13.1%worse
Binge drink15.6%13.4–17.7%17.8%better
Get no exercise30.2%26.5–33.8%22.3%worse
Sleep under 7 hours32%27.8–36.5%29.2%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup77.9%75.1–80.3%74.8%better
Dentist visit63.3%60.3–66.1%67.5%worse
Cholesterol check87.2%85.8–88.4%85.3%better
Colon screening69.3%65.8–72.9%68.7%about the same
Mammogram76.9%71.7–81.9%78.5%about the same
Taking BP meds82.1%79.9–84.1%76.1%better
No health insurance7.9%6.8–9.3%7.5%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely28.7%25.2–31.9%31.2%about the same
Lack emotional support21.3%18.7–23.8%21.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress15.1%13.6–16.5%15.1%about the same
Fair or poor health21.1%18.8–23.4%16%worse
Frequent physical distress15.1%13.6–16.6%11.3%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity13.6%11.8–15.5%11.4%worse
Housing insecurity9.6%8.3–10.8%9.3%about the same
Utility shut-off threat6.3%5.5–7%5.7%about the same
No reliable transportation7.8%6.9–8.6%7.1%about the same
Receive SNAP10.4%8.9–11.9%7.9%
Disability
Any disability36.1%32.6–39.5%27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs17.9%15.9–19.7%11.4%
Thinking or memory14.2%12.9–15.7%12.8%
Hearing10.8%9.9–11.8%6.8%
Vision5.7%5.2–6.2%4%
Dressing or bathing4.7%4.2–5.1%3.1%
Errands alone9.2%8.2–10.1%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 Ford door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Minnesota figure falls inside it, we don't call Ford better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Ford by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Ford 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01