Health · Foster

Foster, MN health

Foster differs from Minnesota on 15 of 40 measures. It has more adults treating high blood pressure (79.9% vs 76.1%). Where it trails the state: more older adults who have lost all their teeth (16.8% vs 8.9%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 56097, 56014, 56009
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 236 people are less certain, so we show Foster's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Foster 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 Foster adults…

37 of every 100 Foster adults have high blood pressure
Minnesota: 31 in 100 · worse · margin 32.9–41%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Foster, betterFoster, worseToo close to callMinnesota
Get no exerciseshare of adults 29.5% Foster
MN 22.3%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 30.5% Foster
MN 29.2%
Binge drinkshare of adults 16.8% Foster
MN 17.8%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 17.3% Foster
MN 13.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

76%
Yearly checkup
MN 75%
65%
Dentist visit
MN 68%
85%
Cholesterol check
MN 85%
69%
Colon screening
MN 69%
77%
Mammogram
MN 79%
80%
Taking BP meds
MN 76%
1 in 11
working-age adults has no health insurance
Foster 9.1% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)
Mind & connection

How Foster adults are doing

1 in 3Foster adults feel lonely
30.9% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call
1 in 4Foster adults have been diagnosed with depression
24% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call
1 in 5Foster adults lack social or emotional support
21.3% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call
1 in 6Foster adults are in frequent mental distress
15.8% · 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
Foster adults worry about having enough food
13.9% · MN 11.4% · worse
1 in 10
Foster adults worry about keeping their housing
10.3% · MN 9.3% · about the same
1 in 15
Foster adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
6.8% · MN 5.7% · worse
1 in 12
Foster adults lack reliable transportation
8.1% · MN 7.1% · about the same

11.1% of Foster adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

34.7%

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

Walking or climbing stairs16.5%
Thinking or memory14.6%
Hearing9.5%
Errands alone9%
Vision5.5%
Dressing or bathing4.5%

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

Around Foster

Foster and the towns around it

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

Kiester: 38.4% Brush Creek: 37.7% Clark: 38.5% Alden: 36.3% Mansfield: 36.4% Seely: 37.6% Walnut Lake: 38.4% Emerald: 37.2% Dunbar: 38.5% Carlston: 36.9% Conger: 35.6% Pickerel Lake: 36.3% Alden: 36.1% Foster: 38.3% Foster Kiester Brush Creek Clark Alden
35.6%38.5%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#10 of 14towns on this map, healthiest first
Alden36.3%
Brush Creek37.7%
Foster38.3%
Kiester38.4%
Clark38.5%
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 Foster

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

HNearest ERMayo Clinic Health System - Albert Lea and AustinAlbert Lea · 17.4 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyUnited Hospital District★★★★★ · 19.1 miDirections →
+Low-cost careOpen Door Health CenterMankato · 38.4 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
17.4 mi
Mayo Clinic Health System - Albert Lea and Austin
Albert Lea · ★★★★★
ER
19.1 mi
United Hospital District
Blue Earth · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
32 mi
Mayo Clinic Health System - Waseca
Waseca · not rated
ERRural critical access
37.2 mi
Mayo Clinic Health System - Fairmont
Fairmont · ★★★★★
ER
38.4 mi
Open Door Health Center
2 sites · nearest in Mankato
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
42.3 mi
Community Health Center of Fort Dodge
3 sites · nearest in Mason City
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
! Primary careFoster is a federal shortage area.Faribault West/Freeborn · need score 11 of 25
! Dental careFoster's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Faribault County · need score 15 of 25
! Mental healthFoster's county is a federal shortage area.South Central Region · need score 18 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 Foster. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Foster
MeasureFosterMarginMinnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure37.1%32.9–41%31%worse
High cholesterol37.2%32.9–41.2%33.4%about the same
Obesity38.3%31.1–45.3%33.5%about the same
Arthritis28.7%25.4–31.9%22.3%worse
Depression24%20.6–27.5%24.4%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)16.8%13.9–20.1%8.9%worse
Asthma10.4%9.2–11.6%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)10.2%9.3–11.2%8.5%worse
Diabetes13.3%11.5–15%10.1%worse
COPD8.2%7–9.5%5.4%worse
Heart disease8.5%7.5–9.6%5.9%worse
Stroke4.3%3.8–4.8%3.1%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes17.3%14.7–20%13.1%worse
Binge drink16.8%14–19.8%17.8%about the same
Get no exercise29.5%24.9–34.2%22.3%worse
Sleep under 7 hours30.5%24.6–36.7%29.2%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup75.9%72.4–79.3%74.8%about the same
Dentist visit65.1%61.7–68.6%67.5%about the same
Cholesterol check85.2%83.3–87%85.3%about the same
Colon screening68.8%64–73.4%68.7%about the same
Mammogram76.7%69.4–82.9%78.5%about the same
Taking BP meds79.9%77–82.3%76.1%better
No health insurance9.1%7.4–11%7.5%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely30.9%26.4–35.6%31.2%about the same
Lack emotional support21.3%18.1–24.6%21.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress15.8%14–17.7%15.1%about the same
Fair or poor health20.5%17.6–23.6%16%worse
Frequent physical distress14.4%12.6–16.4%11.3%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity13.9%11.6–16.5%11.4%worse
Housing insecurity10.3%8.7–12%9.3%about the same
Utility shut-off threat6.8%5.9–7.9%5.7%worse
No reliable transportation8.1%7–9.3%7.1%about the same
Receive SNAP11.1%9.1–13.2%7.9%
Disability
Any disability34.7%30.2–39.1%27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs16.5%14.1–18.9%11.4%
Thinking or memory14.6%12.7–16.6%12.8%
Hearing9.5%8.4–10.7%6.8%
Vision5.5%4.8–6.2%4%
Dressing or bathing4.5%3.9–5.2%3.1%
Errands alone9%7.8–10.3%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 Foster door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Minnesota figure falls inside it, we don't call Foster better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Foster by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Foster 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