Health · Foster

Foster, MN health

Foster differs from Minnesota on 15 of 40 measures. It has more adults treating high blood pressure (81.4% vs 76.1%) and more adults getting cholesterol checked (87% vs 85.3%). Where it trails the state: more older adults who have lost all their teeth (13.5% vs 8.9%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 56211, 56225
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 130 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 32.9–40.4%

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 27.1% Foster
MN 22.3%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 29.2% Foster
MN 29.2%
Binge drinkshare of adults 16.3% Foster
MN 17.8%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 15.9% 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.

77%
Yearly checkup
MN 75%
67%
Dentist visit
MN 68%
87%
Cholesterol check
MN 85%
72%
Colon screening
MN 69%
78%
Mammogram
MN 79%
81%
Taking BP meds
MN 76%
1 in 14
working-age adults has no health insurance
Foster 7.3% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)
Mind & connection

How Foster adults are doing

1 in 4Foster adults feel lonely
28% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call
1 in 4Foster adults have been diagnosed with depression
23.1% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call
1 in 5Foster adults lack social or emotional support
19.9% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call
1 in 7Foster adults are in frequent mental distress
14.9% · 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
Foster adults worry about having enough food
11.2% · MN 11.4% · about the same
1 in 12
Foster adults worry about keeping their housing
8.5% · MN 9.3% · about the same
1 in 18
Foster adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5.6% · MN 5.7% · about the same
1 in 15
Foster adults lack reliable transportation
6.8% · MN 7.1% · about the same

8.6% of Foster adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

31.3%

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

Walking or climbing stairs15.3%
Thinking or memory13.2%
Hearing9.4%
Errands alone8.1%
Vision4.8%
Dressing or bathing4%

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. Pins are hospitals and community health centers in and near Foster.

Lake: 38.3% Geneseo: 38.1% Browns Valley: 38.9% Prior: 38% Becker: 41% Lee: 38.6% Garfield: 38.3% Lockwood: 38.5% Melrose: 37.2% Toqua: 37.8% Browns Valley: 39.5% Folsom: 41.2% Arthur: 39.2% Parnell: 38.1% Almond: 38.1% Big Stone: 37.6% Foster: 38.4% Foster Lake Geneseo Browns Valley Prior Essentia Health Holy Trinity Hospital · Graceville · 13.2 miH Ortonville Area Health Services · Ortonville · 16.1 miH
37.2%41.2%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#10 of 17towns on this map, healthiest first
Prior38%
Geneseo38.1%
Lake38.3%
Foster38.4%
Browns Valley38.9%
6 places to get careNearest ER 13.2 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 EREssentia Health Holy Trinity HospitalGraceville · 13.2 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyCoteau Des Prairies Health Care System★★★★★ · 22.8 miDirections →
+Low-cost careRural Health CareBrookings · 80 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
13.2 mi
Essentia Health Holy Trinity Hospital
Graceville · not rated
ERRural critical access
16.1 mi
Ortonville Area Health Services
Ortonville · not rated
ERRural critical access
18.5 mi
Milbank Area Hospital/Avera Health
Milbank · not rated
ERRural critical access
22.8 mi
Coteau Des Prairies Health Care System
Sisseton · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
80 mi
Rural Health Care
2 sites · nearest in Brookings
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
81.4 mi
Community Health Service Inc. - Willmar
Willmar · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
✓ Primary careFoster is not a shortage area
! Dental careFoster's county is a federal shortage area.Big Stone County · need score 9 of 25
! Mental healthFoster's county is a federal shortage area.Southwest Central Region MHCA · need score 19 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 pressure36.7%32.9–40.4%31%worse
High cholesterol38.1%34.3–41.9%33.4%worse
Obesity38.4%31.6–45.3%33.5%about the same
Arthritis29.4%26.3–32.4%22.3%worse
Depression23.1%20–26.1%24.4%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)13.5%11.3–16.2%8.9%worse
Asthma10.2%9.1–11.3%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)11.2%10.2–12.1%8.5%worse
Diabetes13.1%11.5–14.8%10.1%worse
COPD7.8%6.8–8.9%5.4%worse
Heart disease8.5%7.6–9.4%5.9%worse
Stroke4.2%3.8–4.6%3.1%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes15.9%13.5–18.5%13.1%worse
Binge drink16.3%13.8–18.9%17.8%about the same
Get no exercise27.1%22.9–31.4%22.3%worse
Sleep under 7 hours29.2%24.1–35.2%29.2%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup77.1%73.9–80%74.8%about the same
Dentist visit67%63.9–70.3%67.5%about the same
Cholesterol check87%85.4–88.5%85.3%better
Colon screening72.2%68–76.2%68.7%about the same
Mammogram78.2%72–83.9%78.5%about the same
Taking BP meds81.4%79–83.5%76.1%better
No health insurance7.3%6–8.8%7.5%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely28%24–32.4%31.2%about the same
Lack emotional support19.9%17–22.9%21.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress14.9%13.2–16.6%15.1%about the same
Fair or poor health18.7%16.2–21.4%16%worse
Frequent physical distress13.8%12.2–15.5%11.3%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity11.2%9.3–13.4%11.4%about the same
Housing insecurity8.5%7.2–9.9%9.3%about the same
Utility shut-off threat5.6%4.8–6.5%5.7%about the same
No reliable transportation6.8%5.9–7.8%7.1%about the same
Receive SNAP8.6%7.1–10.3%7.9%
Disability
Any disability31.3%27.4–35.2%27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs15.3%13.2–17.4%11.4%
Thinking or memory13.2%11.6–14.9%12.8%
Hearing9.4%8.4–10.4%6.8%
Vision4.8%4.2–5.4%4%
Dressing or bathing4%3.5–4.5%3.1%
Errands alone8.1%7.1–9.1%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 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