Health · Gem Lake

Gem Lake, MN health

Gem Lake differs from Minnesota on 15 of 40 measures. It has fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth (4.6% vs 8.9%) and fewer uninsured adults (4.6% vs 7.5%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (10.5% vs 8.5%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · CDC's estimate for Gem Lake

Report card

How Gem Lake 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 Gem Lake adults…

31 of every 100 Gem Lake adults have high blood pressure

Minnesota: 31 in 100 · too close to call · margin 28.5–33.9%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Gem Lake, betterGem Lake, worseToo close to callMinnesota

Get no exerciseshare of adults 15.4% Gem Lake
MN 22.3%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 23.9% Gem Lake
MN 29.2%

Binge drinkshare of adults 16.9% Gem Lake
MN 17.8%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 10.1% Gem Lake
MN 13.1%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Gem Lake 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 22

working-age adults has no health insurance

Gem Lake 4.6% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)

Mind & connection

How Gem Lake adults are doing

1 in 3Gem Lake adults feel lonely

33% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call

1 in 4Gem Lake adults have been diagnosed with depression

26.1% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call

1 in 5Gem Lake adults lack social or emotional support

20.4% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call

1 in 7Gem Lake adults are in frequent mental distress

13.8% · 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 13

Gem Lake adults worry about having enough food

7.5% · MN 11.4% · better

1 in 16

Gem Lake adults worry about keeping their housing

6.1% · MN 9.3% · better

1 in 26

Gem Lake adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

3.8% · MN 5.7% · better

1 in 20

Gem Lake adults lack reliable transportation

5.1% · MN 7.1% · better

4.6% of Gem Lake adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

24.9%

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

Walking or climbing stairs10.5%

Thinking or memory10.5%

Hearing6.7%

Errands alone5.7%

Vision3%

Dressing or bathing2.6%

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

Around Gem Lake

Gem Lake 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.

27.9%35%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#3 of 13towns on this map, healthiest first

Gem Lake29.9%

White Bear30.8%

White Bear Lake31.1%

Vadnais Heights31.5%

Care nearby

M Health Fairview St. John's HospitalMaplewood · 2.3 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Gillette Childrens Specialty HospitalSaint Paul · 7.8 mi · children's Directions Medicare profile

Regions HospitalSaint Paul · 7.9 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Allina United HospitalSaint Paul · 8.9 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Mn Community Care @mcdonough HomesSaint Paul · 5.7 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Elders LodgeSaint Paul · 6.1 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

✓ Primary careGem Lake is not a shortage area

✓ Dental careGem Lake is not a shortage area

✓ Mental healthGem Lake is not a shortage area

Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas. Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Distances are straight-line from the center of Gem Lake. 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 Gem Lake

Measure	Gem Lake	Margin	Minnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	31.2%	28.5–33.9%	31%	about the same
High cholesterol	36.7%	33.9–39.4%	33.4%	worse
Obesity	29.9%	26.4–33.3%	33.5%	better
Arthritis	23.6%	21.4–26.1%	22.3%	about the same
Depression	26.1%	23.5–28.9%	24.4%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	4.6%	3.7–5.6%	8.9%	better
Asthma	9.8%	8.7–11%	9.9%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	10.5%	9.5–11.6%	8.5%	worse
Diabetes	9.8%	8.4–11.5%	10.1%	about the same
COPD	4.9%	3.8–6.1%	5.4%	about the same
Heart disease	6.1%	5.2–7.1%	5.9%	about the same
Stroke	2.9%	2.5–3.4%	3.1%	about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	10.1%	7.6–12.9%	13.1%	better
Binge drink	16.9%	14.9–19%	17.8%	about the same
Get no exercise	15.4%	12.6–18.8%	22.3%	better
Sleep under 7 hours	23.9%	21.5–26.2%	29.2%	better
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	76.8%	74.3–79.2%	74.8%	about the same
Dentist visit	78.3%	76.4–80.2%	67.5%	better
Cholesterol check	88.5%	86.6–90.2%	85.3%	better
Colon screening	75.3%	72.7–77.9%	68.7%	better
Mammogram	80.3%	76–84%	78.5%	about the same
Taking BP meds	78.2%	75.4–80.8%	76.1%	about the same
No health insurance	4.6%	3.4–6.2%	7.5%	better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	33%	29.7–36.4%	31.2%	about the same
Lack emotional support	20.4%	17.5–23.5%	21.5%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	13.8%	11.9–15.8%	15.1%	about the same
Fair or poor health	14.1%	11.7–17.2%	16%	about the same
Frequent physical distress	10.9%	9.3–12.8%	11.3%	about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	7.5%	5.4–9.7%	11.4%	better
Housing insecurity	6.1%	4.6–7.7%	9.3%	better
Utility shut-off threat	3.8%	3–4.7%	5.7%	better
No reliable transportation	5.1%	4–6.2%	7.1%	better
Receive SNAP	4.6%	3–6.3%	7.9%
Disability
Any disability	24.9%	21.4–28.7%	27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	10.5%	8.6–12.8%	11.4%
Thinking or memory	10.5%	8.6–12.6%	12.8%
Hearing	6.7%	5.8–7.8%	6.8%
Vision	3%	2.5–3.7%	4%
Dressing or bathing	2.6%	2.1–3.2%	3.1%
Errands alone	5.7%	4.6–6.9%	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 Gem Lake door to door.

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

CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Gem Lake 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.