Health · Ideal

Ideal, MN health

Ideal differs from Minnesota on 15 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing housing insecurity (7.5% vs 9.3%) and fewer lonely adults (26% vs 31.2%). Where it trails the state: more adults with heart disease (7.8% vs 5.9%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 56472, 56474, 56442
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Ideal’s Health Grade: B+

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Ideal is healthier than 67% of U.S. towns.

B+Self-rated healthA-Physical distressAMental distressB-ObesityB-DiabetesB-SmokingBExercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 67%
Less healthyHealthier
Minnesota towns we grade (574)Healthier than 49%
Towns with similar incomes, $81K–$135K (6,898)Healthier than 43%

Wealth explains part of the grade. Ideal is healthier than 67% of U.S. towns overall, but against towns with similar incomes its edge is smaller.

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Ideal could be anywhere from C+ to A.
How the Health Grade works
  • Seven CDC estimates. Adults in fair or poor health, frequent physical distress, frequent mental distress, obesity, diabetes, smoking and no exercise (CDC PLACES, 2025 release). On each one a town earns the share of U.S. towns doing worse, and those shares are averaged. It’s the same score as our Healthiest towns in Minnesota ranking.
  • Graded on a national curve. Every U.S. town with 1,000+ residents and all seven estimates (19,420 places) is lined up by score: A+ top 5%A next 10%A- next 10%B B+ to B−, next 30%C C+ to C−, next 30%D D and D−, bottom 15%
  • Not adjusted for income. Wealthier towns are usually healthier, and the grade shows that as it is. The similar-incomes bar compares Ideal with U.S. towns whose median household income is within 25% of its own.
  • Modeled, not measured. CDC combines national survey answers with each area’s age, sex, race and income mix. Ideal’s figures come from the ZIP codes that cover it, weighted by land area. High blood pressure is left out because it tracks age more than anything else. The confidence line recomputes the grade with every estimate at the low, then the high, end of its range.
Report card

How Ideal 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 Ideal adults…

37 of every 100 Ideal adults have high blood pressure
Minnesota: 31 in 100 · worse · margin 33.3–39.7%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Ideal, betterIdeal, worseToo close to callMinnesota
Get no exerciseshare of adults 24% Ideal
MN 22.3%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 30.3% Ideal
MN 29.2%
Binge drinkshare of adults 17.6% Ideal
MN 17.8%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 14.5% Ideal
MN 13.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

77%
Yearly checkup
MN 75%
69%
Dentist visit
MN 68%
87%
Cholesterol check
MN 85%
73%
Colon screening
MN 69%
80%
Mammogram
MN 79%
80%
Taking BP meds
MN 76%
1 in 16
working-age adults has no health insurance
Ideal 6.4% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)
Mind & connection

How Ideal adults are doing

1 in 4Ideal adults feel lonely
26% · Minnesota 31.2% · better
1 in 4Ideal adults have been diagnosed with depression
22.7% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call
1 in 5Ideal adults lack social or emotional support
18.3% · Minnesota 21.5% · better
1 in 7Ideal adults are in frequent mental distress
14.2% · 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 10
Ideal adults worry about having enough food
9.6% · MN 11.4% · better
1 in 13
Ideal adults worry about keeping their housing
7.5% · MN 9.3% · better
1 in 20
Ideal adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5.1% · MN 5.7% · about the same
1 in 16
Ideal adults lack reliable transportation
6.1% · MN 7.1% · better

7.3% of Ideal adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

30%

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

Walking or climbing stairs13.7%
Thinking or memory12.1%
Hearing8.7%
Errands alone7.2%
Vision4.2%
Dressing or bathing3.5%

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

Around Ideal

Ideal 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 Ideal.

Breezy Point: 37.2% Jenkins: 37% Timothy: 37.2% Crosslake: 36.1% Pequot Lakes: 35.8% Pelican: 36.5% Mission: 37% Jenkins: 35.9% Wilson: 37.2% Gail Lake: 37.2% Blind Lake: 36.8% Fifty Lakes: 36.5% Manhattan Beach: 36.2% Ponto Lake: 37.4% Fairfield: 37.3% Loon Lake: 36.4% Nisswa: 35% Ideal: 36.6% Ideal Breezy Point Jenkins Timothy Crosslake Pequot Lakes Cuyuna Regional Medical Center · Crosby · 17.9 mi · 3★ MedicareH
35%37.4%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#9 of 18towns on this map, healthiest first
Pequot Lakes35.8%
Crosslake36.1%
Ideal36.6%
Jenkins37%
Breezy Point37.2%
Timothy37.2%

Care nearby

Cuyuna Regional Medical CenterCrosby · 17.9 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access DirectionsMedicare profile
Essentia Health St. Joseph's Medical CenterBrainerd · 21.5 mi · ★★★★★ · ER DirectionsMedicare profile
Riverwood Healthcare CenterAitkin · 26 mi · ER · rural critical access DirectionsMedicare profile
Lakewood Health SystemStaples · 34.2 mi · ER · rural critical access DirectionsMedicare profile
Scenic Rivers Health ServicesFloodwood · 63.6 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions
Lake Superior Community Health Center White Pine ClinicCarlton · 84.3 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions
✓ Primary careIdeal is not a shortage area
! Dental careIdeal's county is a federal shortage area.Crow Wing County · need score 10 of 25
! Mental healthIdeal's county is a federal shortage area.Region 5 Mental Health Service Area · need score 16 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 Ideal. 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 Ideal
MeasureIdealMarginMinnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure36.5%33.3–39.7%31%worse
High cholesterol35.4%32.2–38.7%33.4%about the same
Obesity36.6%31.7–41.6%33.5%about the same
Arthritis28%25.3–30.7%22.3%worse
Depression22.7%20–25.5%24.4%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)9%7.4–10.7%8.9%about the same
Asthma10%9.1–11.1%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)11%10.1–11.9%8.5%worse
Diabetes11.9%10.5–13.4%10.1%worse
COPD6.8%6–7.6%5.4%worse
Heart disease7.8%7.1–8.7%5.9%worse
Stroke3.8%3.5–4.2%3.1%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes14.5%12.6–16.4%13.1%about the same
Binge drink17.6%15.3–20.1%17.8%about the same
Get no exercise24%20.7–27.2%22.3%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours30.3%26.3–34.5%29.2%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup77.2%74.4–79.9%74.8%about the same
Dentist visit69.1%66.4–71.7%67.5%about the same
Cholesterol check87.4%86.1–88.8%85.3%better
Colon screening72.9%69.3–76.1%68.7%better
Mammogram79.5%74.1–84.1%78.5%about the same
Taking BP meds80%77.6–82.3%76.1%better
No health insurance6.4%5.4–7.6%7.5%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely26%22.6–29.6%31.2%better
Lack emotional support18.3%15.9–20.9%21.5%better
Frequent mental distress14.2%12.7–15.7%15.1%about the same
Fair or poor health16.5%14.5–18.5%16%about the same
Frequent physical distress12.5%11.1–13.9%11.3%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity9.6%8.2–11.2%11.4%better
Housing insecurity7.5%6.5–8.7%9.3%better
Utility shut-off threat5.1%4.4–5.8%5.7%about the same
No reliable transportation6.1%5.4–6.9%7.1%better
Receive SNAP7.3%6.2–8.6%7.9%
Disability
Any disability30%26.7–33.2%27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs13.7%12–15.3%11.4%
Thinking or memory12.1%10.8–13.4%12.8%
Hearing8.7%7.8–9.5%6.8%
Vision4.2%3.8–4.7%4%
Dressing or bathing3.5%3.2–3.9%3.1%
Errands alone7.2%6.5–8.1%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 Ideal door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Minnesota figure falls inside it, we don't call Ideal better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Ideal by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Ideal 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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Ideal

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