Health · Leaf River

Leaf River, MN health

Leaf River differs from Minnesota on 19 of 40 measures. It has more adults treating high blood pressure (79.7% vs 76.1%). Where it trails the state: more adults with COPD (8.5% vs 5.4%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 56482, 56477
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 804 people are less certain, so we show Leaf River's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Leaf River 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 Leaf River adults…

36 of every 100 Leaf River adults have high blood pressure
Minnesota: 31 in 100 · worse · margin 32.5–39.1%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Leaf River, betterLeaf River, worseToo close to callMinnesota
Get no exerciseshare of adults 30.4% Leaf River
MN 22.3%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 30.7% Leaf River
MN 29.2%
Binge drinkshare of adults 16.5% Leaf River
MN 17.8%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 18% Leaf River
MN 13.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

75%
Yearly checkup
MN 75%
62%
Dentist visit
MN 68%
84%
Cholesterol check
MN 85%
71%
Colon screening
MN 69%
79%
Mammogram
MN 79%
80%
Taking BP meds
MN 76%
1 in 11
working-age adults has no health insurance
Leaf River 9.1% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)
Mind & connection

How Leaf River adults are doing

1 in 3Leaf River adults feel lonely
32% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call
1 in 4Leaf River adults have been diagnosed with depression
25.5% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call
1 in 5Leaf River adults lack social or emotional support
21.9% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call
1 in 6Leaf River adults are in frequent mental distress
17.1% · Minnesota 15.1% · worse
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
Leaf River adults worry about having enough food
14.9% · MN 11.4% · worse
1 in 9
Leaf River adults worry about keeping their housing
10.6% · MN 9.3% · about the same
1 in 14
Leaf River adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
7.1% · MN 5.7% · worse
1 in 12
Leaf River adults lack reliable transportation
8.6% · MN 7.1% · worse

12% of Leaf River adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

35.9%

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

Walking or climbing stairs16.9%
Thinking or memory15.7%
Hearing9.9%
Errands alone9.7%
Vision5.7%
Dressing or bathing4.6%

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

Around Leaf River

Leaf River 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 Leaf River.

Wadena: 38.6% Wadena: 38.3% Rockwood: 37.7% Bluffton: 36.4% Wing River: 38.3% Compton: 37.9% Aldrich: 38.6% Stowe Prairie: 38.6% Sebeka: 37.4% North Germany: 37.7% Blowers: 37.4% Bluffton: 34.6% Newton: 34.8% Thomastown: 39.1% Leaf River: 38.3% Leaf River Wadena Wadena Rockwood Bluffton Wing River Astera Health · Wadena · 4.5 mi · 3★ MedicareH Lakewood Health System · Staples · 19.3 miH
34.6%39.1%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#9 of 15towns on this map, healthiest first
Bluffton36.4%
Rockwood37.7%
Leaf River38.3%
Wadena38.3%
Wing River38.3%
Wadena38.6%

Care nearby

Astera HealthWadena · 4.5 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access DirectionsMedicare profile
Lakewood Health SystemStaples · 19.3 mi · ER · rural critical access DirectionsMedicare profile
Perham HealthPerham · 24.6 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access DirectionsMedicare profile
St. Josephs Area Health ServicesPark Rapids · 28.9 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access DirectionsMedicare profile
Community Health Service Inc. MoorheadMoorhead · 82.5 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions
Family Healthcare Center-Moorhead DentalMoorhead · 83.4 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions
! Primary careLeaf River's county is a federal shortage area.Wadena County · need score 16 of 25
! Dental careLeaf River's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Wadena County · need score 8 of 25
! Mental healthLeaf River'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 Leaf River. 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 Leaf River
MeasureLeaf RiverMarginMinnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure35.7%32.5–39.1%31%worse
High cholesterol35.7%32.4–39.1%33.4%about the same
Obesity38.3%32.3–44.6%33.5%about the same
Arthritis29%26.3–31.8%22.3%worse
Depression25.5%22.5–28.7%24.4%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)12.9%10.7–15.4%8.9%worse
Asthma10.7%9.7–11.9%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)10.1%9.2–11%8.5%worse
Diabetes13.2%11.6–14.9%10.1%worse
COPD8.5%7.5–9.6%5.4%worse
Heart disease8.6%7.7–9.5%5.9%worse
Stroke4.4%4–4.9%3.1%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes18%15.8–20.5%13.1%worse
Binge drink16.5%14.1–19.1%17.8%about the same
Get no exercise30.4%26.4–34.7%22.3%worse
Sleep under 7 hours30.7%25.7–35.9%29.2%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup75%71.9–78%74.8%about the same
Dentist visit61.9%58.7–64.9%67.5%worse
Cholesterol check83.9%82.1–85.7%85.3%about the same
Colon screening70.6%66.4–74.4%68.7%about the same
Mammogram78.6%72.5–83.6%78.5%about the same
Taking BP meds79.7%77.4–81.9%76.1%better
No health insurance9.1%7.6–10.9%7.5%worse
Mind & connection
Feel lonely32%28–36.4%31.2%about the same
Lack emotional support21.9%19–24.9%21.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress17.1%15.4–18.8%15.1%worse
Fair or poor health21.1%18.6–23.8%16%worse
Frequent physical distress14.8%13.2–16.5%11.3%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity14.9%12.5–17.5%11.4%worse
Housing insecurity10.6%9.1–12.3%9.3%about the same
Utility shut-off threat7.1%6.2–8.1%5.7%worse
No reliable transportation8.6%7.7–9.8%7.1%worse
Receive SNAP12%10–14.1%7.9%
Disability
Any disability35.9%32.1–39.9%27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs16.9%14.8–19.2%11.4%
Thinking or memory15.7%14–17.6%12.8%
Hearing9.9%8.9–10.9%6.8%
Vision5.7%5.1–6.3%4%
Dressing or bathing4.6%4.1–5.2%3.1%
Errands alone9.7%8.7–10.9%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 Leaf River door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Minnesota figure falls inside it, we don't call Leaf River better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Leaf River by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Leaf River 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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Leaf River

Minnesota · MN · Wadena 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