Health · Nelson

Nelson, MN health

On most measures Nelson looks like Minnesota as a whole. It has fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth (6.6% vs 8.9%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · CDC's estimate for Nelson
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 155 people are less certain, so we show Nelson's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Nelson 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 Nelson adults…

28 of every 100 Nelson adults have high blood pressure
Minnesota: 31 in 100 · too close to call · margin 24.8–31.9%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Nelson, betterNelson, worseToo close to callMinnesota
Get no exerciseshare of adults 20.3% Nelson
MN 22.3%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 29.7% Nelson
MN 29.2%
Binge drinkshare of adults 19.7% Nelson
MN 17.8%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 13.7% Nelson
MN 13.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

74%
Yearly checkup
MN 75%
69%
Dentist visit
MN 68%
85%
Cholesterol check
MN 85%
69%
Colon screening
MN 69%
79%
Mammogram
MN 79%
74%
Taking BP meds
MN 76%
1 in 16
working-age adults has no health insurance
Nelson 6.4% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)
Mind & connection

How Nelson adults are doing

1 in 4Nelson adults feel lonely
28.5% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call
1 in 4Nelson adults have been diagnosed with depression
24.8% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call
1 in 5Nelson adults lack social or emotional support
20.3% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call
1 in 7Nelson adults are in frequent mental distress
15% · 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 11
Nelson adults worry about having enough food
9.1% · MN 11.4% · about the same
1 in 12
Nelson adults worry about keeping their housing
8.1% · MN 9.3% · about the same
1 in 20
Nelson adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5.1% · MN 5.7% · about the same
1 in 17
Nelson adults lack reliable transportation
5.9% · MN 7.1% · about the same

5.9% of Nelson adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

25.4%

of Nelson adults live with a disability (Minnesota 27.4%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs10.2%
Thinking or memory12.2%
Hearing6.4%
Errands alone6.2%
Vision3.4%
Dressing or bathing2.9%

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

Around Nelson

Nelson 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 Nelson.

Osakis: 37.1% Alexandria: 35% Osakis: 35.9% Belle River: 35% Gordon: 37.5% Orange: 37.3% Alexandria: 34.9% Carlos: 34.8% Hudson: 35.3% La Grand: 35% Nelson: 35.3% Nelson Osakis Alexandria Alomere Health · Alexandria · 5.4 mi · 4★ MedicareH
34.8%37.5%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#6 of 11towns on this map, healthiest first
Alexandria35%
Nelson35.3%
Osakis37.1%
6 places to get careNearest ER 5.4 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 Nelson

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

HNearest ERAlomere HealthAlexandria · 5.4 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyGlacial Ridge Hospital★★★★★ · 17.6 miDirections →
+Low-cost careCommunity Health ServiceWillmar · 53.9 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
5.4 mi
Alomere Health
Alexandria · ★★★★★
ER
17.6 mi
Glacial Ridge Hospital
Glenwood · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
17.8 mi
Centracare Health System - Sauk Centre
Sauk Centre · not rated
ERRural critical access
21 mi
Centracare - Long Prairie Hospital
Long Prairie · not rated
ERRural critical access
53.9 mi
Community Health Service
3 sites · nearest in Willmar
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
98.8 mi
Family Healthcare Center
4 sites · nearest in Moorhead
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
✓ Primary careNelson is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careNelson is not a shortage area
! Mental healthNelson's county is a federal shortage area.Region 4 · need score 15 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 Nelson. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Nelson
MeasureNelsonMarginMinnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure28.3%24.8–31.9%31%about the same
High cholesterol33.4%29.6–37.1%33.4%about the same
Obesity35.3%29.1–41.7%33.5%about the same
Arthritis22.7%19.8–25.5%22.3%about the same
Depression24.8%21.3–28.6%24.4%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)6.6%5.2–8.1%8.9%better
Asthma10%8.8–11.3%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)8.1%7.3–9.1%8.5%about the same
Diabetes9.4%7.8–11%10.1%about the same
COPD5%4–6.2%5.4%about the same
Heart disease5.4%4.6–6.3%5.9%about the same
Stroke2.8%2.4–3.3%3.1%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes13.7%10.5–17.1%13.1%about the same
Binge drink19.7%16.5–23.2%17.8%about the same
Get no exercise20.3%16.1–24.7%22.3%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours29.7%24.2–35%29.2%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup73.9%70–77.6%74.8%about the same
Dentist visit68.7%65.3–71.7%67.5%about the same
Cholesterol check85.4%82.9–87.5%85.3%about the same
Colon screening69%63.9–73.4%68.7%about the same
Mammogram78.7%71.5–84.4%78.5%about the same
Taking BP meds74.3%70.8–77.5%76.1%about the same
No health insurance6.4%4.7–8.5%7.5%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely28.5%24.1–33.3%31.2%about the same
Lack emotional support20.3%17.1–24.2%21.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress15%12.8–17.3%15.1%about the same
Fair or poor health14.5%11.7–17.6%16%about the same
Frequent physical distress11%9.2–12.9%11.3%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity9.1%6.9–11.7%11.4%about the same
Housing insecurity8.1%6.4–10.1%9.3%about the same
Utility shut-off threat5.1%4–6.1%5.7%about the same
No reliable transportation5.9%4.9–7.1%7.1%about the same
Receive SNAP5.9%4.3–7.9%7.9%
Disability
Any disability25.4%21.2–29.7%27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs10.2%8.3–12.4%11.4%
Thinking or memory12.2%10.1–14.3%12.8%
Hearing6.4%5.5–7.3%6.8%
Vision3.4%2.9–4.1%4%
Dressing or bathing2.9%2.4–3.6%3.1%
Errands alone6.2%5.1–7.4%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 Nelson door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Minnesota figure falls inside it, we don't call Nelson better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Nelson 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01