Health · Nilsen

Nilsen, MN health

Nilsen differs from Minnesota on 16 of 40 measures. It has more adults treating high blood pressure (79.5% vs 76.1%). Where it trails the state: more adults with COPD (8.3% vs 5.4%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 56520, 56543

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 56 people are less certain, so we show Nilsen's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Nilsen 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 Nilsen adults…

37 of every 100 Nilsen adults have high blood pressure

Minnesota: 31 in 100 · worse · margin 32.6–41%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Nilsen, betterNilsen, worseToo close to callMinnesota

Get no exerciseshare of adults 28.6% Nilsen
MN 22.3%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 29.3% Nilsen
MN 29.2%

Binge drinkshare of adults 17.2% Nilsen
MN 17.8%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 17.5% Nilsen
MN 13.1%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Nilsen 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 12

working-age adults has no health insurance

Nilsen 8.5% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)

Mind & connection

How Nilsen adults are doing

1 in 3Nilsen adults feel lonely

30.2% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call

1 in 4Nilsen adults have been diagnosed with depression

25.3% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call

1 in 5Nilsen adults lack social or emotional support

21.2% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call

1 in 6Nilsen adults are in frequent mental distress

16.5% · 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 7

Nilsen adults worry about having enough food

14.3% · MN 11.4% · worse

1 in 10

Nilsen adults worry about keeping their housing

10.4% · MN 9.3% · about the same

1 in 14

Nilsen adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

7.2% · MN 5.7% · worse

1 in 12

Nilsen adults lack reliable transportation

8.5% · MN 7.1% · worse

11.7% of Nilsen adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

34%

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

Walking or climbing stairs16.2%

Thinking or memory15.1%

Hearing9.5%

Errands alone9.4%

Vision5.7%

Dressing or bathing4.6%

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

Around Nilsen

Nilsen 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.

34.4%39.6%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#10 of 13towns on this map, healthiest first

Meadows36.1%

Andrea36.5%

Nilsen39.3%

Connelly39.4%

Care nearby

St. Francis Medical CenterBreckenridge · 2.9 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Prairie Ridge Hospital and Health ServicesElbow Lake · 33 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Sanford Wheaton Medical CenterWheaton · 35.8 mi · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Essentia HealthFargo · 39 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Churches United for the HomelessMoorhead · 40 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Community Health Service Inc. MoorheadMoorhead · 40.4 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

! Primary careNilsen's county is a federal shortage area.Wilkin County · need score 10 of 25

! Dental careNilsen's county is a federal shortage area.Traverse/Wilkin County · need score 13 of 25

! Mental healthNilsen's county is a federal shortage area.Region 4 · need score 15 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 Nilsen. 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 Nilsen

Measure	Nilsen	Margin	Minnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	36.8%	32.6–41%	31%	worse
High cholesterol	35.8%	31.4–40.2%	33.4%	about the same
Obesity	39.3%	31.2–47.6%	33.5%	about the same
Arthritis	28.3%	24.9–31.7%	22.3%	worse
Depression	25.3%	21.7–29.3%	24.4%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	8%	6.4–9.9%	8.9%	about the same
Asthma	10.7%	9.5–12.1%	9.9%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	10%	9–11.1%	8.5%	worse
Diabetes	13.2%	11.2–15.1%	10.1%	worse
COPD	8.3%	6.9–9.6%	5.4%	worse
Heart disease	8.4%	7.3–9.5%	5.9%	worse
Stroke	4.3%	3.8–4.9%	3.1%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	17.5%	14.3–20.8%	13.1%	worse
Binge drink	17.2%	14.2–20.7%	17.8%	about the same
Get no exercise	28.6%	23.4–33.6%	22.3%	worse
Sleep under 7 hours	29.3%	23.8–35.5%	29.2%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	75.7%	71.7–79.5%	74.8%	about the same
Dentist visit	63.1%	59.8–66.5%	67.5%	worse
Cholesterol check	84.4%	82.3–86.7%	85.3%	about the same
Colon screening	68.5%	63.7–73.2%	68.7%	about the same
Mammogram	77.7%	70.8–83.9%	78.5%	about the same
Taking BP meds	79.5%	76.6–82%	76.1%	better
No health insurance	8.5%	6.7–10.6%	7.5%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	30.2%	25.3–35.6%	31.2%	about the same
Lack emotional support	21.2%	18–24.9%	21.5%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	16.5%	14.5–18.6%	15.1%	about the same
Fair or poor health	20.8%	17.4–24.2%	16%	worse
Frequent physical distress	14.6%	12.7–16.7%	11.3%	worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	14.3%	11.6–17.3%	11.4%	worse
Housing insecurity	10.4%	8.6–12.4%	9.3%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	7.2%	6–8.4%	5.7%	worse
No reliable transportation	8.5%	7.3–9.9%	7.1%	worse
Receive SNAP	11.7%	9.4–14.2%	7.9%
Disability
Any disability	34%	29.2–38.9%	27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	16.2%	13.7–18.9%	11.4%
Thinking or memory	15.1%	13–17.3%	12.8%
Hearing	9.5%	8.3–10.7%	6.8%
Vision	5.7%	4.9–6.4%	4%
Dressing or bathing	4.6%	3.9–5.4%	3.1%
Errands alone	9.4%	8–10.9%	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 Nilsen door to door.

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

Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Nilsen by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Nilsen 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.