Health · Shell River

Shell River, MN health

Shell River differs from Minnesota on 14 of 40 measures. It has more adults treating high blood pressure (80.8% vs 76.1%) and more adults screened for colon cancer (72.6% vs 68.7%). Where it trails the state: more adults with COPD (7.9% vs 5.4%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 56464, 56470

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 170 people are less certain, so we show Shell River's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Shell 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 Shell River adults…

37 of every 100 Shell River adults have high blood pressure

Minnesota: 31 in 100 · worse · margin 33.8–39.7%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Shell River, betterShell River, worseToo close to callMinnesota

Get no exerciseshare of adults 27.2% Shell River
MN 22.3%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 29% Shell River
MN 29.2%

Binge drinkshare of adults 16.9% Shell River
MN 17.8%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 15.9% Shell River
MN 13.1%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Shell River 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 13

working-age adults has no health insurance

Shell River 7.6% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)

Mind & connection

How Shell River adults are doing

1 in 3Shell River adults feel lonely

29.4% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call

1 in 4Shell River adults have been diagnosed with depression

24.1% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call

1 in 5Shell River adults lack social or emotional support

20.1% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call

1 in 6Shell River adults are in frequent mental distress

15.5% · 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 8

Shell River adults worry about having enough food

12.1% · MN 11.4% · about the same

1 in 11

Shell River adults worry about keeping their housing

8.9% · MN 9.3% · about the same

1 in 17

Shell River adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

6% · MN 5.7% · about the same

1 in 14

Shell River adults lack reliable transportation

7.3% · MN 7.1% · about the same

9.5% of Shell River adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

33.1%

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

Walking or climbing stairs15.8%

Thinking or memory13.9%

Hearing9.6%

Errands alone8.6%

Vision5%

Dressing or bathing4.2%

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

Around Shell River

Shell 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 Shell River.

35.7%37.7%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#5 of 13towns on this map, healthiest first

Hubbard35.8%

Shell River37.4%

Blueberry37.5%

Meadow37.5%

Huntersville37.5%

Care nearby

St. Josephs Area Health ServicesPark Rapids · 11 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Astera HealthWadena · 23.5 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Lakewood Health SystemStaples · 30.8 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Perham HealthPerham · 31.7 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Scenic Rivers Health ServicesNorthome · 82.9 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Community Health Service Inc. MoorheadMoorhead · 83.9 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

! Primary careShell River's county is a federal shortage area.Wadena County · need score 16 of 25

! Dental careShell River's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Wadena County · need score 8 of 25

! Mental healthShell 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 Shell 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 Shell River

Measure	Shell River	Margin	Minnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	36.9%	33.8–39.7%	31%	worse
High cholesterol	36.1%	33.1–38.9%	33.4%	about the same
Obesity	37.4%	32.3–42.2%	33.5%	about the same
Arthritis	29.4%	26.9–31.8%	22.3%	worse
Depression	24.1%	21.6–26.6%	24.4%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	12.4%	10.3–14.7%	8.9%	worse
Asthma	10.2%	9.3–11.1%	9.9%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	10.8%	10–11.5%	8.5%	worse
Diabetes	13%	11.6–14.4%	10.1%	worse
COPD	7.9%	7–8.9%	5.4%	worse
Heart disease	8.5%	7.7–9.3%	5.9%	worse
Stroke	4.3%	3.9–4.6%	3.1%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	15.9%	14.1–17.9%	13.1%	worse
Binge drink	16.9%	14.8–18.9%	17.8%	about the same
Get no exercise	27.2%	23.8–30.9%	22.3%	worse
Sleep under 7 hours	29%	24.5–33.8%	29.2%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	76.9%	74.4–79.2%	74.8%	about the same
Dentist visit	65%	62–67.9%	67.5%	about the same
Cholesterol check	86%	84.6–87.3%	85.3%	about the same
Colon screening	72.6%	68.9–76.1%	68.7%	better
Mammogram	77.8%	71.8–82.9%	78.5%	about the same
Taking BP meds	80.8%	78.7–82.6%	76.1%	better
No health insurance	7.6%	6.5–8.9%	7.5%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	29.4%	26–32.8%	31.2%	about the same
Lack emotional support	20.1%	17.9–22.7%	21.5%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	15.5%	14.2–16.9%	15.1%	about the same
Fair or poor health	19.1%	17–21.4%	16%	worse
Frequent physical distress	13.9%	12.6–15.3%	11.3%	worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	12.1%	10.5–13.9%	11.4%	about the same
Housing insecurity	8.9%	7.8–10.2%	9.3%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	6%	5.3–6.7%	5.7%	about the same
No reliable transportation	7.3%	6.6–8.2%	7.1%	about the same
Receive SNAP	9.5%	8.2–10.9%	7.9%
Disability
Any disability	33.1%	29.8–36.3%	27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	15.8%	14–17.6%	11.4%
Thinking or memory	13.9%	12.5–15.3%	12.8%
Hearing	9.6%	8.8–10.5%	6.8%
Vision	5%	4.5–5.5%	4%
Dressing or bathing	4.2%	3.7–4.6%	3.1%
Errands alone	8.6%	7.7–9.5%	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 Shell 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 Shell River better or worse.

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