Health · St. James

St. James, MN health

St. James differs from Minnesota on 16 of 40 measures. Where it trails the state most: more uninsured adults (16.7% vs 7.5%) and more older adults who have lost all their teeth (15.4% vs 8.9%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · CDC's estimate for St. James
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

St. James’s Health Grade: C+

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, St. James is healthier than 37% of U.S. towns, and than 58% of towns with similar incomes.

CSelf-rated healthB-Physical distressB+Mental distressC+ObesityC+DiabetesC+SmokingC-Exercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 37%
Less healthyHealthier
Minnesota towns we grade (574)Healthier than 6%
Towns with similar incomes, $45K–$75K (8,212)Healthier than 58%

Better than its income would suggest. St. James is healthier than most towns with similar incomes, even though its overall grade is C+.

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, St. James could be anywhere from D to B+.
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 St. James 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. St. James uses CDC’s own estimate for it. 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 St. James 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 St. James adults…

33 of every 100 St. James adults have high blood pressure
Minnesota: 31 in 100 · too close to call · margin 29.3–37.3%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

St. James, betterSt. James, worseToo close to callMinnesota
Get no exerciseshare of adults 31.8% St. James
MN 22.3%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 31.8% St. James
MN 29.2%
Binge drinkshare of adults 17% St. James
MN 17.8%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 15.6% St. James
MN 13.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

74%
Yearly checkup
MN 75%
60%
Dentist visit
MN 68%
83%
Cholesterol check
MN 85%
63%
Colon screening
MN 69%
75%
Mammogram
MN 79%
77%
Taking BP meds
MN 76%
1 in 6
working-age adults has no health insurance
St. James 16.7% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)
Mind & connection

How St. James adults are doing

1 in 3St. James adults feel lonely
30.6% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call
1 in 4St. James adults have been diagnosed with depression
22.6% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call
1 in 4St. James adults lack social or emotional support
23.2% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call
1 in 6St. James adults are in frequent mental distress
15.9% · 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 5
St. James adults worry about having enough food
19.2% · MN 11.4% · worse
1 in 7
St. James adults worry about keeping their housing
14.5% · MN 9.3% · worse
1 in 12
St. James adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
8.4% · MN 5.7% · worse
1 in 10
St. James adults lack reliable transportation
10.2% · MN 7.1% · worse

13.1% of St. James adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

34.4%

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

Walking or climbing stairs15.6%
Thinking or memory15.7%
Hearing8.7%
Errands alone9.1%
Vision6.4%
Dressing or bathing4.5%

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

Around St. James

St. James 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 St. James.

St. James: 37.6% Rosendale: 37.7% Long Lake: 37.2% Butterfield: 35.6% Nelson: 37.9% South Branch: 37.3% Fieldon: 36.4% Riverdale: 36.8% St. James: 38.3% St. James St. James Rosendale Mayo Clinic Health System St. James · St. James · 0.6 miH Madelia Health · Madelia · 11.7 miH
35.6%38.3%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#9 of 9towns on this map, healthiest first
St. James37.6%
Rosendale37.7%
St. James38.3%
6 places to get careNearest ER 0.6 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 St. James

1 hospital in St. James, plus the nearest just outside it.

HNearest ERMayo Clinic Health System St. JamesSt. James · 0.6 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyNew Ulm Medical Center★★★★★ · 24 miDirections →
+Low-cost careRural Health CareWindom · 25.4 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
0.6 mi
Mayo Clinic Health System St. James
St. James · not rated
ERRural critical accessIn St. James
11.7 mi
Madelia Health
Madelia · not rated
ERRural critical access
22.4 mi
Sleepy Eye Medical Center
Sleepy Eye · not rated
ERRural critical access
24 mi
New Ulm Medical Center
New Ulm · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
25.4 mi
Rural Health Care
4 sites · nearest in Windom
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
34.9 mi
Open Door Health Center
3 sites · nearest in Mankato
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
! Primary careSt. James's county is a federal shortage area.Watonwan County · need score 11 of 25
! Dental careSt. James's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Watonwan County · need score 15 of 25
! Mental healthSt. James's county is a federal shortage area.South Central Region · need score 18 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 St. James. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for St. James
MeasureSt. JamesMarginMinnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure33.2%29.3–37.3%31%about the same
High cholesterol33.9%29.8–38%33.4%about the same
Obesity38.3%30.5–46.5%33.5%about the same
Arthritis24.1%21.3–27.3%22.3%about the same
Depression22.6%19.2–26.4%24.4%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)15.4%12.5–18.6%8.9%worse
Asthma9.7%8.5–10.9%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)8.2%7.3–9.1%8.5%about the same
Diabetes13%11.1–15%10.1%worse
COPD6.9%5.7–8.2%5.4%worse
Heart disease7.4%6.4–8.3%5.9%worse
Stroke3.9%3.4–4.4%3.1%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes15.6%13–18.6%13.1%about the same
Binge drink17%14.1–20.2%17.8%about the same
Get no exercise31.8%26.8–37.5%22.3%worse
Sleep under 7 hours31.8%25.9–38.5%29.2%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup74.2%70.3–77.8%74.8%about the same
Dentist visit59.8%56.2–63.7%67.5%worse
Cholesterol check82.7%80.2–85%85.3%worse
Colon screening63.4%58.1–68.5%68.7%worse
Mammogram74.8%66.9–81.8%78.5%about the same
Taking BP meds77.3%74.6–80%76.1%about the same
No health insurance16.7%13.4–20.6%7.5%worse
Mind & connection
Feel lonely30.6%25.9–35.7%31.2%about the same
Lack emotional support23.2%19.6–27%21.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress15.9%14–18%15.1%about the same
Fair or poor health22.8%19.5–26.7%16%worse
Frequent physical distress14.3%12.4–16.5%11.3%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity19.2%15.6–22.8%11.4%worse
Housing insecurity14.5%12.1–16.9%9.3%worse
Utility shut-off threat8.4%7.1–9.7%5.7%worse
No reliable transportation10.2%8.6–11.8%7.1%worse
Receive SNAP13.1%10.6–15.8%7.9%
Disability
Any disability34.4%29.7–39.6%27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs15.6%13.2–18.4%11.4%
Thinking or memory15.7%13.6–18.1%12.8%
Hearing8.7%7.7–9.8%6.8%
Vision6.4%5.5–7.4%4%
Dressing or bathing4.5%3.8–5.2%3.1%
Errands alone9.1%7.8–10.7%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 St. James door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Minnesota figure falls inside it, we don't call St. James better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes St. James 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