Health · Sterling

Sterling, MN health

Sterling differs from Minnesota on 7 of 40 measures. Where it trails the state most: more adults with COPD (6.8% vs 5.4%) and more adults with heart disease (7.4% vs 5.9%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 56010, 56065
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 278 people are less certain, so we show Sterling's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Sterling 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 Sterling adults…

36 of every 100 Sterling adults have high blood pressure
Minnesota: 31 in 100 · worse · margin 32.5–39.9%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Sterling, betterSterling, worseToo close to callMinnesota
Get no exerciseshare of adults 24.8% Sterling
MN 22.3%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 28.5% Sterling
MN 29.2%
Binge drinkshare of adults 17.2% Sterling
MN 17.8%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 15% Sterling
MN 13.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

77%
Yearly checkup
MN 75%
68%
Dentist visit
MN 68%
86%
Cholesterol check
MN 85%
70%
Colon screening
MN 69%
77%
Mammogram
MN 79%
79%
Taking BP meds
MN 76%
1 in 14
working-age adults has no health insurance
Sterling 7.2% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)
Mind & connection

How Sterling adults are doing

1 in 3Sterling adults feel lonely
28.6% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call
1 in 4Sterling adults have been diagnosed with depression
24.9% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call
1 in 5Sterling adults lack social or emotional support
19.8% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call
1 in 6Sterling adults are in frequent mental distress
15.4% · 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 9
Sterling adults worry about having enough food
10.6% · MN 11.4% · about the same
1 in 12
Sterling adults worry about keeping their housing
8.2% · MN 9.3% · about the same
1 in 19
Sterling adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5.4% · MN 5.7% · about the same
1 in 15
Sterling adults lack reliable transportation
6.6% · MN 7.1% · about the same

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

Disability

Living with a disability

30.3%

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

Walking or climbing stairs13.3%
Thinking or memory13.4%
Hearing8.6%
Errands alone7.7%
Vision4.3%
Dressing or bathing3.6%

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

Around Sterling

Sterling and the towns around it

Pick a measure to shade the map. Darker is worse for health.

Mapleton: 35.1% Shelby: 35.8% Lyra: 35% Delavan: 37.3% Winnebago City: 37.6% Mapleton: 34.4% Danville: 36.5% Beauford: 35% Pleasant Mound: 35.9% Vernon Center: 35.6% Rapidan: 34.7% Lura: 37.5% Prescott: 37.2% Delavan: 38% Winnebago: 37.7% Verona: 37.5% Nashville: 36.9% Sterling: 35.6% Sterling Mapleton Shelby Lyra Delavan Winnebago City
34.4%38%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#6 of 18towns on this map, healthiest first
Lyra35%
Mapleton35.1%
Sterling35.6%
Shelby35.8%
Delavan37.3%
Winnebago City37.6%
6 places to get careNearest ER 18 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 Sterling

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

HNearest ERUnited Hospital DistrictBlue Earth · 18 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyMayo Clinic Health System - Mankato★★★★★ · 19.1 miDirections →
+Low-cost careOpen Door Health CenterMankato · 19.3 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
18 mi
United Hospital District
Blue Earth · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
19.1 mi
Mayo Clinic Health System - Mankato
Mankato · ★★★★★
ER
19.3 mi
Open Door Health Center
3 sites · nearest in Mankato
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
19.9 mi
Madelia Health
Madelia · not rated
ERRural critical access
26.9 mi
Mayo Clinic Health System - Fairmont
Fairmont · ★★★★★
ER
52 mi
Rural Health Care
3 sites · nearest in Windom
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
! Primary careSterling's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Blue Earth County · need score 15 of 25
! Dental careSterling's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Blue Earth County · need score 17 of 25
! Mental healthSterling'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 Sterling. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Sterling
MeasureSterlingMarginMinnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure36.1%32.5–39.9%31%worse
High cholesterol35.8%32–39.7%33.4%about the same
Obesity35.6%29.8–41.7%33.5%about the same
Arthritis26.9%24–30.1%22.3%worse
Depression24.9%21.7–28.4%24.4%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)9%7.1–11.1%8.9%about the same
Asthma10.3%9.1–11.5%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)10.1%9.2–11.1%8.5%worse
Diabetes11.9%10.3–13.6%10.1%worse
COPD6.8%5.8–7.8%5.4%worse
Heart disease7.4%6.6–8.3%5.9%worse
Stroke3.7%3.4–4.2%3.1%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes15%12.7–17.5%13.1%about the same
Binge drink17.2%14.5–20.2%17.8%about the same
Get no exercise24.8%20.8–29%22.3%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours28.5%23.6–33.6%29.2%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup76.7%73.4–79.9%74.8%about the same
Dentist visit68%64.6–71.2%67.5%about the same
Cholesterol check86.2%84.3–88%85.3%about the same
Colon screening70.2%65.4–74.4%68.7%about the same
Mammogram77.3%70–83.2%78.5%about the same
Taking BP meds78.9%76.1–81.5%76.1%about the same
No health insurance7.2%5.9–8.7%7.5%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely28.6%24.1–32.8%31.2%about the same
Lack emotional support19.8%16.7–22.9%21.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress15.4%13.6–17.4%15.1%about the same
Fair or poor health16.7%14.4–19.4%16%about the same
Frequent physical distress12.7%11.1–14.4%11.3%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity10.6%8.6–12.7%11.4%about the same
Housing insecurity8.2%6.8–9.7%9.3%about the same
Utility shut-off threat5.4%4.5–6.4%5.7%about the same
No reliable transportation6.6%5.7–7.6%7.1%about the same
Receive SNAP7.9%6.4–9.5%7.9%
Disability
Any disability30.3%26.5–34.3%27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs13.3%11.3–15.4%11.4%
Thinking or memory13.4%11.7–15.3%12.8%
Hearing8.6%7.7–9.6%6.8%
Vision4.3%3.8–4.9%4%
Dressing or bathing3.6%3.1–4%3.1%
Errands alone7.7%6.7–8.8%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 Sterling door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Minnesota figure falls inside it, we don't call Sterling better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Sterling by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Sterling 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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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01