Health · Thomson

Thomson, MN health

Thomson differs from Minnesota on 9 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing food insecurity (7.3% vs 11.4%) and fewer uninsured adults (5.2% vs 7.5%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 55733, 55810, 55720, 55718
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Thomson’s Health Grade: A

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Thomson is healthier than 86% of U.S. towns and 83% of Minnesota towns.

ASelf-rated healthAPhysical distressAMental distressBObesityADiabetesB+SmokingA-Exercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 86%
Less healthyHealthier
Minnesota towns we grade (574)Healthier than 83%
Towns with similar incomes, $90K–$149K (5,591)Healthier than 71%

Wealth explains part of the grade. Thomson is healthier than 86% of U.S. towns overall, but against towns with similar incomes its edge is smaller.

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Thomson could be anywhere from B to A+.
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 Thomson 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. Thomson’s figures come from the ZIP codes that cover it, weighted by land area. 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 Thomson 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 Thomson adults…

30 of every 100 Thomson adults have high blood pressure
Minnesota: 31 in 100 · too close to call · margin 26.5–33.2%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Thomson, betterThomson, worseToo close to callMinnesota
Get no exerciseshare of adults 19.8% Thomson
MN 22.3%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 32% Thomson
MN 29.2%
Binge drinkshare of adults 20.8% Thomson
MN 17.8%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 12.1% Thomson
MN 13.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

74%
Yearly checkup
MN 75%
73%
Dentist visit
MN 68%
87%
Cholesterol check
MN 85%
72%
Colon screening
MN 69%
81%
Mammogram
MN 79%
76%
Taking BP meds
MN 76%
1 in 19
working-age adults has no health insurance
Thomson 5.2% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)
Mind & connection

How Thomson adults are doing

1 in 3Thomson adults feel lonely
30.3% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call
1 in 4Thomson adults have been diagnosed with depression
25.9% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call
1 in 5Thomson adults lack social or emotional support
18.5% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call
1 in 7Thomson adults are in frequent mental distress
14.3% · 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 14
Thomson adults worry about having enough food
7.3% · MN 11.4% · better
1 in 15
Thomson adults worry about keeping their housing
6.7% · MN 9.3% · better
1 in 23
Thomson adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
4.3% · MN 5.7% · better
1 in 19
Thomson adults lack reliable transportation
5.3% · MN 7.1% · better

4.9% of Thomson adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

25%

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

Walking or climbing stairs10.2%
Thinking or memory11.1%
Hearing6.3%
Errands alone5.8%
Vision3.1%
Dressing or bathing2.5%

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

Around Thomson

Thomson 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 Thomson.

Twin Lakes: 37.4% Carlton: 35.6% Cloquet: 39.1% Scanlon: 38.8% Solway: 37% Midway: 34.9% Silver Brook: 38% Duluth: 35.1% Blackhoof: 38.1% Atkinson: 38% Wrenshall: 37.3% Superior: 41.1% Perch Lake: 39.5% Brevator: 38.2% Grand Lake: 35.6% Hermantown: 33.2% Proctor: 34.8% Thomson: 35.7% Thomson Twin Lakes Carlton Cloquet Scanlon Solway Midway Community Memorial Hospital · Cloquet · 4.9 miH St. Marys Hospital Superior · Superior · 12.2 miH Essentia Health St. Mary's Medical Center · Duluth · 13.7 mi · 4★ MedicareH Essentia Health Duluth · Duluth · 13.8 miH Lake Superior Community Health Center White Pine Clinic · Carlton · 4.6 mi+
33.2%41.1%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#7 of 18towns on this map, healthiest first
Midway34.9%
Carlton35.6%
Thomson35.7%
Solway37%
Twin Lakes37.4%
Scanlon38.8%
Cloquet39.1%

Care nearby

Community Memorial HospitalCloquet · 4.9 mi · ER · rural critical access DirectionsMedicare profile
St. Marys Hospital SuperiorSuperior · 12.2 mi · ER · rural critical access DirectionsMedicare profile
Essentia Health St. Mary's Medical CenterDuluth · 13.7 mi · ★★★★★ · ER DirectionsMedicare profile
Essentia Health DuluthDuluth · 13.8 mi DirectionsMedicare profile
Lake Superior Community Health Center White Pine ClinicCarlton · 4.6 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions
Northlakes - PoplarPoplar · 28.1 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions
✓ Primary careThomson is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careThomson is not a shortage area
! Mental healthThomson's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Region 3 Arrowhead · 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 Thomson. 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 Thomson
MeasureThomsonMarginMinnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure29.8%26.5–33.2%31%about the same
High cholesterol32.7%29.3–36.3%33.4%about the same
Obesity35.7%30.3–41.3%33.5%about the same
Arthritis22.5%19.8–25.1%22.3%about the same
Depression25.9%22.4–29.3%24.4%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)8%6.4–9.8%8.9%about the same
Asthma10.2%9–11.4%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.2%8.4–10.2%8.5%about the same
Diabetes9.5%8.1–10.8%10.1%about the same
COPD4.7%4–5.4%5.4%about the same
Heart disease5.4%4.8–6.1%5.9%about the same
Stroke2.7%2.4–3%3.1%better
Habits
Smoke cigarettes12.1%9.8–14.3%13.1%about the same
Binge drink20.8%17.6–24.1%17.8%about the same
Get no exercise19.8%16.4–23.3%22.3%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours32%27.4–36.8%29.2%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup74.2%70.7–77.5%74.8%about the same
Dentist visit73.1%70.4–75.8%67.5%better
Cholesterol check87.2%85.6–88.8%85.3%better
Colon screening72.2%68.2–75.8%68.7%about the same
Mammogram80.6%74.7–85.6%78.5%about the same
Taking BP meds76.1%72.8–78.9%76.1%about the same
No health insurance5.2%4.2–6.5%7.5%better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely30.3%26.5–34.6%31.2%about the same
Lack emotional support18.5%16–21.6%21.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress14.3%12.5–16.1%15.1%about the same
Fair or poor health13.2%11.2–15.3%16%better
Frequent physical distress10.6%9.2–12.1%11.3%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity7.3%5.9–8.8%11.4%better
Housing insecurity6.7%5.5–8%9.3%better
Utility shut-off threat4.3%3.6–5.1%5.7%better
No reliable transportation5.3%4.6–6.1%7.1%better
Receive SNAP4.9%3.9–6%7.9%
Disability
Any disability25%21.5–28.4%27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs10.2%8.7–11.7%11.4%
Thinking or memory11.1%9.6–12.7%12.8%
Hearing6.3%5.6–7.1%6.8%
Vision3.1%2.7–3.4%4%
Dressing or bathing2.5%2.2–2.9%3.1%
Errands alone5.8%5.1–6.6%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 Thomson door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Minnesota figure falls inside it, we don't call Thomson better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Thomson by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Thomson 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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Thomson

Minnesota · MN · Carlton County
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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01