Health · Walden

Walden, MN health

Walden differs from Minnesota on 16 of 40 measures. It has fewer lonely adults (26.7% vs 31.2%) and more adults treating high blood pressure (80.8% vs 76.1%). Where it trails the state: more adults with COPD (8.1% vs 5.4%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 56474, 56472

Report card

How Walden 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 Walden adults…

38 of every 100 Walden adults have high blood pressure

Minnesota: 31 in 100 · worse · margin 35.2–41.7%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Walden, betterWalden, worseToo close to callMinnesota

Get no exerciseshare of adults 28% Walden
MN 22.3%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 34.3% Walden
MN 29.2%

Binge drinkshare of adults 16.9% Walden
MN 17.8%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 17.1% Walden
MN 13.1%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Walden 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

Walden 7.5% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)

Mind & connection

How Walden adults are doing

1 in 4Walden adults feel lonely

26.7% · Minnesota 31.2% · better

1 in 4Walden adults have been diagnosed with depression

23.4% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call

1 in 5Walden adults lack social or emotional support

19.8% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call

1 in 7Walden adults are in frequent mental distress

15.3% · 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 8

Walden adults worry about having enough food

12.1% · MN 11.4% · about the same

1 in 11

Walden adults worry about keeping their housing

8.8% · MN 9.3% · about the same

1 in 16

Walden adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

6.1% · MN 5.7% · about the same

1 in 14

Walden adults lack reliable transportation

7.2% · MN 7.1% · about the same

9.8% of Walden adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

33.6%

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

Walking or climbing stairs16.2%

Thinking or memory13.5%

Hearing9.8%

Errands alone8.6%

Vision5.1%

Dressing or bathing4.3%

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

Around Walden

Walden and the towns around it

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

35.9%38.2%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#7 of 15towns on this map, healthiest first

Pine River36.6%

Walden37.2%

Bungo37.2%

Wilson37.2%

Pine River37.6%

Care nearby

Essentia Health St. Joseph's Medical CenterBrainerd · 24.6 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Lakewood Health SystemStaples · 25.5 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Cuyuna Regional Medical CenterCrosby · 28 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

St. Josephs Area Health ServicesPark Rapids · 32.8 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Scenic Rivers Health ServicesFloodwood · 76 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Scenic Rivers Health ServicesBigfork · 83.8 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

! Primary careWalden's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Cass County · need score 13 of 25

! Dental careWalden's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Cass County · need score 16 of 25

! Mental healthWalden'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 Walden. 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 Walden

Measure	Walden	Margin	Minnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	38.4%	35.2–41.7%	31%	worse
High cholesterol	37.3%	34–40.6%	33.4%	worse
Obesity	37.2%	32.2–42.2%	33.5%	about the same
Arthritis	29.1%	26.4–31.8%	22.3%	worse
Depression	23.4%	20.6–26.3%	24.4%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	11.5%	9.5–13.6%	8.9%	worse
Asthma	10.2%	9.2–11.2%	9.9%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	11.1%	10.2–12%	8.5%	worse
Diabetes	13.4%	11.9–15%	10.1%	worse
COPD	8.1%	7.2–9.1%	5.4%	worse
Heart disease	8.8%	8–9.7%	5.9%	worse
Stroke	4.4%	4–4.8%	3.1%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	17.1%	14.9–19.2%	13.1%	worse
Binge drink	16.9%	14.5–19.3%	17.8%	about the same
Get no exercise	28%	24.4–31.5%	22.3%	worse
Sleep under 7 hours	34.3%	29.8–39%	29.2%	worse
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	77%	74–79.6%	74.8%	about the same
Dentist visit	64.8%	61.8–67.7%	67.5%	about the same
Cholesterol check	86.6%	85–88%	85.3%	about the same
Colon screening	70.5%	66.5–74.1%	68.7%	about the same
Mammogram	78%	71.8–83.1%	78.5%	about the same
Taking BP meds	80.8%	78.4–83%	76.1%	better
No health insurance	7.5%	6.4–8.9%	7.5%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	26.7%	23.1–30.4%	31.2%	better
Lack emotional support	19.8%	17.2–22.8%	21.5%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	15.3%	13.8–16.8%	15.1%	about the same
Fair or poor health	19.7%	17.5–22.1%	16%	worse
Frequent physical distress	14.2%	12.7–15.7%	11.3%	worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	12.1%	10.2–14.1%	11.4%	about the same
Housing insecurity	8.8%	7.6–10.3%	9.3%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	6.1%	5.3–7%	5.7%	about the same
No reliable transportation	7.2%	6.4–8.2%	7.1%	about the same
Receive SNAP	9.8%	8.2–11.5%	7.9%
Disability
Any disability	33.6%	30.2–37%	27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	16.2%	14.3–18.1%	11.4%
Thinking or memory	13.5%	12.1–15%	12.8%
Hearing	9.8%	8.8–10.7%	6.8%
Vision	5.1%	4.6–5.6%	4%
Dressing or bathing	4.3%	3.9–4.7%	3.1%
Errands alone	8.6%	7.7–9.6%	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 Walden door to door.

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

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