Health · Walter

Walter, MN health

Walter differs from Minnesota on 13 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing housing insecurity (7.6% vs 9.3%) and fewer adults without reliable transportation (6% vs 7.1%). Where it trails the state: more adults with heart disease (8.5% vs 5.9%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 56212, 56257
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 125 people are less certain, so we show Walter's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Walter 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 Walter adults…

37 of every 100 Walter adults have high blood pressure
Minnesota: 31 in 100 · worse · margin 33.2–41.6%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Walter, betterWalter, worseToo close to callMinnesota
Get no exerciseshare of adults 26.2% Walter
MN 22.3%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 28.5% Walter
MN 29.2%
Binge drinkshare of adults 17.1% Walter
MN 17.8%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 15.1% Walter
MN 13.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

78%
Yearly checkup
MN 75%
69%
Dentist visit
MN 68%
87%
Cholesterol check
MN 85%
70%
Colon screening
MN 69%
78%
Mammogram
MN 79%
81%
Taking BP meds
MN 76%
1 in 15
working-age adults has no health insurance
Walter 6.8% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)
Mind & connection

How Walter adults are doing

1 in 4Walter adults feel lonely
27.9% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call
1 in 4Walter adults have been diagnosed with depression
22.4% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call
1 in 5Walter adults lack social or emotional support
20.2% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call
1 in 7Walter adults are in frequent mental distress
14.2% · 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 10
Walter adults worry about having enough food
9.7% · MN 11.4% · about the same
1 in 13
Walter adults worry about keeping their housing
7.6% · MN 9.3% · better
1 in 20
Walter adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
4.9% · MN 5.7% · about the same
1 in 17
Walter adults lack reliable transportation
6% · MN 7.1% · better

7% of Walter adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

31.5%

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

Walking or climbing stairs14.7%
Thinking or memory12.5%
Hearing9.7%
Errands alone7.6%
Vision4.4%
Dressing or bathing3.7%

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

Around Walter

Walter 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 Walter.

Nassau: 35.1% Vernon: 37.3% Yellow Bank: 36.9% Perry: 34.4% Augusta: 35.2% Adams: 37.4% Alban: 37.4% Madison: 37.7% Ortonville: 37.7% Agassiz: 36.3% Odessa: 38.1% Arena: 34.7% Lake Shore: 34.7% Walter: 34.8% Walter Nassau Vernon Yellow Bank Perry Augusta Milbank Area Hospital/Avera Health · Milbank · 12 miH Madison Hospital · Madison · 12.3 miH
34.4%38.1%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#4 of 14towns on this map, healthiest first
Perry34.4%
Walter34.8%
Nassau35.1%
Augusta35.2%
Yellow Bank36.9%
Vernon37.3%
6 places to get careNearest ER 12 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 Walter

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

HNearest ERMilbank Area Hospital/Avera HealthMilbank · 12 miDirections →
+Low-cost careRural Health CareMarshall · 55.7 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
12 mi
Milbank Area Hospital/Avera Health
Milbank · not rated
ERRural critical access
12.3 mi
Madison Hospital
Madison · not rated
ERRural critical access
16.5 mi
Ortonville Area Health Services
Ortonville · not rated
ERRural critical access
20.1 mi
Appleton Area Health
Appleton · not rated
ERRural critical access
55.7 mi
Rural Health Care
3 sites · nearest in Marshall
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
65.1 mi
Community Health Service Inc. - Willmar
Willmar · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
! Primary careWalter's county is a federal shortage area.Lac Qui Parle County · need score 11 of 25
! Dental careWalter's county is a federal shortage area.Lac Qui Parle County · need score 9 of 25
! Mental healthWalter's county is a federal shortage area.Southwest Central Region MHCA · need score 19 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 Walter. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Walter
MeasureWalterMarginMinnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure36.9%33.2–41.6%31%worse
High cholesterol38.1%34.3–43.1%33.4%worse
Obesity34.8%28.7–43.1%33.5%about the same
Arthritis28.6%25.5–32.4%22.3%worse
Depression22.4%19.4–26.2%24.4%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)8.7%7–10.7%8.9%about the same
Asthma9.6%8.6–11%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)11.3%10.3–12.6%8.5%worse
Diabetes12.5%10.9–14.5%10.1%worse
COPD7.2%6.2–8.3%5.4%worse
Heart disease8.5%7.5–9.6%5.9%worse
Stroke4.1%3.6–4.6%3.1%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes15.1%12.6–18%13.1%about the same
Binge drink17.1%14.6–20.6%17.8%about the same
Get no exercise26.2%22.2–31.3%22.3%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours28.5%22.9–34.9%29.2%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup77.7%74.5–81.2%74.8%about the same
Dentist visit69.1%65.6–72.4%67.5%about the same
Cholesterol check87.4%85.8–89.2%85.3%better
Colon screening70.3%65.4–74.8%68.7%about the same
Mammogram77.9%70.6–84.2%78.5%about the same
Taking BP meds81.3%78.8–84.1%76.1%better
No health insurance6.8%5.5–8.4%7.5%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely27.9%23.5–33%31.2%about the same
Lack emotional support20.2%17.1–23.8%21.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress14.2%12.6–16.2%15.1%about the same
Fair or poor health18.1%15.6–21%16%about the same
Frequent physical distress13.2%11.6–15.1%11.3%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity9.7%7.9–11.8%11.4%about the same
Housing insecurity7.6%6.3–9.1%9.3%better
Utility shut-off threat4.9%4.1–5.7%5.7%about the same
No reliable transportation6%5.2–7%7.1%better
Receive SNAP7%5.6–8.5%7.9%
Disability
Any disability31.5%27.7–36.3%27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs14.7%12.7–17%11.4%
Thinking or memory12.5%11–14.4%12.8%
Hearing9.7%8.6–10.9%6.8%
Vision4.4%3.9–5%4%
Dressing or bathing3.7%3.2–4.2%3.1%
Errands alone7.6%6.6–8.8%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 Walter door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Minnesota figure falls inside it, we don't call Walter better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Walter by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Walter 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.

We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Walter, MNLac qui Parle CountyView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map
Loading boundary…

Walter is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

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