Health · Ward

Ward, MN health

Ward differs from Minnesota on 14 of 40 measures. Where it trails the state most: more older adults who have lost all their teeth (14.2% vs 8.9%) and more adults with COPD (7.6% vs 5.4%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 56438 (all of Ward)

Report card

How Ward 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 Ward adults…

36 of every 100 Ward adults have high blood pressure

Minnesota: 31 in 100 · worse · margin 31.9–40.3%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Ward, betterWard, worseToo close to callMinnesota

Get no exerciseshare of adults 27.3% Ward
MN 22.3%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 30.1% Ward
MN 29.2%

Binge drinkshare of adults 17% Ward
MN 17.8%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 18.2% Ward
MN 13.1%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Ward 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 11

working-age adults has no health insurance

Ward 9% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)

Mind & connection

How Ward adults are doing

1 in 3Ward adults feel lonely

31.3% · Minnesota 31.2% · too close to call

1 in 4Ward adults have been diagnosed with depression

25.1% · Minnesota 24.4% · too close to call

1 in 5Ward adults lack social or emotional support

21.6% · Minnesota 21.5% · too close to call

1 in 6Ward adults are in frequent mental distress

16.3% · 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 7

Ward adults worry about having enough food

14% · MN 11.4% · worse

1 in 10

Ward adults worry about keeping their housing

10.5% · MN 9.3% · about the same

1 in 15

Ward adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

6.8% · MN 5.7% · worse

1 in 12

Ward adults lack reliable transportation

8.1% · MN 7.1% · about the same

11.1% of Ward adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Disability

Living with a disability

32.4%

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

Walking or climbing stairs14.9%

Thinking or memory14.7%

Hearing8.7%

Errands alone8.7%

Vision5.1%

Dressing or bathing4.2%

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

Around Ward

Ward and the towns around it

Pick a measure to shade the map. Darker is worse for health. Pins are the nearest hospitals and community health centers.

37.6%40.1%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#11 of 14towns on this map, healthiest first

Turtle Creek37.8%

Moran39.5%

Hartford39.6%

Ward39.7%

Eagle Valley39.9%

Care nearby

Centracare - Long Prairie HospitalLong Prairie · 13 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Lakewood Health SystemStaples · 14.1 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Astera HealthWadena · 25.2 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

St. Gabriels HospitalLittle Falls · 26.5 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Community Health Service Inc. - WillmarWillmar · 72.6 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

North Metro ClinicCoon Rapids · 102.9 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

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

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

! Mental healthWard'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 Ward. 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 Ward

Measure	Ward	Margin	Minnesota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	36%	31.9–40.3%	31%	worse
High cholesterol	35.8%	31.8–40.1%	33.4%	about the same
Obesity	39.7%	32.5–47.4%	33.5%	about the same
Arthritis	27.1%	24–30.5%	22.3%	worse
Depression	25.1%	21.6–29%	24.4%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	14.2%	11.5–17.3%	8.9%	worse
Asthma	10.3%	9–11.7%	9.9%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	9.4%	8.5–10.3%	8.5%	about the same
Diabetes	12.3%	10.6–14.3%	10.1%	worse
COPD	7.6%	6.5–8.9%	5.4%	worse
Heart disease	7.7%	6.8–8.7%	5.9%	worse
Stroke	4%	3.5–4.4%	3.1%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	18.2%	15.3–21.4%	13.1%	worse
Binge drink	17%	14.1–20.2%	17.8%	about the same
Get no exercise	27.3%	22.8–32.3%	22.3%	worse
Sleep under 7 hours	30.1%	24.7–36.3%	29.2%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	74.6%	70.9–78.1%	74.8%	about the same
Dentist visit	63.8%	60.4–67.3%	67.5%	worse
Cholesterol check	84.6%	82.6–86.4%	85.3%	about the same
Colon screening	67.4%	62.6–72.1%	68.7%	about the same
Mammogram	77.7%	70.6–83.9%	78.5%	about the same
Taking BP meds	77.9%	74.9–80.8%	76.1%	about the same
No health insurance	9%	7.3–10.8%	7.5%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	31.3%	26.6–36.2%	31.2%	about the same
Lack emotional support	21.6%	18.3–25.2%	21.5%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	16.3%	14.3–18.4%	15.1%	about the same
Fair or poor health	20.1%	17.1–23.3%	16%	worse
Frequent physical distress	13.9%	12.1–15.9%	11.3%	worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	14%	11.6–16.7%	11.4%	worse
Housing insecurity	10.5%	8.9–12.4%	9.3%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	6.8%	5.8–7.9%	5.7%	worse
No reliable transportation	8.1%	7–9.3%	7.1%	about the same
Receive SNAP	11.1%	9.2–13.3%	7.9%
Disability
Any disability	32.4%	28–37.2%	27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	14.9%	12.7–17.3%	11.4%
Thinking or memory	14.7%	12.8–16.9%	12.8%
Hearing	8.7%	7.7–9.8%	6.8%
Vision	5.1%	4.5–5.8%	4%
Dressing or bathing	4.2%	3.6–4.8%	3.1%
Errands alone	8.7%	7.6–10%	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 Ward door to door.

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

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