Health · Forthun

Forthun, ND health

On most measures Forthun looks like North Dakota as a whole. It has fewer adults facing a utility shut-off (4.7% vs 5.8%) and fewer adults without reliable transportation (5.3% vs 6.5%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (10% vs 8.2%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 58727 (all of Forthun)

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 6 people are less certain, so we show Forthun's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Forthun compares with North Dakota

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 Forthun adults…

36 of every 100 Forthun adults have high blood pressure

North Dakota: 32 in 100 · too close to call · margin 31.6–40.2%

Bars show Forthun; the black tick is North Dakota. Tap a condition to see it as people.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Forthun, betterForthun, worseToo close to callNorth Dakota

Get no exerciseshare of adults 22.6% Forthun
ND 21.8%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 32.2% Forthun
ND 32.7%

Binge drinkshare of adults 19.6% Forthun
ND 21.3%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 13% Forthun
ND 13.1%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Forthun adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks North Dakota.

Yearly checkup

ND 74%

Dentist visit

ND 65%

Cholesterol check

ND 83%

Colon screening

ND 65%

Mammogram

ND 78%

Taking BP meds

ND 76%

1 in 14

working-age adults has no health insurance

Forthun 6.9% · North Dakota 1 in 14 (7.3%)

Mind & connection

How Forthun adults are doing

1 in 4Forthun adults feel lonely

28.4% · North Dakota 29.6% · too close to call

1 in 5Forthun adults have been diagnosed with depression

19.5% · North Dakota 21.3% · too close to call

1 in 5Forthun adults lack social or emotional support

21% · North Dakota 20.6% · too close to call

1 in 8Forthun adults are in frequent mental distress

13.1% · North Dakota 14.2% · 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 11

Forthun adults worry about having enough food

8.9% · ND 10.7% · about the same

1 in 13

Forthun adults worry about keeping their housing

7.5% · ND 8.9% · about the same

1 in 21

Forthun adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

4.7% · ND 5.8% · better

1 in 19

Forthun adults lack reliable transportation

5.3% · ND 6.5% · better

5.1% of Forthun adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 6.7% across North Dakota.

Disability

Living with a disability

28.2%

of Forthun adults live with a disability (North Dakota 27.6%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs12.4%

Thinking or memory11.6%

Hearing8.8%

Errands alone6.8%

Vision4%

Dressing or bathing3.2%

Black tick: North Dakota. Shown without a better/worse judgment.

Around Forthun

Forthun and the towns around it

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

36.5%38.5%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#1 of 9towns on this map, healthiest first

Forthun36.5%

Keller36.5%

Short Creek37.6%

Mentor38.5%

Care nearby

St. Luke's HospitalCrosby · 19.6 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Tioga Medical CenterTioga · 37.6 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Trinity Kenmare Community HospitalKenmare · 38.8 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Mountrail County Medical CenterStanley · 49 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Bowbells ClinicBowbells · 30 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Ray ClinicRay · 43.8 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

! Primary careForthun's county is a federal shortage area.Burke County · need score 15 of 25

! Dental careForthun's county is a federal shortage area.Burke County · need score 12 of 25

! Mental healthForthun's county is a federal shortage area.Burke County · need score 12 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 Forthun. 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 Forthun

Measure	Forthun	Margin	North Dakota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	36%	31.6–40.2%	31.8%	about the same
High cholesterol	37.1%	32.5–41.6%	33.8%	about the same
Obesity	36.5%	28.1–44.7%	36.5%	about the same
Arthritis	28.8%	25.2–32.2%	25.3%	about the same
Depression	19.5%	16.3–22.9%	21.3%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	11%	8.8–13.5%	10.8%	about the same
Asthma	9.8%	8.6–11%	10.1%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	10%	9–11%	8.2%	worse
Diabetes	10.6%	9–12.3%	9.8%	about the same
COPD	6.4%	5.4–7.5%	5.9%	about the same
Heart disease	7%	6.1–7.9%	6.1%	about the same
Stroke	3.4%	3–3.8%	3.1%	about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	13%	10.6–15.6%	13.1%	about the same
Binge drink	19.6%	16.2–23.1%	21.3%	about the same
Get no exercise	22.6%	18.4–27.1%	21.8%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	32.2%	25.9–39.4%	32.7%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	75.9%	72–79.6%	74.4%	about the same
Dentist visit	63.9%	60.1–67.8%	64.5%	about the same
Cholesterol check	85.6%	83.4–87.6%	82.7%	better
Colon screening	66.9%	61.9–71.9%	64.9%	about the same
Mammogram	79.4%	72.1–85.7%	78%	about the same
Taking BP meds	79.3%	76.3–81.9%	76.3%	about the same
No health insurance	6.9%	5.3–8.7%	7.3%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	28.4%	23.7–33.6%	29.6%	about the same
Lack emotional support	21%	17.4–24.8%	20.6%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	13.1%	11.4–15%	14.2%	about the same
Fair or poor health	16.2%	13.7–19.2%	16.1%	about the same
Frequent physical distress	12%	10.4–13.8%	11.4%	about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	8.9%	7–10.9%	10.7%	about the same
Housing insecurity	7.5%	6.1–9.1%	8.9%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	4.7%	3.9–5.6%	5.8%	better
No reliable transportation	5.3%	4.4–6.2%	6.5%	better
Receive SNAP	5.1%	3.9–6.5%	6.7%
Disability
Any disability	28.2%	23.9–32.7%	27.6%
Walking or climbing stairs	12.4%	10.5–14.5%	11.2%
Thinking or memory	11.6%	10–13.5%	12.6%
Hearing	8.8%	7.7–10%	7.8%
Vision	4%	3.5–4.5%	4.1%
Dressing or bathing	3.2%	2.7–3.6%	3.1%
Errands alone	6.8%	5.9–7.9%	7.1%

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 Forthun door to door.

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

Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Forthun by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Forthun by how much of its land each one covers.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The North Dakota 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.