Health · Nelson

Nelson, ND health

Nelson differs from North Dakota on 9 of 40 measures. It has more adults treating high blood pressure (80.9% vs 76.3%) and more adults getting cholesterol checked (85.4% vs 82.7%). Where it trails the state: more adults with heart disease (7.8% vs 6.1%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 58072, 58049, 58031

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 50 people are less certain, so we show Nelson's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Nelson 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 Nelson adults…

37 of every 100 Nelson adults have high blood pressure

North Dakota: 32 in 100 · worse · margin 33.5–40.8%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Nelson, betterNelson, worseToo close to callNorth Dakota

Get no exerciseshare of adults 23.3% Nelson
ND 21.8%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 31.3% Nelson
ND 32.7%

Binge drinkshare of adults 19.8% Nelson
ND 21.3%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 13% Nelson
ND 13.1%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Nelson 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 16

working-age adults has no health insurance

Nelson 6.4% · North Dakota 1 in 14 (7.3%)

Mind & connection

How Nelson adults are doing

1 in 4Nelson adults feel lonely

26.6% · North Dakota 29.6% · too close to call

1 in 5Nelson adults have been diagnosed with depression

19.9% · North Dakota 21.3% · too close to call

1 in 5Nelson adults lack social or emotional support

19.8% · North Dakota 20.6% · too close to call

1 in 8Nelson adults are in frequent mental distress

13.2% · 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

Nelson adults worry about having enough food

9.5% · ND 10.7% · about the same

1 in 13

Nelson adults worry about keeping their housing

7.5% · ND 8.9% · about the same

1 in 20

Nelson adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

5% · ND 5.8% · about the same

1 in 17

Nelson adults lack reliable transportation

5.8% · ND 6.5% · about the same

5.9% of Nelson adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 6.7% across North Dakota.

Disability

Living with a disability

29.4%

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

Walking or climbing stairs13.3%

Thinking or memory11.9%

Hearing9.7%

Errands alone7.2%

Vision4.4%

Dressing or bathing3.5%

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

Around Nelson

Nelson 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.

36.8%37.7%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#8 of 13towns on this map, healthiest first

Oakhill36.8%

Skandia37.1%

Norma37.1%

Nelson37.3%

Marsh37.7%

Care nearby

Chi Mercy HealthValley City · 10.5 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Lisbon Area Health ServicesLisbon · 27.9 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Jamestown Regional Medical CenterJamestown · 36.9 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Chi Oakes HospitalOakes · 43.7 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Family Healthcare Valley CityValley City · 10.4 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Family Healthcare Lamoure, North DakotaLamoure · 32.1 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

✓ Primary careNelson is not a shortage area

✓ Dental careNelson is not a shortage area

! Mental healthNelson's county is a federal shortage area.Jamestown Mental Health Catchment Area · need score 14 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 Nelson. 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 Nelson

Measure	Nelson	Margin	North Dakota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	37.1%	33.5–40.8%	31.8%	worse
High cholesterol	36.8%	33.1–40.7%	33.8%	about the same
Obesity	37.3%	31.3–43.5%	36.5%	about the same
Arthritis	30.4%	27.4–33.4%	25.3%	worse
Depression	19.9%	17–22.9%	21.3%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	10.5%	8.4–12.6%	10.8%	about the same
Asthma	9.9%	8.7–11.1%	10.1%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	10.4%	9.5–11.4%	8.2%	worse
Diabetes	11.6%	10.1–13.2%	9.8%	worse
COPD	7%	6.1–8.1%	5.9%	worse
Heart disease	7.8%	6.9–8.7%	6.1%	worse
Stroke	3.8%	3.3–4.2%	3.1%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	13%	10.9–15.3%	13.1%	about the same
Binge drink	19.8%	16.9–23.1%	21.3%	about the same
Get no exercise	23.3%	19.4–27.3%	21.8%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	31.3%	25.8–36.8%	32.7%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	76.1%	72.8–79.3%	74.4%	about the same
Dentist visit	65.2%	61.5–68.5%	64.5%	about the same
Cholesterol check	85.4%	83.6–87.2%	82.7%	better
Colon screening	68.2%	63.5–72.6%	64.9%	about the same
Mammogram	78.4%	71.5–84%	78%	about the same
Taking BP meds	80.9%	78.4–83.1%	76.3%	better
No health insurance	6.4%	5.1–7.9%	7.3%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	26.6%	22.9–30.5%	29.6%	about the same
Lack emotional support	19.8%	17.1–22.9%	20.6%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	13.2%	11.5–14.8%	14.2%	about the same
Fair or poor health	17.1%	14.6–19.6%	16.1%	about the same
Frequent physical distress	12.4%	10.9–14%	11.4%	about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	9.5%	7.9–11.5%	10.7%	about the same
Housing insecurity	7.5%	6.3–8.9%	8.9%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	5%	4.3–5.8%	5.8%	about the same
No reliable transportation	5.8%	4.9–6.7%	6.5%	about the same
Receive SNAP	5.9%	4.8–7.3%	6.7%
Disability
Any disability	29.4%	25.5–33.2%	27.6%
Walking or climbing stairs	13.3%	11.4–15.3%	11.2%
Thinking or memory	11.9%	10.3–13.6%	12.6%
Hearing	9.7%	8.5–10.8%	7.8%
Vision	4.4%	3.8–5%	4.1%
Dressing or bathing	3.5%	3.1–4%	3.1%
Errands alone	7.2%	6.2–8.3%	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 Nelson 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 Nelson better or worse.

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