Health · Sterling

Sterling, ND health

Sterling differs from North Dakota on 11 of 40 measures. It has fewer binge drinkers (18.2% vs 21.3%) and more adults seeing a dentist (70.6% vs 64.5%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (10.8% vs 8.2%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 58572, 58532

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 151 people are less certain, so we show Sterling's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Sterling 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 Sterling adults…

36 of every 100 Sterling adults have high blood pressure

North Dakota: 32 in 100 · worse · margin 33.2–39.7%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Sterling, betterSterling, worseToo close to callNorth Dakota

Get no exerciseshare of adults 21.3% Sterling
ND 21.8%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 28.7% Sterling
ND 32.7%

Binge drinkshare of adults 18.2% Sterling
ND 21.3%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 13% Sterling
ND 13.1%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Sterling 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

Sterling 7% · North Dakota 1 in 14 (7.3%)

Mind & connection

How Sterling adults are doing

1 in 4Sterling adults feel lonely

27.3% · North Dakota 29.6% · too close to call

1 in 5Sterling adults have been diagnosed with depression

18.4% · North Dakota 21.3% · too close to call

1 in 5Sterling adults lack social or emotional support

19.4% · North Dakota 20.6% · too close to call

1 in 8Sterling adults are in frequent mental distress

12.4% · 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

Sterling adults worry about having enough food

9% · ND 10.7% · about the same

1 in 14

Sterling adults worry about keeping their housing

7.2% · ND 8.9% · about the same

1 in 21

Sterling adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

4.8% · ND 5.8% · about the same

1 in 18

Sterling adults lack reliable transportation

5.5% · ND 6.5% · about the same

5.8% of Sterling adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 6.7% across North Dakota.

Disability

Living with a disability

31.4%

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

Walking or climbing stairs14.2%

Thinking or memory11.7%

Hearing9.9%

Errands alone7.1%

Vision4.6%

Dressing or bathing3.7%

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

Around Sterling

Sterling and the towns around it

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

36.2%38.5%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#1 of 12towns on this map, healthiest first

Sterling36.2%

Christiania36.2%

McKenzie36.2%

Taft36.4%

Driscoll36.6%

Care nearby

Chi St. Alexius HealthBismarck · 24.4 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Sanford Medical Center BismarckBismarck · 24.5 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Linton Hospital - CahLinton · 40.1 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

South Central HealthWishek · 53.4 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Bismarck North Health CenterBismarck · 24.2 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Coal Country Chc - CenterCenter · 51.9 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

✓ Primary careSterling is not a shortage area

✓ Dental careSterling is not a shortage area

! Mental healthSterling's county is a federal shortage area.Region VII West Central Human Service Center · need score 11 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 Sterling. 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 Sterling

Measure	Sterling	Margin	North Dakota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	36.2%	33.2–39.7%	31.8%	worse
High cholesterol	38.7%	35.6–42.3%	33.8%	worse
Obesity	36.2%	31.7–41%	36.5%	about the same
Arthritis	30.9%	28–34.2%	25.3%	worse
Depression	18.4%	16–21.3%	21.3%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	9.7%	7.9–11.7%	10.8%	about the same
Asthma	9.9%	8.7–11.3%	10.1%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	10.8%	9.7–11.9%	8.2%	worse
Diabetes	11.7%	10–13.6%	9.8%	worse
COPD	7.3%	5.9–8.9%	5.9%	about the same
Heart disease	8%	6.9–9.2%	6.1%	worse
Stroke	3.9%	3.3–4.5%	3.1%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	13%	10.2–16.3%	13.1%	about the same
Binge drink	18.2%	15.6–20.9%	21.3%	better
Get no exercise	21.3%	17.6–25.6%	21.8%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	28.7%	24.9–32.8%	32.7%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	77.4%	74.3–80.3%	74.4%	about the same
Dentist visit	70.6%	67.5–73.3%	64.5%	better
Cholesterol check	86.5%	84.1–88.5%	82.7%	better
Colon screening	66.7%	62.6–70.8%	64.9%	about the same
Mammogram	74.9%	68.3–80.9%	78%	about the same
Taking BP meds	81.1%	78.5–83.7%	76.3%	better
No health insurance	7%	5.2–9%	7.3%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	27.3%	23.8–31%	29.6%	about the same
Lack emotional support	19.4%	16.3–22.7%	20.6%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	12.4%	10.7–14.5%	14.2%	about the same
Fair or poor health	17%	14.2–20.5%	16.1%	about the same
Frequent physical distress	12.4%	10.6–14.5%	11.4%	about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	9%	6.8–11.5%	10.7%	about the same
Housing insecurity	7.2%	5.7–8.9%	8.9%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	4.8%	3.9–5.8%	5.8%	about the same
No reliable transportation	5.5%	4.5–6.6%	6.5%	about the same
Receive SNAP	5.8%	4.2–7.5%	6.7%
Disability
Any disability	31.4%	27.2–35.9%	27.6%
Walking or climbing stairs	14.2%	11.7–16.9%	11.2%
Thinking or memory	11.7%	9.8–13.9%	12.6%
Hearing	9.9%	8.7–11.3%	7.8%
Vision	4.6%	3.8–5.4%	4.1%
Dressing or bathing	3.7%	3.1–4.4%	3.1%
Errands alone	7.1%	5.9–8.4%	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 Sterling 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 Sterling better or worse.

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