Health · Nelson

Nelson, NE health

Nelson differs from Nebraska on 18 of 40 measures. It has fewer uninsured adults (7.2% vs 9.9%) and fewer adults facing housing insecurity (7% vs 9.5%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (12% vs 8.3%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · CDC's estimate for Nelson
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 487 people are less certain, so we show Nelson's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Nelson compares with Nebraska

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…

41 of every 100 Nelson adults have high blood pressure
Nebraska: 33 in 100 · worse · margin 36.1–45.2%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Nelson, betterNelson, worseToo close to callNebraska
Get no exerciseshare of adults 26.9% Nelson
NE 24.3%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 28.4% Nelson
NE 31.3%
Binge drinkshare of adults 17% Nelson
NE 19.7%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 13% Nelson
NE 13.2%
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 Nebraska.

80%
Yearly checkup
NE 76%
66%
Dentist visit
NE 64%
88%
Cholesterol check
NE 84%
68%
Colon screening
NE 62%
72%
Mammogram
NE 75%
83%
Taking BP meds
NE 78%
1 in 14
working-age adults has no health insurance
Nelson 7.2% · Nebraska 1 in 10 (9.9%)
Mind & connection

How Nelson adults are doing

1 in 4Nelson adults feel lonely
27.1% · Nebraska 29.3% · too close to call
1 in 6Nelson adults have been diagnosed with depression
16.8% · Nebraska 18.3% · too close to call
1 in 5Nelson adults lack social or emotional support
18.9% · Nebraska 20.5% · too close to call
1 in 8Nelson adults are in frequent mental distress
12.5% · Nebraska 14.1% · 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 11
Nelson adults worry about having enough food
9.4% · NE 12.3% · better
1 in 14
Nelson adults worry about keeping their housing
7% · NE 9.5% · better
1 in 20
Nelson adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5% · NE 6.4% · better
1 in 19
Nelson adults lack reliable transportation
5.3% · NE 6.7% · better

6.8% of Nelson adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 8.5% across Nebraska.

Disability

Living with a disability

28.9%

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

Walking or climbing stairs14.9%
Thinking or memory10.7%
Hearing9.8%
Errands alone7.1%
Vision4.5%
Dressing or bathing3.6%

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

Getting care

Care in and near Nelson

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

HNearest ERBrodstone HealthcareSuperior · 12.1 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyFillmore County Hospital★★★★★ · 33.9 miDirections →
+Low-cost careHeartland Health CenterHastings · 32.1 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
12.1 mi
Brodstone Healthcare
Superior · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
25.2 mi
Thayer County Health Services
Hebron · not rated
ERRural critical access
25.4 mi
Webster County Community Hospital
Red Cloud · not rated
ERRural critical access
32.1 mi
Heartland Health Center
3 sites · nearest in Hastings
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
33.9 mi
Fillmore County Hospital
Geneva · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
82.7 mi
Bluestem Health
4 sites · nearest in Lincoln
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
! Primary careNelson's county is a federal shortage area.Nuckolls & Clay County · need score 10 of 25
✓ Dental careNelson is not a shortage area
! Mental healthNelson's county is a federal shortage area.Mental Health Catchment Area 3 · need score 12 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 Nelson. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Nelson
MeasureNelsonMarginNebraska
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure40.8%36.1–45.2%32.6%worse
High cholesterol38.2%33.6–42.5%33%worse
Obesity42.4%34.3–49.7%37.7%about the same
Arthritis32%28.2–35.8%24%worse
Depression16.8%13.9–19.7%18.3%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)9.4%7.7–11.3%12.4%better
Asthma9.2%8–10.4%9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)12%10.7–13.3%8.3%worse
Diabetes12.9%10.9–15%10.7%worse
COPD7.8%6.3–9.4%6.1%worse
Heart disease8.4%7.3–9.7%6.1%worse
Stroke4.1%3.5–4.7%3.1%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes13%10.1–16%13.2%about the same
Binge drink17%14.1–20%19.7%about the same
Get no exercise26.9%21.7–32.3%24.3%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours28.4%22.7–34.6%31.3%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup79.7%76.4–82.7%75.9%better
Dentist visit66.3%62.9–69.7%64.3%about the same
Cholesterol check87.8%85.9–89.6%83.7%better
Colon screening67.8%62.7–72.6%62.3%better
Mammogram71.5%62.9–79.1%75%about the same
Taking BP meds82.9%80.2–85.3%77.5%better
No health insurance7.2%5.4–9.2%9.9%better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely27.1%22.5–32.2%29.3%about the same
Lack emotional support18.9%15.7–22.6%20.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress12.5%10.7–14.4%14.1%about the same
Fair or poor health16.7%13.7–20.2%16.1%about the same
Frequent physical distress13%11–15.1%11.6%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity9.4%7.3–12%12.3%better
Housing insecurity7%5.5–8.7%9.5%better
Utility shut-off threat5%4.1–6%6.4%better
No reliable transportation5.3%4.3–6.3%6.7%better
Receive SNAP6.8%5.1–8.8%8.5%
Disability
Any disability28.9%24.3–33.7%27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs14.9%12.3–17.9%12%
Thinking or memory10.7%8.9–12.6%12.1%
Hearing9.8%8.5–11.2%7.3%
Vision4.5%3.7–5.3%4.4%
Dressing or bathing3.6%3–4.3%3.2%
Errands alone7.1%5.8–8.3%6.9%
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 Nebraska figure falls inside it, we don't call Nelson better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Nelson directly, so these are its own figures.

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

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01