Health · Shields

Shields, NE health

Shields differs from Nebraska on 11 of 40 measures. It has more adults treating high blood pressure (80.9% vs 77.5%). Where it trails the state: more older adults who have lost all their teeth (18.1% vs 12.4%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 68763, 68713
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 68 people are less certain, so we show Shields's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Shields 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 Shields adults…

36 of every 100 Shields adults have high blood pressure
Nebraska: 33 in 100 · too close to call · margin 32–39.8%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Shields, betterShields, worseToo close to callNebraska
Get no exerciseshare of adults 30.7% Shields
NE 24.3%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 32.6% Shields
NE 31.3%
Binge drinkshare of adults 19% Shields
NE 19.7%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 15.4% Shields
NE 13.2%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Shields adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Nebraska.

76%
Yearly checkup
NE 76%
62%
Dentist visit
NE 64%
84%
Cholesterol check
NE 84%
65%
Colon screening
NE 62%
75%
Mammogram
NE 75%
81%
Taking BP meds
NE 78%
1 in 10
working-age adults has no health insurance
Shields 10.1% · Nebraska 1 in 10 (9.9%)
Mind & connection

How Shields adults are doing

1 in 4Shields adults feel lonely
28.2% · Nebraska 29.3% · too close to call
1 in 6Shields adults have been diagnosed with depression
16.5% · Nebraska 18.3% · too close to call
1 in 5Shields adults lack social or emotional support
20.3% · Nebraska 20.5% · too close to call
1 in 7Shields adults are in frequent mental distress
14.1% · 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 8
Shields adults worry about having enough food
13.3% · NE 12.3% · about the same
1 in 11
Shields adults worry about keeping their housing
9.4% · NE 9.5% · about the same
1 in 15
Shields adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
6.8% · NE 6.4% · about the same
1 in 14
Shields adults lack reliable transportation
7% · NE 6.7% · about the same

10.2% of Shields adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 8.5% across Nebraska.

Disability

Living with a disability

31.8%

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

Walking or climbing stairs15.5%
Thinking or memory12.7%
Hearing9.7%
Errands alone8.2%
Vision5.3%
Dressing or bathing4.1%

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

Around Shields

Shields and the towns around it

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

Paddock: 39.4% Pleasant View: 38.3% Grattan: 39.6% Willowdale: 39.5% Rock Falls: 39.5% Bristow: 39.7% Scott: 38.3% Coleman: 39.5% Belle: 38.3% Emmet: 39.8% Atkinson: 38.2% Inman: 39.4% Shamrock: 37.9% Antelope: 38.4% Iowa: 38.1% Steel Creek: 38.2% Walnut Grove: 41.2% Shields: 39.5% Shields Paddock Pleasant View Grattan Willowdale Rock Falls Avera St. Anthony's Hospital · O' Neill · 8.4 mi · 4★ MedicareH West Holt Memorial Hospital · Atkinson · 16.4 miH Niobrara Valley Hospital · Lynch · 19.6 miH Midtown Health Center - O'neill · Oneill · 8.6 mi+
37.9%41.2%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#11 of 18towns on this map, healthiest first
Pleasant View38.3%
Paddock39.4%
Shields39.5%
Willowdale39.5%
Rock Falls39.5%
Grattan39.6%
6 places to get careNearest ER 8.4 mi

Nearby towns are shaded from CDC's estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC's own figure for cities and villages.

Getting care

Care in and near Shields

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

HNearest ERAvera St. Anthony's HospitalO' Neill · 8.4 miDirections →
+Low-cost careMidtown Health CenterOneill · 8.6 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
8.4 mi
Avera St. Anthony's Hospital
O' Neill · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
8.6 mi
Midtown Health Center
6 sites · nearest in Oneill
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
16.4 mi
West Holt Memorial Hospital
Atkinson · not rated
ERRural critical access
19.6 mi
Niobrara Valley Hospital
Lynch · not rated
ERRural critical access
39.1 mi
Avera Creighton Hospital
Creighton · not rated
ERRural critical access
67.7 mi
Horizon Health Care
2 sites · nearest in Yankton
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
! Primary careShields's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Greater Sandhills · need score 13 of 25
! Dental careShields's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Holt County · need score 9 of 25
! Mental healthShields's county is a federal shortage area.Catchment Area 4 · need score 17 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 Shields. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Shields
MeasureShieldsMarginNebraska
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure36%32–39.8%32.6%about the same
High cholesterol35.1%31.3–39.1%33%about the same
Obesity39.5%33.1–46%37.7%about the same
Arthritis28.9%25.6–32.1%24%worse
Depression16.5%13.9–19.3%18.3%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)18.1%14.9–21.6%12.4%worse
Asthma9.4%8.3–10.6%9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.8%8.9–10.9%8.3%worse
Diabetes12.9%11.1–14.8%10.7%worse
COPD8.2%7.1–9.5%6.1%worse
Heart disease8%7–9%6.1%worse
Stroke4%3.5–4.5%3.1%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes15.4%12.9–18.2%13.2%about the same
Binge drink19%15.9–22.4%19.7%about the same
Get no exercise30.7%26.1–35.5%24.3%worse
Sleep under 7 hours32.6%26.9–38.8%31.3%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup76.3%72.9–79.7%75.9%about the same
Dentist visit62.1%58.5–65.8%64.3%about the same
Cholesterol check84%81.8–86%83.7%about the same
Colon screening65.2%60–70.2%62.3%about the same
Mammogram75.2%67.6–82%75%about the same
Taking BP meds80.9%78.2–83.4%77.5%better
No health insurance10.1%8.4–12.1%9.9%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely28.2%24–33.4%29.3%about the same
Lack emotional support20.3%17.3–23.8%20.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress14.1%12.4–15.9%14.1%about the same
Fair or poor health18.8%16.2–21.6%16.1%worse
Frequent physical distress13.7%12–15.5%11.6%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity13.3%10.9–16%12.3%about the same
Housing insecurity9.4%7.9–11.3%9.5%about the same
Utility shut-off threat6.8%5.8–8%6.4%about the same
No reliable transportation7%6.1–8.2%6.7%about the same
Receive SNAP10.2%8.2–12.5%8.5%
Disability
Any disability31.8%27.8–35.9%27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs15.5%13.2–17.8%12%
Thinking or memory12.7%11–14.5%12.1%
Hearing9.7%8.5–10.8%7.3%
Vision5.3%4.7–6.1%4.4%
Dressing or bathing4.1%3.5–4.6%3.2%
Errands alone8.2%7.2–9.5%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 Shields door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Nebraska figure falls inside it, we don't call Shields better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Shields by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Shields by how much of its land each one covers.

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.

The coffee’s on

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01