Health · Pelican

Pelican, SD health

On every measure CDC estimates, Pelican looks like South Dakota as a whole: no difference is outside the margin of error.

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 57201 (all of Pelican)
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Pelican’s Health Grade: B

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Pelican is healthier than 58% of U.S. towns.

BSelf-rated healthB+Physical distressA-Mental distressBObesityBDiabetesCSmokingB-Exercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 58%
Less healthyHealthier
South Dakota towns we grade (87)Healthier than 31%
Towns with similar incomes, $74K–$124K (8,049)Healthier than 38%

Wealth explains part of the grade. Pelican is healthier than 58% of U.S. towns overall, but against towns with similar incomes its edge is smaller.

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Pelican could be anywhere from C to A−.
How the Health Grade works
  • Seven CDC estimates. Adults in fair or poor health, frequent physical distress, frequent mental distress, obesity, diabetes, smoking and no exercise (CDC PLACES, 2025 release). On each one a town earns the share of U.S. towns doing worse, and those shares are averaged. It’s the same score as our Healthiest towns in South Dakota ranking.
  • Graded on a national curve. Every U.S. town with 1,000+ residents and all seven estimates (19,420 places) is lined up by score: A+ top 5%A next 10%A- next 10%B B+ to B−, next 30%C C+ to C−, next 30%D D and D−, bottom 15%
  • Not adjusted for income. Wealthier towns are usually healthier, and the grade shows that as it is. The similar-incomes bar compares Pelican with U.S. towns whose median household income is within 25% of its own.
  • Modeled, not measured. CDC combines national survey answers with each area’s age, sex, race and income mix. Pelican’s figures come from the ZIP codes that cover it, weighted by land area. High blood pressure is left out because it tracks age more than anything else. The confidence line recomputes the grade with every estimate at the low, then the high, end of its range.
Report card

How Pelican compares with South 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 Pelican adults…

32 of every 100 Pelican adults have high blood pressure
South Dakota: 33 in 100 · too close to call · margin 29.3–35.4%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Pelican, betterPelican, worseToo close to callSouth Dakota
Get no exerciseshare of adults 26.3% Pelican
SD 24.1%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 30.3% Pelican
SD 29.7%
Binge drinkshare of adults 19.1% Pelican
SD 18.8%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 16.1% Pelican
SD 15.2%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

77%
Yearly checkup
SD 77%
67%
Dentist visit
SD 69%
84%
Cholesterol check
SD 85%
68%
Colon screening
SD 66%
81%
Mammogram
SD 77%
77%
Taking BP meds
SD 76%
1 in 11
working-age adults has no health insurance
Pelican 8.7% · South Dakota 1 in 11 (8.8%)
Mind & connection

How Pelican adults are doing

1 in 5Pelican adults have been diagnosed with depression
21.7% · South Dakota 21.2% · too close to call
1 in 6Pelican adults are in frequent mental distress
15.5% · South Dakota 15.3% · too close to call
Disability

Living with a disability

31.3%

of Pelican adults live with a disability (South Dakota 30.1%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs13.3%
Thinking or memory14.7%
Hearing8.8%
Errands alone8.3%
Vision4.8%
Dressing or bathing3.7%

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

Around Pelican

Pelican 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 Pelican.

Watertown: 35.4% Kampeska: 35.8% Oxford: 35.3% Lake: 35.6% Sheridan: 35.6% Elmira: 35.6% Richland: 36% Henry: 36.2% Hayti: 34.9% Brantford: 35.8% Castlewood: 35.3% Fuller: 35.8% Rauville: 35.6% Kranzburg: 34.8% Pelican: 35.6% Pelican Watertown Kampeska Oxford Lake Sheridan Prairie Lakes Healthcare System · Watertown · 6.2 mi · 3★ MedicareH
34.8%36.2%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#6 of 15towns on this map, healthiest first
Oxford35.3%
Watertown35.4%
Pelican35.6%
Lake35.6%
Sheridan35.6%
Kampeska35.8%
6 places to get careNearest ER 6.2 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 Pelican

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

HNearest ERPrairie Lakes Healthcare SystemWatertown · 6.2 miDirections →
+Low-cost careHorizon Health CareLake Preston · 34.3 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
6.2 mi
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System
Watertown · ★★★★★
ER
23.9 mi
Sanford Clear Lake Medical Center
Clear Lake · not rated
ERRural critical access
34.3 mi
Horizon Health Care
6 sites · nearest in Lake Preston
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
36.1 mi
Avera De Smet Memorial Hospital - Cah
De Smet · not rated
ERRural critical access
37.8 mi
Milbank Area Hospital/Avera Health
Milbank · not rated
ERRural critical access
42.3 mi
Rural Health Care
2 sites · nearest in Brookings
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
✓ Primary carePelican is not a shortage area
✓ Dental carePelican is not a shortage area
! Mental healthPelican's county is a federal shortage area.Human Services Agency - MHCA 5A · need score 19 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 Pelican. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 33 measures for Pelican
MeasurePelicanMarginSouth Dakota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure32.3%29.3–35.4%33.3%about the same
High cholesterol33.6%30.5–36.9%34%about the same
Obesity35.6%30.9–40.5%35.9%about the same
Arthritis26.8%24.2–29.4%25.8%about the same
Depression21.7%18.9–24.7%21.2%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)13.1%10.7–15.5%12.7%about the same
Asthma10.3%9.2–11.6%10.1%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.7%8.9–10.6%9.2%about the same
Diabetes11.7%10.3–13.3%11.7%about the same
COPD7.2%6.3–8%6.7%about the same
Heart disease7.2%6.5–8%6.8%about the same
Stroke3.7%3.4–4%3.5%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes16.1%14.1–18.4%15.2%about the same
Binge drink19.1%16.4–22.1%18.8%about the same
Get no exercise26.3%22.9–29.8%24.1%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours30.3%26.6–34%29.7%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup76.9%73.8–79.9%76.5%about the same
Dentist visit67.3%64.3–70.1%69.2%about the same
Cholesterol check83.6%81.8–85.5%84.8%about the same
Colon screening67.8%63.9–71.4%65.5%about the same
Mammogram81.4%76.2–85.7%76.6%about the same
Taking BP meds76.5%73.7–79.1%75.9%about the same
No health insurance8.7%7.4–10.2%8.8%about the same
Mind & connection
Frequent mental distress15.5%13.9–17.4%15.3%about the same
Fair or poor health18.7%16.5–21%17.3%about the same
Frequent physical distress12.9%11.5–14.4%12.3%about the same
Disability
Any disability31.3%28–34.8%30.1%
Walking or climbing stairs13.3%11.7–14.9%12.9%
Thinking or memory14.7%13.1–16.5%13.7%
Hearing8.8%7.8–9.7%8.2%
Vision4.8%4.4–5.3%4.7%
Dressing or bathing3.7%3.4–4.1%3.5%
Errands alone8.3%7.4–9.2%7.8%
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 Pelican door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the South Dakota figure falls inside it, we don't call Pelican better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Pelican by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Pelican by how much of its land each one covers.

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

The door’s open

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