Health · Sterling

Sterling, SD health

Sterling differs from South Dakota on 14 of 33 measures. It has fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth (9.3% vs 12.7%) and fewer smokers (11.5% vs 15.2%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 57006, 57220
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 345 people are less certain, so we show Sterling's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Sterling 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 Sterling adults…

28 of every 100 Sterling adults have high blood pressure
South Dakota: 33 in 100 · better · margin 25.7–31.1%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Sterling, betterSterling, worseToo close to callSouth Dakota
Get no exerciseshare of adults 19.2% Sterling
SD 24.1%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 30.2% Sterling
SD 29.7%
Binge drinkshare of adults 20.7% Sterling
SD 18.8%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 11.5% Sterling
SD 15.2%
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 South Dakota.

76%
Yearly checkup
SD 77%
71%
Dentist visit
SD 69%
83%
Cholesterol check
SD 85%
69%
Colon screening
SD 66%
80%
Mammogram
SD 77%
74%
Taking BP meds
SD 76%
1 in 14
working-age adults has no health insurance
Sterling 7.4% · South Dakota 1 in 11 (8.8%)
Mind & connection

How Sterling adults are doing

1 in 4Sterling adults have been diagnosed with depression
22.9% · South Dakota 21.2% · too close to call
1 in 7Sterling adults are in frequent mental distress
15.2% · South Dakota 15.3% · too close to call
Disability

Living with a disability

26.1%

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

Walking or climbing stairs9.6%
Thinking or memory13.5%
Hearing6.9%
Errands alone7%
Vision3.9%
Dressing or bathing2.9%

Black tick: South 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. Pins are hospitals and community health centers in and near Sterling.

Bruce: 37.6% Brookings: 37% Afton: 38.9% Oakwood: 38.4% Eureka: 37.6% Brookings: 35.9% Volga: 37.4% Aurora: 38.8% White: 39.8% Sherman: 39.7% Argo: 37.9% Winsor: 37.1% Preston: 38.2% Grange: 34.5% Sterling: 37.5% Sterling Bruce Brookings Afton Oakwood Eureka Brookings Health System · Brookings · 7.3 mi · 4★ MedicareH Access Health - Brookings · Brookings · 7.2 mi+
34.5%39.8%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#6 of 15towns on this map, healthiest first
Brookings37%
Sterling37.5%
Bruce37.6%
Eureka37.6%
Oakwood38.4%
Afton38.9%
6 places to get careNearest ER 7.3 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 Sterling

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

HNearest ERBrookings Health SystemBrookings · 7.3 miDirections →
+Low-cost careRural Health CareBrookings · 7.2 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
7.2 mi
Rural Health Care
2 sites · nearest in Brookings
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
7.3 mi
Brookings Health System
Brookings · ★★★★★
ER
20.9 mi
Hendricks Community Hospital
Hendricks · not rated
ERRural critical access
26.9 mi
Sanford Clear Lake Medical Center
Clear Lake · not rated
ERRural critical access
27 mi
Avera Flandreau Hospital - Cah
Flandreau · not rated
ERRural critical access
27.3 mi
Horizon Health Care
5 sites · nearest in Lake Preston
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
! Primary careSterling's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Brooking County · need score 15 of 25
! Dental careSterling's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.LI Brooking County · need score 15 of 25
! Mental healthSterling's county is a federal shortage area.Brookings County · 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 Sterling. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 33 measures for Sterling
MeasureSterlingMarginSouth Dakota
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure28.4%25.7–31.1%33.3%better
High cholesterol30.8%28–33.7%34%better
Obesity37.5%33.1–42.1%35.9%about the same
Arthritis21.4%19.3–23.6%25.8%better
Depression22.9%20.2–26%21.2%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)9.3%7.7–11.2%12.7%better
Asthma9.8%8.7–11%10.1%about the same
Cancer (not skin)8.4%7.6–9.1%9.2%better
Diabetes9.5%8.4–10.9%11.7%better
COPD5.4%4.7–6.2%6.7%better
Heart disease5.5%5–6.2%6.8%better
Stroke2.8%2.6–3.1%3.5%better
Habits
Smoke cigarettes11.5%9.7–13.6%15.2%better
Binge drink20.7%17.9–23.5%18.8%about the same
Get no exercise19.2%16.4–22.3%24.1%better
Sleep under 7 hours30.2%26.6–33.8%29.7%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup75.6%72.5–78.6%76.5%about the same
Dentist visit70.9%68.1–73.5%69.2%about the same
Cholesterol check82.8%80.7–84.9%84.8%about the same
Colon screening69.4%65.8–72.6%65.5%better
Mammogram80.3%75.2–84.8%76.6%about the same
Taking BP meds74%71.4–76.5%75.9%about the same
No health insurance7.4%6.1–8.9%8.8%about the same
Mind & connection
Frequent mental distress15.2%13.5–17.2%15.3%about the same
Fair or poor health14.3%12.4–16.4%17.3%better
Frequent physical distress10.7%9.4–12.1%12.3%better
Disability
Any disability26.1%23–29.5%30.1%
Walking or climbing stairs9.6%8.3–11%12.9%
Thinking or memory13.5%11.8–15.3%13.7%
Hearing6.9%6.1–7.7%8.2%
Vision3.9%3.5–4.4%4.7%
Dressing or bathing2.9%2.5–3.2%3.5%
Errands alone7%6.1–8%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 Sterling 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 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 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