Health · Bern

Bern, WI health

Bern differs from Wisconsin on 7 of 40 measures. Where it trails the state most: more smokers (17.5% vs 13.6%) and more adults with COPD (8.1% vs 6.5%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 54411, 54451

Report card

How Bern compares with Wisconsin

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 Bern adults…

36 of every 100 Bern adults have high blood pressure

Wisconsin: 33 in 100 · too close to call · margin 32.9–39.3%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Bern, betterBern, worseToo close to callWisconsin

Get no exerciseshare of adults 31.6% Bern
WI 26.6%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 31.5% Bern
WI 32.6%

Binge drinkshare of adults 18.7% Bern
WI 19%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 17.5% Bern
WI 13.6%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

Yearly checkup

WI 78%

Dentist visit

WI 67%

Cholesterol check

WI 86%

Colon screening

WI 69%

Mammogram

WI 80%

Taking BP meds

WI 78%

1 in 11

working-age adults has no health insurance

Bern 8.9% · Wisconsin 1 in 13 (8%)

Mind & connection

How Bern adults are doing

1 in 3Bern adults feel lonely

29.9% · Wisconsin 30.6% · too close to call

1 in 4Bern adults have been diagnosed with depression

25% · Wisconsin 23.2% · too close to call

1 in 5Bern adults lack social or emotional support

20.9% · Wisconsin 20.2% · too close to call

1 in 6Bern adults are in frequent mental distress

16.5% · Wisconsin 15.5% · 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 7

Bern adults worry about having enough food

13.6% · WI 12.1% · about the same

1 in 10

Bern adults worry about keeping their housing

10.4% · WI 9.7% · about the same

1 in 17

Bern adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

5.9% · WI 5.5% · about the same

1 in 14

Bern adults lack reliable transportation

7.3% · WI 6.7% · about the same

15.1% of Bern adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 12.5% across Wisconsin.

Disability

Living with a disability

33.6%

of Bern adults live with a disability (Wisconsin 29.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs15.6%

Thinking or memory14.7%

Hearing8.2%

Errands alone9.3%

Vision5.1%

Dressing or bathing4.2%

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

Around Bern

Bern and the towns around it

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

37.7%45.9%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#7 of 14towns on this map, healthiest first

Johnson39.1%

Halsey39.1%

Athens39.5%

Bern39.9%

Deer Creek45.1%

Care nearby

Aspirus Medford Hospital & ClinicsMedford · 11.6 mi · ER · rural critical access

Aspirus Merrill HospitalMerrill · 22 mi · ER · rural critical access

Aspirus Wausau HospitalWausau · 23.9 mi · ★★★★★ · ER

Marshfield Medical CenterMarshfield · 29.5 mi · ★★★★★ · ER

Family Health Center - Medford Dental CenterMedford · 12 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees

Bridge Community Health Clinic - Behavioral Health MerrillMerrill · 21.8 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees

✓ Primary careBern is not a shortage area

✓ Dental careBern is not a shortage area

✓ Mental healthBern is not a shortage area

Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas. Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Distances are straight-line from the center of Bern. 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 Bern

Measure	Bern	Margin	Wisconsin
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	36.1%	32.9–39.3%	33.3%	about the same
High cholesterol	37.3%	34.1–40.7%	34.4%	about the same
Obesity	39.9%	35.2–45%	37.7%	about the same
Arthritis	28.9%	26.1–31.6%	26.6%	about the same
Depression	25%	22.1–28.1%	23.2%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	12.1%	9.8–14.6%	9.9%	about the same
Asthma	10.9%	9.7–12.1%	10.8%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	9%	8.2–9.9%	8.6%	about the same
Diabetes	11.9%	10.5–13.4%	11.4%	about the same
COPD	8.1%	7.1–9.1%	6.5%	worse
Heart disease	7.6%	6.9–8.5%	6.6%	worse
Stroke	3.9%	3.5–4.3%	3.4%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	17.5%	15.1–20%	13.6%	worse
Binge drink	18.7%	16.1–21.7%	19%	about the same
Get no exercise	31.6%	28–35.7%	26.6%	worse
Sleep under 7 hours	31.5%	27–35.8%	32.6%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	76.7%	73.6–79.7%	77.6%	about the same
Dentist visit	65.4%	62.1–68.4%	67.1%	about the same
Cholesterol check	84.9%	83–86.7%	85.9%	about the same
Colon screening	67.4%	63.1–71.3%	69.4%	about the same
Mammogram	78.7%	72.5–83.7%	80.3%	about the same
Taking BP meds	77.8%	75–80.4%	77.8%	about the same
No health insurance	8.9%	7.4–10.5%	8%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	29.9%	26–33.8%	30.6%	about the same
Lack emotional support	20.9%	17.9–23.9%	20.2%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	16.5%	14.8–18.5%	15.5%	about the same
Fair or poor health	21.1%	18.6–23.8%	17.8%	worse
Frequent physical distress	14.9%	13.3–16.7%	12.9%	worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	13.6%	11.4–15.8%	12.1%	about the same
Housing insecurity	10.4%	8.8–12%	9.7%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	5.9%	5.1–6.8%	5.5%	about the same
No reliable transportation	7.3%	6.3–8.2%	6.7%	about the same
Receive SNAP	15.1%	12.9–17.3%	12.5%
Disability
Any disability	33.6%	30.2–37.5%	29.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	15.6%	13.7–17.7%	13.4%
Thinking or memory	14.7%	13–16.6%	12.8%
Hearing	8.2%	7.4–9.1%	6.9%
Vision	5.1%	4.5–5.6%	4.5%
Dressing or bathing	4.2%	3.8–4.7%	3.5%
Errands alone	9.3%	8.3–10.5%	7.9%

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 Bern door to door.

Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Wisconsin figure falls inside it, we don't call Bern better or worse.

Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Bern by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Bern by how much of its land each one covers.

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