Health · Birch

Birch, WI health

Birch differs from Wisconsin on 10 of 40 measures. It has more adults treating high blood pressure (81.3% vs 77.8%) and more adults getting cholesterol checked (88.9% vs 85.9%). Where it trails the state: more adults with heart disease (8.8% vs 6.6%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 54442, 54435

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 684 people are less certain, so we show Birch's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Birch 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 Birch adults…

40 of every 100 Birch adults have high blood pressure

Wisconsin: 33 in 100 · worse · margin 36–43.6%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Birch, betterBirch, worseToo close to callWisconsin

Get no exerciseshare of adults 29.4% Birch
WI 26.6%

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

Binge drinkshare of adults 17.2% Birch
WI 19%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 15.3% Birch
WI 13.6%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Birch 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 14

working-age adults has no health insurance

Birch 7% · Wisconsin 1 in 13 (8%)

Mind & connection

How Birch adults are doing

1 in 3Birch adults feel lonely

29.1% · Wisconsin 30.6% · too close to call

1 in 4Birch adults have been diagnosed with depression

22.8% · Wisconsin 23.2% · too close to call

1 in 5Birch adults lack social or emotional support

19% · Wisconsin 20.2% · too close to call

1 in 7Birch adults are in frequent mental distress

14.7% · 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 9

Birch adults worry about having enough food

10.9% · WI 12.1% · about the same

1 in 12

Birch adults worry about keeping their housing

8.4% · WI 9.7% · about the same

1 in 21

Birch adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

4.8% · WI 5.5% · about the same

1 in 17

Birch adults lack reliable transportation

5.9% · WI 6.7% · about the same

11.7% of Birch adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 12.5% across Wisconsin.

Disability

Living with a disability

33.7%

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

Walking or climbing stairs16.5%

Thinking or memory12.5%

Hearing9.3%

Errands alone8.4%

Vision4.8%

Dressing or bathing4.1%

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

Around Birch

Birch 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 Birch.

40%42.5%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#7 of 11towns on this map, healthiest first

Russell40.3%

Birch41.7%

Rock Falls42%

Skanawan42.5%

Care nearby

Aspirus Merrill HospitalMerrill · 11 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Aspirus Tomahawk HospitalTomahawk · 12.1 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Aspirus Wausau HospitalWausau · 25.2 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Aspirus Rhinelander HospitalRhinelander · 26.3 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Bridge Community Health Clinic - Behavioral Health MerrillMerrill · 10.8 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Family Health Center - Rhinelander Alcohol & Drug Recovery CenterRhinelander · 24.5 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

✓ Primary careBirch is not a shortage area

✓ Dental careBirch is not a shortage area

! Mental healthBirch's county is a federal shortage area.Lincoln County · need score 14 of 25

Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes). Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Distances are straight-line from the center of Birch. 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 Birch

Measure	Birch	Margin	Wisconsin
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	39.8%	36–43.6%	33.3%	worse
High cholesterol	40%	36.1–43.9%	34.4%	worse
Obesity	41.7%	35.7–47.9%	37.7%	about the same
Arthritis	34.7%	31.4–38.1%	26.6%	worse
Depression	22.8%	19.8–26.1%	23.2%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	10.9%	9–13.3%	9.9%	about the same
Asthma	10.8%	9.6–12.1%	10.8%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	10.9%	9.9–12%	8.6%	worse
Diabetes	13.5%	11.8–15.4%	11.4%	worse
COPD	8.5%	7.3–9.8%	6.5%	worse
Heart disease	8.8%	7.9–9.9%	6.6%	worse
Stroke	4.2%	3.8–4.7%	3.4%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	15.3%	12.9–18%	13.6%	about the same
Binge drink	17.2%	14.5–20%	19%	about the same
Get no exercise	29.4%	25.3–34%	26.6%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	31.5%	27–36.8%	32.6%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	80.4%	77.4–83.1%	77.6%	about the same
Dentist visit	68.5%	65.4–71.5%	67.1%	about the same
Cholesterol check	88.9%	87.5–90.4%	85.9%	better
Colon screening	72.7%	68.8–76.5%	69.4%	about the same
Mammogram	80.4%	74.7–85.7%	80.3%	about the same
Taking BP meds	81.3%	78.6–83.8%	77.8%	better
No health insurance	7%	5.6–8.5%	8%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	29.1%	25–33.3%	30.6%	about the same
Lack emotional support	19%	16.2–22%	20.2%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	14.7%	13–16.5%	15.5%	about the same
Fair or poor health	19.8%	17.1–22.9%	17.8%	about the same
Frequent physical distress	14.7%	12.9–16.6%	12.9%	about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	10.9%	9–13.1%	12.1%	about the same
Housing insecurity	8.4%	7–9.9%	9.7%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	4.8%	4.1–5.6%	5.5%	about the same
No reliable transportation	5.9%	5.1–6.7%	6.7%	about the same
Receive SNAP	11.7%	9.7–13.9%	12.5%
Disability
Any disability	33.7%	29.8–38%	29.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	16.5%	14.2–19%	13.4%
Thinking or memory	12.5%	11–14.3%	12.8%
Hearing	9.3%	8.3–10.4%	6.9%
Vision	4.8%	4.3–5.5%	4.5%
Dressing or bathing	4.1%	3.6–4.7%	3.5%
Errands alone	8.4%	7.3–9.6%	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 Birch door to door.

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

Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Birch by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Birch 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.