Health · Fern

Fern, WI health

Fern differs from Wisconsin on 18 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing housing insecurity (7.5% vs 9.7%) and fewer adults facing food insecurity (9.6% vs 12.1%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (11.8% vs 8.6%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 54121 (all of Fern)

Report card

How Fern 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 Fern adults…

41 of every 100 Fern adults have high blood pressure

Wisconsin: 33 in 100 · worse · margin 35.9–45.2%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Fern, betterFern, worseToo close to callWisconsin

Get no exerciseshare of adults 28.8% Fern
WI 26.6%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 31.6% Fern
WI 32.6%

Binge drinkshare of adults 16.5% Fern
WI 19%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 14.4% Fern
WI 13.6%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Fern 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 15

working-age adults has no health insurance

Fern 6.5% · Wisconsin 1 in 13 (8%)

Mind & connection

How Fern adults are doing

1 in 4Fern adults feel lonely

27.3% · Wisconsin 30.6% · too close to call

1 in 4Fern adults have been diagnosed with depression

22.3% · Wisconsin 23.2% · too close to call

1 in 5Fern adults lack social or emotional support

18.9% · Wisconsin 20.2% · too close to call

1 in 7Fern adults are in frequent mental distress

13.8% · 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 10

Fern adults worry about having enough food

9.6% · WI 12.1% · better

1 in 13

Fern adults worry about keeping their housing

7.5% · WI 9.7% · better

1 in 22

Fern adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

4.5% · WI 5.5% · better

1 in 19

Fern adults lack reliable transportation

5.4% · WI 6.7% · better

10.5% of Fern adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 12.5% across Wisconsin.

Disability

Living with a disability

32.9%

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

Walking or climbing stairs16.5%

Thinking or memory11.7%

Hearing9.2%

Errands alone8%

Vision4.7%

Dressing or bathing4.1%

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

Around Fern

Fern 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.

37.6%42.4%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#1 of 15towns on this map, healthiest first

Fern37.6%

Commonwealth37.6%

Florence37.8%

Fence38.8%

Care nearby

Iron Mountain Mi VA Medical CenterIron Mountain · 14.9 mi · VA

Dickinson County Memorial HospitalIron Mountain · 15.7 mi · ★★★★★ · ER

Aspirus Iron River Hospital & ClinicsIron River · 21.7 mi · ER · rural critical access

Aspirus Eagle River HospitalEagle River · 42.9 mi · ER · rural critical access

Ice Lake Family Health CenterIron River · 21.5 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees

Northlakes - LakewoodLakewood · 38.3 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees

! Primary careFern's county is a federal shortage area.Florence County · need score 18 of 25

✓ Dental careFern is not a shortage area

! Mental healthFern's county is a federal shortage area.Florence County · need score 12 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 Fern. 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 Fern

Measure	Fern	Margin	Wisconsin
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	40.5%	35.9–45.2%	33.3%	worse
High cholesterol	41.5%	36.9–46.1%	34.4%	worse
Obesity	37.6%	29.8–45.9%	37.7%	about the same
Arthritis	34.5%	30.7–38.5%	26.6%	worse
Depression	22.3%	19–26%	23.2%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	13.2%	10.7–16%	9.9%	worse
Asthma	10.7%	9.5–12%	10.8%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	11.8%	10.7–12.9%	8.6%	worse
Diabetes	14.1%	12.2–16.4%	11.4%	worse
COPD	8.3%	7.2–9.6%	6.5%	worse
Heart disease	8.9%	7.9–10%	6.6%	worse
Stroke	4.3%	3.9–4.8%	3.4%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	14.4%	12–17%	13.6%	about the same
Binge drink	16.5%	13.7–19.7%	19%	about the same
Get no exercise	28.8%	24.2–34%	26.6%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	31.6%	25.5–38%	32.6%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	81.2%	78.1–84.2%	77.6%	better
Dentist visit	67.4%	63.7–70.9%	67.1%	about the same
Cholesterol check	89.9%	88.5–91.2%	85.9%	better
Colon screening	72.1%	67.3–76.5%	69.4%	about the same
Mammogram	79.8%	72.6–85.6%	80.3%	about the same
Taking BP meds	82.4%	79.6–85.1%	77.8%	better
No health insurance	6.5%	5.4–7.9%	8%	better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	27.3%	22.8–32.1%	30.6%	about the same
Lack emotional support	18.9%	16–22.3%	20.2%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	13.8%	12.1–15.7%	15.5%	about the same
Fair or poor health	18.9%	16.2–21.9%	17.8%	about the same
Frequent physical distress	15%	13.1–17%	12.9%	worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	9.6%	8–11.6%	12.1%	better
Housing insecurity	7.5%	6.3–8.9%	9.7%	better
Utility shut-off threat	4.5%	3.8–5.2%	5.5%	better
No reliable transportation	5.4%	4.7–6.2%	6.7%	better
Receive SNAP	10.5%	8.8–12.6%	12.5%
Disability
Any disability	32.9%	28.7–37.6%	29.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	16.5%	14.2–19.1%	13.4%
Thinking or memory	11.7%	10.2–13.3%	12.8%
Hearing	9.2%	8.2–10.4%	6.9%
Vision	4.7%	4.1–5.3%	4.5%
Dressing or bathing	4.1%	3.6–4.6%	3.5%
Errands alone	8%	6.9–9%	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 Fern door to door.

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

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