Health · Nelson

Nelson, WI health

Nelson differs from Wisconsin on 13 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing housing insecurity (8% vs 9.7%) and fewer adults facing a utility shut-off (4.7% vs 5.5%). Where it trails the state: more adults with heart disease (8.7% vs 6.6%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 54756, 54610, 54736
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 470 people are less certain, so we show Nelson's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Nelson 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 Nelson adults…

39 of every 100 Nelson adults have high blood pressure
Wisconsin: 33 in 100 · worse · margin 34.7–43.1%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Nelson, betterNelson, worseToo close to callWisconsin
Get no exerciseshare of adults 30.3% Nelson
WI 26.6%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 32.8% Nelson
WI 32.6%
Binge drinkshare of adults 17.4% Nelson
WI 19%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 14.9% Nelson
WI 13.6%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

80%
Yearly checkup
WI 78%
66%
Dentist visit
WI 67%
88%
Cholesterol check
WI 86%
70%
Colon screening
WI 69%
78%
Mammogram
WI 80%
82%
Taking BP meds
WI 78%
1 in 14
working-age adults has no health insurance
Nelson 7.3% · Wisconsin 1 in 13 (8%)
Mind & connection

How Nelson adults are doing

1 in 3Nelson adults feel lonely
28.9% · Wisconsin 30.6% · too close to call
1 in 4Nelson adults have been diagnosed with depression
22.9% · Wisconsin 23.2% · too close to call
1 in 5Nelson adults lack social or emotional support
19.1% · Wisconsin 20.2% · too close to call
1 in 7Nelson 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
Nelson adults worry about having enough food
10.6% · WI 12.1% · about the same
1 in 13
Nelson adults worry about keeping their housing
8% · WI 9.7% · better
1 in 21
Nelson adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
4.7% · WI 5.5% · better
1 in 17
Nelson adults lack reliable transportation
5.9% · WI 6.7% · about the same

11.3% of Nelson adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 12.5% across Wisconsin.

Disability

Living with a disability

33.3%

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

Walking or climbing stairs16.8%
Thinking or memory12.8%
Hearing9%
Errands alone8.5%
Vision4.9%
Dressing or bathing4.1%

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

Around Nelson

Nelson 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 Nelson.

Pepin: 36.8% Wabasha: 36.5% Alma: 39.4% Pepin: 37.2% Modena: 39.4% Maxville: 37.5% Alma: 39.8% Stockholm: 36.5% Frankfort: 37.1% Maiden Rock: 35% Lake: 36.3% Greenfield: 37.8% Belvidere: 39.7% Glasgow: 37.9% Gilmanton: 39% Canton: 38.4% Durand: 37.4% Lincoln: 39.7% Nelson: 39.2% Nelson Pepin Wabasha Alma Pepin Modena Maxville Alma St. Elizabeth Medical Center · Wabasha · 5.2 miH Chippewa Valley Hospital · Durand · 12.5 miH Mayo Clinic Health System - Lake City · Lake City · 15.5 miH
35%39.8%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#14 of 19towns on this map, healthiest first
Wabasha36.5%
Pepin36.8%
Pepin37.2%
Maxville37.5%
Nelson39.2%
Alma39.4%
Modena39.4%
Alma39.8%
6 places to get careNearest ER 5.2 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 Nelson

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

HNearest ERSt. Elizabeth Medical CenterWabasha · 5.2 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyMayo Clinic Health System in Red Wing★★★★★ · 28.3 miDirections →
+Low-cost careFamily Health Center of MarshfieldMenomonie · 30.7 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
5.2 mi
St. Elizabeth Medical Center
Wabasha · not rated
ERRural critical access
12.5 mi
Chippewa Valley Hospital
Durand · not rated
ERRural critical access
15.5 mi
Mayo Clinic Health System - Lake City
Lake City · not rated
ERRural critical access
28.3 mi
Mayo Clinic Health System in Red Wing
Red Wing · ★★★★★
ER
30.7 mi
Family Health Center of Marshfield
2 sites · nearest in Menomonie
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
33.2 mi
Lakes Community Health Center, Inc the
3 sites · nearest in Eau Claire
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
! Primary careNelson's county is a federal shortage area.Buffalo County · need score 12 of 25
✓ Dental careNelson is not a shortage area
! Mental healthNelson's county is a federal shortage area.Buffalo County · need score 16 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 Nelson. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Nelson
MeasureNelsonMarginWisconsin
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure38.5%34.7–43.1%33.3%worse
High cholesterol38.9%35–43.8%34.4%worse
Obesity39.2%32.3–47.7%37.7%about the same
Arthritis32.8%29.6–36.8%26.6%worse
Depression22.9%19.9–26.9%23.2%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)11.9%9.5–14.4%9.9%about the same
Asthma10.7%9.7–12.2%10.8%about the same
Cancer (not skin)11%10.1–12.3%8.6%worse
Diabetes13.6%11.9–15.8%11.4%worse
COPD8.4%7.2–9.7%6.5%worse
Heart disease8.7%7.7–9.7%6.6%worse
Stroke4.2%3.8–4.8%3.4%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes14.9%12.5–17.7%13.6%about the same
Binge drink17.4%14.7–20.9%19%about the same
Get no exercise30.3%26–35.9%26.6%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours32.8%26.4–39.5%32.6%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup79.9%76.9–83.3%77.6%about the same
Dentist visit65.5%62–69.1%67.1%about the same
Cholesterol check87.9%86.3–89.6%85.9%better
Colon screening70.2%65–74.9%69.4%about the same
Mammogram77.7%70–83.8%80.3%about the same
Taking BP meds81.7%79.3–84.5%77.8%better
No health insurance7.3%5.8–9%8%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely28.9%24.2–33.4%30.6%about the same
Lack emotional support19.1%16–22.2%20.2%about the same
Frequent mental distress14.7%13.2–16.8%15.5%about the same
Fair or poor health19.5%16.8–22.7%17.8%about the same
Frequent physical distress14.9%13.2–17.1%12.9%worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity10.6%8.7–12.8%12.1%about the same
Housing insecurity8%6.6–9.4%9.7%better
Utility shut-off threat4.7%3.9–5.4%5.5%better
No reliable transportation5.9%5–6.8%6.7%about the same
Receive SNAP11.3%9.3–13.5%12.5%
Disability
Any disability33.3%29.3–38.2%29.4%
Walking or climbing stairs16.8%14.5–19.5%13.4%
Thinking or memory12.8%11.2–14.7%12.8%
Hearing9%8.1–10.3%6.9%
Vision4.9%4.3–5.5%4.5%
Dressing or bathing4.1%3.6–4.7%3.5%
Errands alone8.5%7.4–9.8%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 Nelson door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Wisconsin figure falls inside it, we don't call Nelson better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Nelson by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Nelson 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.

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