Health · Stark

Stark, WI health

Stark differs from Wisconsin on 18 of 40 measures. Where it trails the state most: more older adults who have lost all their teeth (17.9% vs 9.9%) and more adults with COPD (11% vs 6.5%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 54639 (all of Stark)

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 389 people are less certain, so we show Stark's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Stark 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 Stark adults…

39 of every 100 Stark adults have high blood pressure

Wisconsin: 33 in 100 · worse · margin 34.6–42.8%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Stark, betterStark, worseToo close to callWisconsin

Get no exerciseshare of adults 34.8% Stark
WI 26.6%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 31.7% Stark
WI 32.6%

Binge drinkshare of adults 18% Stark
WI 19%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 20.6% Stark
WI 13.6%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Stark 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 10

working-age adults has no health insurance

Stark 10.3% · Wisconsin 1 in 13 (8%)

Mind & connection

How Stark adults are doing

1 in 3Stark adults feel lonely

30.5% · Wisconsin 30.6% · too close to call

1 in 4Stark adults have been diagnosed with depression

24.4% · Wisconsin 23.2% · too close to call

1 in 5Stark adults lack social or emotional support

21.1% · Wisconsin 20.2% · too close to call

1 in 6Stark adults are in frequent mental distress

17.8% · Wisconsin 15.5% · worse

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 6

Stark adults worry about having enough food

17.6% · WI 12.1% · worse

1 in 8

Stark adults worry about keeping their housing

12.2% · WI 9.7% · worse

1 in 13

Stark adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

7.5% · WI 5.5% · worse

1 in 11

Stark adults lack reliable transportation

9% · WI 6.7% · worse

21.3% of Stark adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 12.5% across Wisconsin.

Disability

Living with a disability

37.4%

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

Walking or climbing stairs19.8%

Thinking or memory16.7%

Hearing9.7%

Errands alone11.5%

Vision6.7%

Dressing or bathing5.6%

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

Around Stark

Stark 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.

37.9%44.4%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#13 of 16towns on this map, healthiest first

Forest39%

Webster40.2%

Union40.8%

Stark41.5%

Whitestown42.3%

Care nearby

Gundersen St. Josephs Hospital and ClinicsHillsboro · 13.9 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Vernon Memorial HospitalViroqua · 14.1 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Richland HospitalRichland Center · 21.1 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Mayo Clinic Hlth Systm Franciscan Hlthcare SpartaSparta · 26.1 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Scenic Bluffs Chc - CashtonCashton · 13.3 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Scenic Bluffs Chc-NorwalkNorwalk · 16.6 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

! Primary careStark's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Vernon County · need score 15 of 25

! Dental careStark's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Vernon County · need score 16 of 25

! Mental healthStark's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Vernon County · need score 18 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 Stark. 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 Stark

Measure	Stark	Margin	Wisconsin
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	38.7%	34.6–42.8%	33.3%	worse
High cholesterol	38%	33.9–42.1%	34.4%	about the same
Obesity	41.5%	34.2–49%	37.7%	about the same
Arthritis	32.7%	29.3–36.4%	26.6%	worse
Depression	24.4%	21–28.2%	23.2%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	17.9%	15–21%	9.9%	worse
Asthma	11.7%	10.4–13.1%	10.8%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	9.5%	8.6–10.4%	8.6%	about the same
Diabetes	14.8%	12.9–16.9%	11.4%	worse
COPD	11%	9.5–12.6%	6.5%	worse
Heart disease	9.6%	8.5–10.7%	6.6%	worse
Stroke	4.8%	4.3–5.4%	3.4%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	20.6%	17.7–24%	13.6%	worse
Binge drink	18%	15–21.2%	19%	about the same
Get no exercise	34.8%	29.9–40.1%	26.6%	worse
Sleep under 7 hours	31.7%	26.7–37.2%	32.6%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	77.3%	73.7–80.7%	77.6%	about the same
Dentist visit	59.4%	56.2–62.7%	67.1%	worse
Cholesterol check	84%	81.9–86%	85.9%	about the same
Colon screening	66.4%	62.3–70.6%	69.4%	about the same
Mammogram	74.9%	68.4–80.7%	80.3%	about the same
Taking BP meds	80%	77.3–82.5%	77.8%	about the same
No health insurance	10.3%	8.3–12.7%	8%	worse
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	30.5%	25.9–35.3%	30.6%	about the same
Lack emotional support	21.1%	17.9–24.6%	20.2%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	17.8%	15.7–20%	15.5%	worse
Fair or poor health	25.3%	22–28.9%	17.8%	worse
Frequent physical distress	17.4%	15.4–19.7%	12.9%	worse
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	17.6%	14.7–20.8%	12.1%	worse
Housing insecurity	12.2%	10.3–14.3%	9.7%	worse
Utility shut-off threat	7.5%	6.3–8.6%	5.5%	worse
No reliable transportation	9%	7.8–10.3%	6.7%	worse
Receive SNAP	21.3%	18–24.9%	12.5%
Disability
Any disability	37.4%	32.9–42%	29.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	19.8%	17.3–22.7%	13.4%
Thinking or memory	16.7%	14.7–18.9%	12.8%
Hearing	9.7%	8.6–10.8%	6.9%
Vision	6.7%	6–7.6%	4.5%
Dressing or bathing	5.6%	4.9–6.4%	3.5%
Errands alone	11.5%	10.1–13%	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 Stark door to door.

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

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