Health · Sterling

Sterling, WI health

Sterling differs from Wisconsin on 10 of 40 measures. It has more adults treating high blood pressure (80.8% vs 77.8%) and more adults getting cholesterol checked (87.6% vs 85.9%). Where it trails the state: more adults with COPD (8.3% vs 6.5%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 54840, 54024, 54006

Report card

How Sterling 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 Sterling adults…

38 of every 100 Sterling adults have high blood pressure

Wisconsin: 33 in 100 · worse · margin 33.6–41.7%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Sterling, betterSterling, worseToo close to callWisconsin

Get no exerciseshare of adults 29.3% Sterling
WI 26.6%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 29.7% Sterling
WI 32.6%

Binge drinkshare of adults 17.6% Sterling
WI 19%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 15.7% Sterling
WI 13.6%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Sterling 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 13

working-age adults has no health insurance

Sterling 7.5% · Wisconsin 1 in 13 (8%)

Mind & connection

How Sterling adults are doing

1 in 3Sterling adults feel lonely

29.6% · Wisconsin 30.6% · too close to call

1 in 4Sterling adults have been diagnosed with depression

22.9% · Wisconsin 23.2% · too close to call

1 in 5Sterling adults lack social or emotional support

19.2% · Wisconsin 20.2% · too close to call

1 in 7Sterling adults are in frequent mental distress

15.3% · 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

Sterling adults worry about having enough food

11.5% · WI 12.1% · about the same

1 in 11

Sterling adults worry about keeping their housing

8.7% · WI 9.7% · about the same

1 in 19

Sterling adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

5.2% · WI 5.5% · about the same

1 in 16

Sterling adults lack reliable transportation

6.3% · WI 6.7% · about the same

12.4% of Sterling adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 12.5% across Wisconsin.

Disability

Living with a disability

33%

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

Walking or climbing stairs16.1%

Thinking or memory13.3%

Hearing8.9%

Errands alone8.6%

Vision4.9%

Dressing or bathing4.2%

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

Around Sterling

Sterling 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.

36%39.5%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#11 of 17towns on this map, healthiest first

Eureka36.1%

Amador36.3%

Laketown36.5%

Sunrise36.9%

Sterling37.3%

Anderson38.7%

Care nearby

Burnett Medical CenterGrantsburg · 12.1 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

St. Croix Regional Medical CenterSaint Croix Falls · 15 mi · ★★★★★ · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Ladd Memorial HospitalOsceola · 21.4 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Cambridge Medical CenterCambridge · 22.6 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Northlakes--Turtle LakeTurtle Lake · 33 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Cumberland Middle SchoolCumberland · 36 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

✓ Primary careSterling is not a shortage area

✓ Dental careSterling is not a shortage area

✓ Mental healthSterling 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 Sterling. 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 Sterling

Measure	Sterling	Margin	Wisconsin
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	37.6%	33.6–41.7%	33.3%	worse
High cholesterol	39.2%	35–43.4%	34.4%	worse
Obesity	37.3%	30.6–44.2%	37.7%	about the same
Arthritis	32.5%	29.1–36%	26.6%	worse
Depression	22.9%	19.6–26.4%	23.2%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	10.5%	8.5–12.7%	9.9%	about the same
Asthma	10.9%	9.7–12.3%	10.8%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	10.5%	9.4–11.5%	8.6%	worse
Diabetes	13.4%	11.6–15.3%	11.4%	worse
COPD	8.3%	7.2–9.6%	6.5%	worse
Heart disease	8.3%	7.4–9.3%	6.6%	worse
Stroke	4.2%	3.7–4.6%	3.4%	worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	15.7%	13.2–18.4%	13.6%	about the same
Binge drink	17.6%	14.7–20.8%	19%	about the same
Get no exercise	29.3%	24.9–34%	26.6%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	29.7%	24.4–35.6%	32.6%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	78.4%	75–81.6%	77.6%	about the same
Dentist visit	65.9%	62.5–69.2%	67.1%	about the same
Cholesterol check	87.6%	86–89.2%	85.9%	better
Colon screening	70%	65.4–74.4%	69.4%	about the same
Mammogram	78.8%	71.9–84.6%	80.3%	about the same
Taking BP meds	80.8%	77.9–83.4%	77.8%	better
No health insurance	7.5%	6–9%	8%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	29.6%	25.4–34.2%	30.6%	about the same
Lack emotional support	19.2%	16.3–22.4%	20.2%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	15.3%	13.5–17.2%	15.5%	about the same
Fair or poor health	19.4%	16.6–22.4%	17.8%	about the same
Frequent physical distress	14.7%	12.9–16.7%	12.9%	about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	11.5%	9.5–13.7%	12.1%	about the same
Housing insecurity	8.7%	7.3–10.3%	9.7%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	5.2%	4.5–6%	5.5%	about the same
No reliable transportation	6.3%	5.5–7.3%	6.7%	about the same
Receive SNAP	12.4%	10.3–14.7%	12.5%
Disability
Any disability	33%	28.8–37.5%	29.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	16.1%	13.9–18.5%	13.4%
Thinking or memory	13.3%	11.7–15.2%	12.8%
Hearing	8.9%	7.9–9.9%	6.9%
Vision	4.9%	4.4–5.5%	4.5%
Dressing or bathing	4.2%	3.7–4.7%	3.5%
Errands alone	8.6%	7.5–9.8%	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 Sterling door to door.

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

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