Health · Summit

Summit, WI health

Summit differs from Wisconsin on 7 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing housing insecurity (8% vs 9.7%) and fewer adults without reliable transportation (5.8% vs 6.7%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (10.5% vs 8.6%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 54836, 54880

AHealth Grade

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Summit’s Health Grade: A

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Summit is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns and 95% of Wisconsin towns.

ASelf-rated healthAPhysical distressA+Mental distressB+ObesityB+DiabetesASmokingAExercise

All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 88%

Less healthyHealthier

Wisconsin towns we grade (877)Healthier than 95%

Towns with similar incomes, $106K–$176K (3,377)Healthier than 59%

Wealth explains part of the grade. Summit is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns overall, but against towns with similar incomes its edge is smaller.

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Summit could be anywhere from B+ to A+.

How the Health Grade works

Seven CDC estimates. Adults in fair or poor health, frequent physical distress, frequent mental distress, obesity, diabetes, smoking and no exercise (CDC PLACES, 2025 release). On each one a town earns the share of U.S. towns doing worse, and those shares are averaged. It’s the same score as our Healthiest towns in Wisconsin ranking.
Graded on a national curve. Every U.S. town with 1,000+ residents and all seven estimates (19,420 places) is lined up by score: A+ top 5%A next 10%A- next 10%B B+ to B−, next 30%C C+ to C−, next 30%D D and D−, bottom 15%
Not adjusted for income. Wealthier towns are usually healthier, and the grade shows that as it is. The similar-incomes bar compares Summit with U.S. towns whose median household income is within 25% of its own.
Modeled, not measured. CDC combines national survey answers with each area’s age, sex, race and income mix. Summit’s figures come from the ZIP codes that cover it, weighted by land area. High blood pressure is left out because it tracks age more than anything else. The confidence line recomputes the grade with every estimate at the low, then the high, end of its range.

Report card

How Summit 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 Summit adults…

39 of every 100 Summit adults have high blood pressure

Wisconsin: 33 in 100 · worse · margin 34.2–42.9%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Summit, betterSummit, worseToo close to callWisconsin

Get no exerciseshare of adults 27.8% Summit
WI 26.6%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 34.1% Summit
WI 32.6%

Binge drinkshare of adults 17.3% Summit
WI 19%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 14.6% Summit
WI 13.6%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Summit 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 16

working-age adults has no health insurance

Summit 6.4% · Wisconsin 1 in 13 (8%)

Mind & connection

How Summit adults are doing

1 in 4Summit adults feel lonely

28.5% · Wisconsin 30.6% · too close to call

1 in 4Summit adults have been diagnosed with depression

23.1% · Wisconsin 23.2% · too close to call

1 in 5Summit adults lack social or emotional support

18.8% · Wisconsin 20.2% · too close to call

1 in 7Summit adults are in frequent mental distress

15% · 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

Summit adults worry about having enough food

10.3% · WI 12.1% · about the same

1 in 13

Summit adults worry about keeping their housing

8% · WI 9.7% · better

1 in 21

Summit adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

4.8% · WI 5.5% · about the same

1 in 17

Summit adults lack reliable transportation

5.8% · WI 6.7% · better

10.8% of Summit adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 12.5% across Wisconsin.

Disability

Living with a disability

31.4%

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

Walking or climbing stairs15%

Thinking or memory12.3%

Hearing8.3%

Errands alone7.9%

Vision4.4%

Dressing or bathing3.8%

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

Around Summit

Summit 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 Summit.

35.1%42.8%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#24 of 26towns on this map, healthiest first

Holyoke38.3%

Dairyland39%

Nickerson39.4%

Oakland40.8%

Superior41.1%

Summit41.3%

Gordon41.4%

Care nearby

St. Marys Hospital SuperiorSuperior · 19 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Community Memorial HospitalCloquet · 25.1 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

Essentia Health St. Mary's Medical CenterDuluth · 25.5 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Essentia Health DuluthDuluth · 25.6 mi Directions Medicare profile

Lschc Superior ClinicSuperior · 20 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Northlakes - PoplarPoplar · 20.8 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

✓ Primary careSummit is not a shortage area

✓ Dental careSummit is not a shortage area

! Mental healthSummit's county is a federal shortage area.Ashland/Bayfield/Douglas/Iron/Sawyer/Washburn Counties · need score 17 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 Summit. 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 Summit

Measure	Summit	Margin	Wisconsin
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	38.5%	34.2–42.9%	33.3%	worse
High cholesterol	38.6%	34.4–43.1%	34.4%	about the same
Obesity	41.3%	34.1–48.8%	37.7%	about the same
Arthritis	31.1%	27.7–34.9%	26.6%	worse
Depression	23.1%	19.6–26.7%	23.2%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	9.3%	7.6–11.5%	9.9%	about the same
Asthma	11%	9.7–12.3%	10.8%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	10.5%	9.4–11.5%	8.6%	worse
Diabetes	12.7%	10.9–14.7%	11.4%	about the same
COPD	7.5%	6.3–8.7%	6.5%	about the same
Heart disease	7.8%	7–8.9%	6.6%	worse
Stroke	3.9%	3.4–4.3%	3.4%	about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	14.6%	12.1–17.6%	13.6%	about the same
Binge drink	17.3%	14.4–20.6%	19%	about the same
Get no exercise	27.8%	23.3–32.9%	26.6%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	34.1%	28.6–40.2%	32.6%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	79.8%	76.3–83%	77.6%	about the same
Dentist visit	65.9%	62.6–69.3%	67.1%	about the same
Cholesterol check	88.6%	86.9–90.2%	85.9%	better
Colon screening	70.3%	66–74.6%	69.4%	about the same
Mammogram	80%	73.7–85.7%	80.3%	about the same
Taking BP meds	80.5%	77.5–83.3%	77.8%	about the same
No health insurance	6.4%	5.1–8%	8%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	28.5%	23.9–33%	30.6%	about the same
Lack emotional support	18.8%	15.8–22%	20.2%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	15%	13.1–17.1%	15.5%	about the same
Fair or poor health	18%	15.3–21%	17.8%	about the same
Frequent physical distress	14.2%	12.4–16.4%	12.9%	about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	10.3%	8.3–12.4%	12.1%	about the same
Housing insecurity	8%	6.6–9.6%	9.7%	better
Utility shut-off threat	4.8%	4–5.6%	5.5%	about the same
No reliable transportation	5.8%	4.9–6.6%	6.7%	better
Receive SNAP	10.8%	8.7–12.9%	12.5%
Disability
Any disability	31.4%	27.1–36.1%	29.4%
Walking or climbing stairs	15%	12.7–17.5%	13.4%
Thinking or memory	12.3%	10.6–14.1%	12.8%
Hearing	8.3%	7.3–9.4%	6.9%
Vision	4.4%	3.9–5%	4.5%
Dressing or bathing	3.8%	3.3–4.3%	3.5%
Errands alone	7.9%	6.9–9.1%	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 Summit door to door.

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

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