Health · Sylvester

Sylvester, WI health

On most measures Sylvester looks like Wisconsin as a whole. Where it trails the state most: more adults who have had cancer (9.7% vs 8.6%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 53566, 53550, 53570
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Sylvester’s Health Grade: B−

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Sylvester is healthier than 53% of U.S. towns.

BSelf-rated healthBPhysical distressA-Mental distressC-ObesityBDiabetesB-SmokingC+Exercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 53%
Less healthyHealthier
Wisconsin towns we grade (877)Healthier than 43%
Towns with similar incomes, $84K–$139K (6,441)Healthier than 20%

Wealth explains part of the grade. Sylvester is healthier than 53% 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, Sylvester could be anywhere from C− 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 Sylvester 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. Sylvester’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 Sylvester 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 Sylvester adults…

36 of every 100 Sylvester adults have high blood pressure
Wisconsin: 33 in 100 · too close to call · margin 32.4–40.6%

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

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Sylvester, betterSylvester, worseToo close to callWisconsin
Get no exerciseshare of adults 27.6% Sylvester
WI 26.6%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 32.9% Sylvester
WI 32.6%
Binge drinkshare of adults 18.1% Sylvester
WI 19%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 14.2% Sylvester
WI 13.6%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

78%
Yearly checkup
WI 78%
67%
Dentist visit
WI 67%
87%
Cholesterol check
WI 86%
69%
Colon screening
WI 69%
79%
Mammogram
WI 80%
79%
Taking BP meds
WI 78%
1 in 13
working-age adults has no health insurance
Sylvester 7.7% · Wisconsin 1 in 13 (8%)
Mind & connection

How Sylvester adults are doing

1 in 3Sylvester adults feel lonely
28.7% · Wisconsin 30.6% · too close to call
1 in 4Sylvester adults have been diagnosed with depression
23.2% · Wisconsin 23.2% · too close to call
1 in 5Sylvester adults lack social or emotional support
19.1% · Wisconsin 20.2% · too close to call
1 in 7Sylvester 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
Sylvester adults worry about having enough food
10.6% · WI 12.1% · about the same
1 in 12
Sylvester adults worry about keeping their housing
8.6% · WI 9.7% · about the same
1 in 20
Sylvester adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5% · WI 5.5% · about the same
1 in 16
Sylvester adults lack reliable transportation
6.1% · WI 6.7% · about the same

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

Disability

Living with a disability

31.3%

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

Walking or climbing stairs14.3%
Thinking or memory12.9%
Hearing8%
Errands alone8.1%
Vision4.4%
Dressing or bathing3.7%

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

Around Sylvester

Sylvester 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 Sylvester.

Monroe: 40.1% Decatur: 42% Jefferson: 41.6% Mount Pleasant: 39.6% Monroe: 40.3% Clarno: 40.3% Brodhead: 42.3% Albany: 40.2% Spring Grove: 42.2% Spring Valley: 42% Oneco: 38.5% Rock Grove: 38.3% Monticello: 39.1% Washington: 39.6% Exeter: 38% Jordan: 41% Cadiz: 42.6% Sylvester: 40.6% Sylvester Monroe Decatur Jefferson Mount Pleasant Monroe Clarno The Monroe Clinic · Monroe · 5.1 mi · 5★ MedicareH
38%42.6%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#11 of 18towns on this map, healthiest first
Mount Pleasant39.6%
Monroe40.1%
Monroe40.3%
Clarno40.3%
Sylvester40.6%
Jefferson41.6%
Decatur42%
6 places to get careNearest ER 5.1 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 Sylvester

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

HNearest ERThe Monroe ClinicMonroe · 5.1 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyFhn Memorial Hospital★★★★★ · 24.2 miDirections →
+Low-cost careAccess Community Health CentersFitchburg · 25.9 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
5.1 mi
The Monroe Clinic
Monroe · ★★★★★
ER
24.2 mi
Fhn Memorial Hospital
Freeport · ★★★★★
ER
25.7 mi
Stoughton Hospital
Stoughton · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
25.9 mi
Access Community Health Centers
4 sites · nearest in Fitchburg
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
27.3 mi
Community Health Systems
2 sites · nearest in Beloit
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
32.8 mi
Javon Bea Hospital
Rockford · ★★★★★
ER
✓ Primary careSylvester is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careSylvester is not a shortage area
✓ Mental healthSylvester is not a shortage area

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 Sylvester. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.

All 40 measures for Sylvester
MeasureSylvesterMarginWisconsin
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure36.4%32.4–40.6%33.3%about the same
High cholesterol37.2%33–41.6%34.4%about the same
Obesity40.6%33.4–48.1%37.7%about the same
Arthritis29.2%26–32.6%26.6%about the same
Depression23.2%19.8–26.9%23.2%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)10.2%8.2–12.5%9.9%about the same
Asthma10.8%9.5–12.1%10.8%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.7%8.8–10.7%8.6%worse
Diabetes11.6%10–13.3%11.4%about the same
COPD7.2%6.3–8.2%6.5%about the same
Heart disease7.3%6.5–8.1%6.6%about the same
Stroke3.7%3.3–4%3.4%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes14.2%12.1–16.5%13.6%about the same
Binge drink18.1%15–21.4%19%about the same
Get no exercise27.6%23.2–32.2%26.6%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours32.9%26.9–38.7%32.6%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup77.8%74.1–81.1%77.6%about the same
Dentist visit66.7%63.2–69.9%67.1%about the same
Cholesterol check86.9%85.1–88.6%85.9%about the same
Colon screening68.9%64–73.2%69.4%about the same
Mammogram79.3%72.2–85%80.3%about the same
Taking BP meds79.3%76.3–81.9%77.8%about the same
No health insurance7.7%6.4–9.1%8%about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely28.7%24.3–33.3%30.6%about the same
Lack emotional support19.1%16.2–22.3%20.2%about the same
Frequent mental distress15.3%13.4–17.2%15.5%about the same
Fair or poor health18%15.5–20.7%17.8%about the same
Frequent physical distress13.6%11.9–15.4%12.9%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity10.6%8.8–12.6%12.1%about the same
Housing insecurity8.6%7.2–10.1%9.7%about the same
Utility shut-off threat5%4.3–5.8%5.5%about the same
No reliable transportation6.1%5.2–6.9%6.7%about the same
Receive SNAP11.3%9.4–13.3%12.5%
Disability
Any disability31.3%27.3–35.6%29.4%
Walking or climbing stairs14.3%12.3–16.3%13.4%
Thinking or memory12.9%11.4–14.5%12.8%
Hearing8%7.1–8.9%6.9%
Vision4.4%4–5%4.5%
Dressing or bathing3.7%3.2–4.1%3.5%
Errands alone8.1%7.1–9.2%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 Sylvester door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Wisconsin figure falls inside it, we don't call Sylvester better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Sylvester by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Sylvester 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