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Norman County Courthouse - Ada, MinnesotaPhoto: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0
≈ B−Health Grade
Health in Ada · CDC PLACES 2025

Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes, Ada is healthier than 75%

Ada trails Minnesota on 8 of 32 measures CDC estimates, and leads on none.

Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Ada. How CDC estimates town health

What stands out · In brief

What stands out about health in Ada

COPD, heart disease and stroke run high in Ada

1 in 14 adults have COPD (7.4%), vs 5.4% across Minnesota. 1 in 13 adults have heart disease (7.7%), vs 5.9% across Minnesota. Stroke is also above the state: 4%, vs 3.1% across Minnesota. In all, Ada runs above Minnesota on seven of 11 chronic conditions. Conditions ↓

Ada is short on primary care and mental health care

Ada’s county is a federal shortage area for primary care and mental health care, meaning too few providers for the people who live there. Getting care ↓

Ada is healthier than its income would predict

Against all U.S. towns, Ada is healthier than 53%. Against the 9,746 towns with similar household incomes ($48K–$80K), it’s healthier than 75%. Health Grade ↓

Written from the CDC, Medicare and HRSA data on this page. CDC PLACES 2025 release: modeled estimates for adults, not counts; “higher” and “lower” mean the Minnesota figure falls outside Ada’s likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D to A.

Health Grade

What’s behind Ada’s grade

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Ada is healthier than 53% of U.S. towns. Mental distress holds the grade up (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than 74% of U.S. towns); smoking pulls it down (better than 40%).

B−Self-rated health19.4% · MN 16% · U.S. 19.4%
BPhysical distress13.6% · MN 11.3% · U.S. 13%
B+Mental distress15.6% · MN 15.1% · U.S. 15.9%
B−Obesity35.8% · MN 33.5% · U.S. 32.9%
B−Diabetes12.2% · MN 10.1% · U.S. 12%
C+Smoking15.8% smoke · MN 13.1% · U.S. 11.8%
C+Exercise26.8% · MN 22.3% · U.S. 24.7%
All U.S. towns we grade (21,250)Healthier than 53%
Less healthyHealthier
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $48K–$80K (9,746)Healthier than 75%

Health estimates follow income closely across the country: towns with higher household incomes usually score higher (a correlation of 0.77 across 21,157 graded towns). Ada’s median household income is $64,091; among the 9,746 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($48K–$80K), it’s healthier than 75%, more than its income alone would suggest.

A rough placement. CDC’s likely ranges are wide here: with every estimate at one end or the other, Ada could be anywhere from D to A. The letter shows with “≈”.

How TownRatings grades health →

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Ada adults…

Ada runs above MN on 7 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.

7 of every 100 Ada adults have COPD
Minnesota: 5 in 100 · worse · likely 5.9–8.9%
Better than MNWorseAbout the sameMinnesota
Getting care

Care in and near Ada

1 hospital in Ada, plus the nearest just outside it.

HNearest EREssentia Health AdaAda · 0.6 miDirections →
+Low-cost careCommunity Health ServiceMoorhead · 30.9 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
0.6 mi
Essentia Health Ada
Ada · not rated
ERRural critical accessIn Ada
25.9 mi
Mahnomen Health Center
Mahnomen · not rated
ER
26.3 mi
Sanford Hillsboro
Hillsboro · not rated
ERRural critical access
29.8 mi
Fargo VA Medical Center
Fargo · ★★★★★
ERFor veterans
30.9 mi
Community Health Service
2 sites · nearest in Moorhead
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
31 mi
Family Healthcare Center
4 sites · nearest in Moorhead
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
✓ Primary careNo HRSA shortage area covers Ada itself
✓ Dental careNo HRSA shortage area covers Ada itself
✓ Mental healthNo HRSA shortage area covers Ada itself

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 Ada; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with Minnesota

Share of adults, with the Minnesota figure marked.

Get no exercise 26.8%MN 22.3%
Sleep under 7 hours 31.2%MN 29.2%
Binge drink 17.3%MN 17.8%
Smoke cigarettes 15.8%MN 13.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Ada, betterAda, worseAbout the sameMinnesota
Where Ada gets moving

0.9 miles of trails across 4 parks and preserves

Parks & trails →
Checkups & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

76%Yearly checkupMN 75%
66%Dentist visitMN 68%
85%Cholesterol checkMN 85%
71%Colon screeningMN 69%
75%MammogramMN 79%
79%Taking BP medsMN 76%
1 in 12
working-age adults has no health insurance
Ada 8.4% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)
Mind & connection

How Ada adults are doing

About the same as Minnesota on each measure.

3 in 10Ada adults feel lonely
28.4% · MN 31.2% · About the same as MN
1 in 5Ada adults lack social or emotional support
20.1% · MN 21.5% · About the same as MN
1 in 4Ada adults have been diagnosed with depression
24.5% · MN 24.4% · About the same as MN
1 in 6Ada adults are in frequent mental distress
15.6% · MN 15.1% · About the same as MN
The one neighbors can help with

3 in 10 Ada adults feel lonely. A hello is a start.

Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.

Find a group →

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.

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 8
Ada adults worry about having enough food
13% · MN 11.4%
About the same as MN
1 in 10
Ada adults worry about keeping their housing
9.7% · MN 9.3%
About the same as MN
1 in 15
Ada adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
6.5% · MN 5.7%
About the same as MN
1 in 13
Ada adults lack reliable transportation
7.7% · MN 7.1%
About the same as MN

10.1% of Ada adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Around town

Ada and the towns around it

How health changes across the town line.

Health next door

TownHealthObesityDiabetesSmokingFigures from
AdaB−35.8%12.2%15.8%CDC place

Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.

Disability

Living with a disability

Shown without a better/worse judgment.

31.8%

of Ada adults live with a disability (Minnesota 27.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs15.1%
Thinking or memory14.1%
Hearing8.9%
Errands alone8.6%
Vision5.1%
Dressing or bathing4.1%
Minnesota

Every CDC estimate for Ada

Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.

On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Ada is better than Minnesota on 0 and worse on 8; on the rest, the Minnesota figure falls inside Ada’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.

Adults who…AdaMNU.S.vs MN
Overall health
Fair or poor health19.4%16–23.116%19.4%About the same
Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month)13.6%11.5–15.811.3%13%Worse
Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month)15.6%13.5–1815.1%15.9%About the same
Conditions
Obesity35.8%28.3–4433.5%32.9%About the same
Diabetes12.2%10.4–14.310.1%12%Worse
High blood pressure36.3%32.2–40.831%34.4%Worse
High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years)35.3%31.1–39.733.4%37.1%About the same
Arthritis26.9%23.6–30.322.3%25.3%Worse
Asthma10.3%9.1–11.79.9%9.9%About the same
Cancer, other than skin cancer10.1%9–11.28.5%7.9%Worse
Coronary heart disease7.7%6.6–8.85.9%6.4%Worse
COPD7.4%5.9–8.95.4%6.3%Worse
Stroke4%3.4–4.63.1%3.4%Worse
Lost all teeth (ages 65+)8.1%6.4–108.9%12.3%About the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes15.8%12.6–19.313.1%11.8%About the same
No exercise outside work26.8%21.8–32.222.3%24.7%About the same
Binge drinking17.3%14.2–20.617.8%15.4%About the same
Sleep under 7 hours31.2%24.9–37.629.2%36%About the same
Checkups and coverage
No health insurance (ages 18–64)8.4%6.4–10.77.5%11%About the same
Checkup in the past year75.5%71.4–79.174.8%77.4%About the same
Dentist visit in the past year65.5%61.8–68.967.5%63.2%About the same
Cholesterol check in 5 years85.2%82.9–87.385.3%87.1%About the same
Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure)78.8%75.9–81.476.1%76.5%About the same
Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75)71.4%66.6–75.668.7%65.5%About the same
Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74)74.5%66.3–81.378.5%76.4%About the same
Mind and connection
Ever told they have depression24.5%21–28.524.4%20.6%About the same
Feel lonely28.4%23.6–33.331.2%32.5%About the same
Lack social and emotional support20.1%16.9–23.921.5%23.6%About the same
Everyday needs
Worried about having enough food13%10.1–16.511.4%15%About the same
Worried about keeping housing9.7%7.8–11.99.3%12%About the same
Threatened with a utility shut-off6.5%5.3–7.85.7%7.6%About the same
Lack reliable transportation7.7%6.4–9.17.1%7.9%About the same
Received SNAP (food stamps)10.1%7.6–137.9%11.6%About the same
Disability
Any disability31.8%27–36.827.4%30.1%About the same
Difficulty walking or climbing stairs15.1%12.5–18.111.4%13.6%Higher
Difficulty concentrating or remembering14.1%11.8–16.612.8%13.9%About the same
Hearing difficulty8.9%7.7–10.26.8%6.7%Higher
Vision difficulty5.1%4.2–6.14%5.4%Higher
Difficulty doing errands alone8.6%7.1–10.37%7.9%Higher
Difficulty dressing or bathing4.1%3.4–4.93.1%3.8%Higher

Each figure is the share of adults 18+ unless the label says otherwise; small numbers after it are CDC’s likely range (95% interval). “About the same” means the Minnesota figure falls inside that range.

Questions about health in Ada

Is Ada a healthy place to live?

On seven CDC estimates for adults, Ada is healthier than 53% of U.S. towns: ≈ B− for health. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.

What is the obesity rate in Ada?

CDC estimates 35.8% of adults have obesity, likely between 28.3% and 44%, against 33.5% across Minnesota and 32.9% nationally.

What hospital is closest to Ada?

Essentia Health Ada in Ada, 0.6 miles in a straight line from Ada’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; it has no Medicare star rating.

How many people in Ada have no health insurance?

CDC estimates 8.4% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 6.4–10.7%), against 7.5% across Minnesota.

How accurate are these numbers?

They’re modeled estimates: CDC applies national survey answers to each area’s age, sex, race and education mix, so they describe who lives in Ada more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D to A.

Neighbors talk health

Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Ada.

Town Square →
Ask your neighbors

Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Minnesota figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. The Health Grade is our own summary of CDC’s estimates, not an official rating. Ages: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau. This page isn’t medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.