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Bluffton MN downtownPhoto: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
Health in Bluffton Township · CDC PLACES 2025

Where Bluffton Township residents get care

CDC publishes only some of its health estimates for Bluffton Township, not the seven a Health Grade needs; here is what we do have.

Modeled estimates for adults 18+, from ZIP codes 56482, 56518, 56567. How CDC estimates town health

What stands out · In brief

What stands out about health in Bluffton Township

Bluffton Township is short on every kind of care federal data tracks

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

COPD, heart disease and stroke run high in Bluffton Township

1 in 14 adults have COPD (7.4%), vs 5.4% across Minnesota. 1 in 13 adults have heart disease (7.5%), vs 5.9% across Minnesota. Stroke is also above the state: 3.9%, vs 3.1% across Minnesota. In all, Bluffton Township runs above Minnesota on four of 11 chronic conditions. Conditions ↓

More Bluffton Township adults get no exercise

3 in 10 adults get no exercise outside work (27.7%), vs 22.3% across Minnesota. Habits ↓

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 Bluffton Township’s likely range; Bluffton Township’s figures come from ZIP codes 56482, 56518, 56567, which may reach past town lines.

★ What stands out · Getting care

Care in and near Bluffton Township

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

HNearest ERAstera HealthWadena · 4.4 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyAstera Health★★★★★ · 4.4 miDirections →
+Low-cost careCommunity Health ServiceMoorhead · 77.3 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
4.4 mi
Astera Health
Wadena · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
19.3 mi
Perham Health
Perham · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
24.2 mi
Lakewood Health System
Staples · not rated
ERRural critical access
29.4 mi
St. Josephs Area Health Services
Park Rapids · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
77.3 mi
Community Health Service
3 sites · nearest in Moorhead
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
78.2 mi
Family Healthcare Center
4 sites · nearest in Moorhead
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
! Primary careBluffton Township is a federal shortage area.East Otter Tail · need score 9 of 25
✓ Dental careNo HRSA shortage area covers Bluffton Township itself
✓ Mental healthNo HRSA shortage area covers Bluffton Township 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 Bluffton Township; ≈ 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).

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Bluffton Township adults…

Bluffton Township runs above MN on 6 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.

7 of every 100 Bluffton Township adults have COPD
Minnesota: 5 in 100 · worse · likely 6.5–8.5%
Better than MNWorseAbout the sameMinnesota
Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with Minnesota

Share of adults, with the Minnesota figure marked.

Get no exercise 27.7%MN 22.3%
Sleep under 7 hours 31.2%MN 29.2%
Binge drink 18.3%MN 17.8%
Smoke cigarettes 17.6%MN 13.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Bluffton Township, betterBluffton Township, worseAbout the sameMinnesota
Where Bluffton Township gets moving

1.8 miles of trails across 1 park or preserve

Parks & trails →
Checkups & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

74%Yearly checkupMN 75%
64%Dentist visitMN 68%
84%Cholesterol checkMN 85%
70%Colon screeningMN 69%
78%MammogramMN 79%
78%Taking BP medsMN 76%
1 in 12
working-age adults has no health insurance
Bluffton Township 8.4% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)
Mind & connection

How Bluffton Township adults are doing

About the same as Minnesota on each measure.

1 in 3Bluffton Township adults feel lonely
32.2% · MN 31.2% · About the same as MN
1 in 5Bluffton Township adults lack social or emotional support
21.8% · MN 21.5% · About the same as MN
1 in 4Bluffton Township adults have been diagnosed with depression
25.1% · MN 24.4% · About the same as MN
1 in 6Bluffton Township adults are in frequent mental distress
16.8% · MN 15.1% · About the same as MN
The one neighbors can help with

1 in 3 Bluffton Township 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
Bluffton Township adults worry about having enough food
13.2% · MN 11.4%
About the same as MN
1 in 10
Bluffton Township adults worry about keeping their housing
10% · MN 9.3%
About the same as MN
1 in 15
Bluffton Township adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
6.5% · MN 5.7%
About the same as MN
1 in 13
Bluffton Township adults lack reliable transportation
7.9% · MN 7.1%
About the same as MN

10.2% of Bluffton Township adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Around town

Bluffton Township and the towns around it

How health changes across the town line.

Bluffton: 34.6%Newton Township: 34.8%Blowers Township: 37.4%Leaf River Township: 38.3%Compton Township: 37.9%Otto Township: 34.7%Deer Creek Township: 35.6%Homestead Township: 34.8%Rockwood Township: 37.7%Paddock Township: 37.4%Wadena: 38.6%Wadena Township: 38.3%Wing River Township: 38.3%Oak Valley Township: 38.1%Bluffton Township: 36.4%Bluffton TownshipBlufftonNewton TownshipBlowers TownshipLeaf River TownshipCompton TownshipAstera Health · Wadena · 4.4 mi · 3★ MedicareH
Healthier than MNNear MNLess healthyHHospital+Health center
Obesity
#6 of 15 towns on this map, healthiest first
Bluffton34.6%
Newton Township34.8%
Bluffton Township36.4%
Blowers Township37.4%
Compton Township37.9%
Leaf River Township38.3%
MN33.5%

Nearby towns are shaded from CDC’s estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC’s own figure for cities and villages.

Health next door

TownHealthObesityDiabetesSmokingFigures from
Bluffton————
Newton Township————
Blowers Township————
Leaf River Township————
Compton Township————

Bluffton, Newton Township, Blowers Township, Leaf River Township and Compton Township: fewer than 1,000 residents. Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.

Disability

Living with a disability

Shown without a better/worse judgment.

32.5%

of Bluffton Township adults live with a disability (Minnesota 27.4%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs14.7%
Thinking or memory15%
Hearing8.7%
Errands alone8.8%
Vision5%
Dressing or bathing4%
Minnesota

Questions about health in Bluffton Township

Why doesn’t Bluffton Township have a Health Grade?

Every Health Grade is built from seven of CDC’s PLACES estimates, and CDC doesn’t publish all seven for Bluffton Township.

What hospital is closest to Bluffton Township?

Astera Health in Wadena, 4.4 miles in a straight line from Bluffton Township’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room. Medicare rates it 3 of 5 stars.

Neighbors talk health

Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Bluffton Township.

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. 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.