Photo: Gabriel Vanslette · CC BY 3.0On CDC estimates, Lake Elmo is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns
Lake Elmo beats Minnesota on 19 of 32 measures CDC estimates, and trails on none.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Lake Elmo. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Lake Elmo
Against towns with similar incomes, Lake Elmo’s lead shrinks
Lake Elmo is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns, but 64% of the 2,529 towns with similar household incomes ($115K–$192K). Part of its edge is what towns with its incomes tend to have. Health Grade ↓
Lake Elmo keeps up with checkups
It beats Minnesota on three of five routine checkups and screenings, including dentist visits (75.4% vs 67.5%) and cholesterol checks (88.7% vs 85.3%). Checkups ↓
Lake Elmo adults report less loneliness
Loneliness (26.9% vs 31.2%), frequent mental distress (12.5% vs 15.1%) and lack of emotional support (16.7% vs 21.5%) all run below Minnesota. Mind & connection ↓
Lake Elmo is an active town
Only 17.4% of adults get no exercise outside work, vs 22.3% across Minnesota. The town has 44 miles of trails across 26 parks and preserves. 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 Lake Elmo’s likely range.
What’s behind Lake Elmo’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Lake Elmo is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns, #30 of 271 in Minnesota. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is physical distress (fewer adults with frequent physical distress than 97% of towns); the weakest is obesity, still better 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). Lake Elmo’s median household income is $153,669; among the 2,529 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($115K–$192K), it’s healthier than 64%, about where its income would put it.
Keeping up with care
Share of Lake Elmo adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Minnesota.
How Lake Elmo adults are doing
On 3 of 4 measures, Lake Elmo does better than Minnesota.
1 in 4 Lake Elmo adults feel lonely. A hello is a start.
Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.
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 habits, side by side with Minnesota
Share of adults, with the Minnesota figure marked.
44 miles of trails across 26 parks and preserves
Out of every 100 Lake Elmo adults…
Lake Elmo runs below MN on 3 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Care in and near Lake Elmo
No hospital or community health center in Lake Elmo itself. These are the nearest.
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 Lake Elmo; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
4.5% of Lake Elmo adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.
Lake Elmo and the towns around it
Lake Elmo’s Health Grade ranks 2nd of 8 graded towns around it.
Nearby towns are shaded from CDC’s estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC’s own figure for cities and villages.
Health next door
| Town | Health | Obesity | Diabetes | Smoking | Figures from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Elmo | A | 32.3% | 10.1% | 9.9% | CDC place |
| Oakdale | A− | 34.2% | 11.5% | 13.4% | CDC place |
| Stillwater Township | A | 32.6% | 10.9% | 10.5% | ZIP 55082 |
| West Lakeland Township | A | 32.6% | 10.8% | 10.4% | ZIP codes |
| Woodbury | A+ | 31.3% | 9.4% | 9.3% | CDC place |
| Baytown Township | A | 32.7% | 10.8% | 10.6% | ZIP codes |
| Grant | A | 32.2% | 11.4% | 10% | CDC place |
| Oak Park Heights | A− | 30.8% | 12.1% | 10% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Lake Elmo adults live with a disability (Minnesota 27.4%). Thinking or memory is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Lake Elmo
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Lake Elmo is better than Minnesota on 19 and worse on 0; on the rest, the Minnesota figure falls inside Lake Elmo’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Lake Elmo | MN | U.S. | vs MN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 12.5%10.5–14.7 | 16% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 9.7%8.4–11.1 | 11.3% | 13% | Better |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 12.5%11–14.2 | 15.1% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 32.3%28.2–36.5 | 33.5% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 10.1%8.8–11.6 | 10.1% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 29.4%26.6–32.2 | 31% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 35%32–38.2 | 33.4% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 21.8%19.6–24.3 | 22.3% | 25.3% | About the same |
| Asthma | 9.3%8.2–10.4 | 9.9% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 9.3%8.4–10.2 | 8.5% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Coronary heart disease | 5.2%4.6–5.9 | 5.9% | 6.4% | About the same |
| COPD | 4.3%3.6–5.1 | 5.4% | 6.3% | Better |
| Stroke | 2.6%2.3–2.9 | 3.1% | 3.4% | Better |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 4.8%3.9–5.9 | 8.9% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 9.9%7.9–12.1 | 13.1% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 17.4%14.6–20.5 | 22.3% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 16.3%14–18.8 | 17.8% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 24.9%21.9–28.2 | 29.2% | 36% | Better |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 4.9%4–5.9 | 7.5% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 77.1%74.2–79.8 | 74.8% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 75.4%73–77.6 | 67.5% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 88.7%87.2–90.1 | 85.3% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 77.6%74.5–80.3 | 76.1% | 76.5% | About the same |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 71%67.5–74.4 | 68.7% | 65.5% | About the same |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 83.4%79–87.4 | 78.5% | 76.4% | Better |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 22.9%20.1–25.7 | 24.4% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 26.9%23.7–30.2 | 31.2% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 16.7%14.4–19.1 | 21.5% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 7.1%5.7–8.7 | 11.4% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 6.3%5.2–7.5 | 9.3% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 4%3.3–4.7 | 5.7% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 4.8%4.1–5.6 | 7.1% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 4.5%3.5–5.7 | 7.9% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 22.1%19.2–25.3 | 27.4% | 30.1% | Lower |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 9%7.6–10.7 | 11.4% | 13.6% | Lower |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 9.9%8.6–11.5 | 12.8% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 5.9%5.2–6.7 | 6.8% | 6.7% | Lower |
| Vision difficulty | 3%2.6–3.4 | 4% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 5.2%4.5–6.1 | 7% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 2.4%2.1–2.8 | 3.1% | 3.8% | Lower |
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 Lake Elmo
Is Lake Elmo a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Lake Elmo is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns: A for health, #30 of 271 in Minnesota. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 64%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Lake Elmo?
CDC estimates 32.3% of adults have obesity, likely between 28.2% and 36.5%, against 33.5% across Minnesota and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Lake Elmo?
M Health Fairview Woodwinds Hospital in Woodbury, 5.9 miles in a straight line from Lake Elmo’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 4 of 5 stars.
How many people in Lake Elmo have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 4.9% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 4–5.9%), 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 Lake Elmo more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Lake Elmo.
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.