Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes, Madison is healthier than 85%
Madison differs from Minnesota on 15 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 4 better, 11 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Madison. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Madison
Heart disease, cancer and stroke run high in Madison
1 in 11 adults have heart disease (8.9%), vs 5.9% across Minnesota. 1 in 8 adults have had cancer (12.5%), vs 8.5% across Minnesota. Stroke is also above the state: 4.5%, vs 3.1% across Minnesota. In all, Madison runs above Minnesota on seven of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 36% of residents are 65 or older (Minnesota 17%), and heart disease, cancer and stroke are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
Madison is short on every kind of care federal data tracks
Madison’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 ↓
More Madison adults get no exercise
1 in 4 adults get no exercise outside work (27.5%), vs 22.3% across Minnesota. Habits ↓
More high blood pressure in Madison, and more people treating it
37.8% of adults have high blood pressure (Minnesota 31%), but 82.8% of them take medicine for it, vs 76.1% statewide. Checkups ↓
Madison is healthier than its income would predict
Against all U.S. towns, Madison is healthier than 61%. Against the 9,217 towns with similar household incomes ($46K–$76K), it’s healthier than 85%. 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 Madison’s likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from C− to A.
What’s behind Madison’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Madison is healthier than 61% of U.S. towns. Mental distress holds the grade up (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than 89% of U.S. towns); no exercise pulls it down (better than 37%).
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). Madison’s median household income is $61,172; among the 9,217 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($46K–$76K), it’s healthier than 85%, more than its income alone would suggest.
Out of every 100 Madison adults…
Madison runs above MN on 9 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Madison is an older town: 36% of residents are 65 or older, vs 17% across Minnesota. Heart disease, COPD and arthritis rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Madison as about how healthy they are.
Care in and near Madison
1 hospital in Madison, plus the nearest just outside it.
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 Madison; ≈ 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).
Everyday habits, side by side with Minnesota
Share of adults, with the Minnesota figure marked.
Walk with neighbors
The easiest exercise habit to keep is one with company.
Keeping up with care
Share of Madison adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Minnesota.
How Madison adults are doing
About the same as Minnesota on each measure.
3 in 10 Madison 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.
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
7.4% of Madison adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.
Madison and the towns around it
How health changes across the town line.
Health next door
| Town | Health | Obesity | Diabetes | Smoking | Figures from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison | B | 33.9% | 12.8% | 13.7% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Madison adults live with a disability (Minnesota 27.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Madison
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Madison is better than Minnesota on 4 and worse on 11; on the rest, the Minnesota figure falls inside Madison’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Madison | MN | U.S. | vs MN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 18.6%15.5–22.1 | 16% | 19.4% | About the same |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 13.4%11.5–15.5 | 11.3% | 13% | Worse |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 14.1%12.4–16.2 | 15.1% | 15.9% | About the same |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 33.9%27.7–42.3 | 33.5% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 12.8%11–15 | 10.1% | 12% | Worse |
| High blood pressure | 37.8%34–42.4 | 31% | 34.4% | Worse |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 38.3%34.5–43.3 | 33.4% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 30.5%27.5–34.4 | 22.3% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 9.9%8.9–11.3 | 9.9% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 12.5%11.2–14 | 8.5% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 8.9%7.7–10.3 | 5.9% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 7.6%6.2–9.2 | 5.4% | 6.3% | Worse |
| Stroke | 4.5%3.8–5.2 | 3.1% | 3.4% | Worse |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 16.9%13.8–20.4 | 8.9% | 12.3% | Worse |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 13.7%11.2–16.6 | 13.1% | 11.8% | About the same |
| No exercise outside work | 27.5%22.9–33.3 | 22.3% | 24.7% | Worse |
| Binge drinking | 15.5%13.1–18.8 | 17.8% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 28.4%22.7–34.7 | 29.2% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 7.3%5.8–9.2 | 7.5% | 11% | About the same |
| Checkup in the past year | 79%75.9–82.5 | 74.8% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 66.8%63.3–70.3 | 67.5% | 63.2% | About the same |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 87.9%86.1–89.8 | 85.3% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 82.8%80.5–85.3 | 76.1% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 69.8%64.9–74.4 | 68.7% | 65.5% | About the same |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 80.1%73–86 | 78.5% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 22.6%19.7–26.7 | 24.4% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 28.3%23.8–33.2 | 31.2% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 19.4%16.2–22.9 | 21.5% | 23.6% | About the same |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 10%7.8–12.4 | 11.4% | 15% | About the same |
| Worried about keeping housing | 7.6%6.2–9.2 | 9.3% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 4.9%4.1–5.8 | 5.7% | 7.6% | About the same |
| Lack reliable transportation | 6.3%5.2–7.4 | 7.1% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 7.4%5.7–9.3 | 7.9% | 11.6% | About the same |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 33.7%29.3–38.9 | 27.4% | 30.1% | Higher |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 16.2%13.3–19.4 | 11.4% | 13.6% | Higher |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 12.7%10.9–14.7 | 12.8% | 13.9% | About the same |
| Hearing difficulty | 10.5%9.1–11.9 | 6.8% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 4.9%4–5.8 | 4% | 5.4% | About the same |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 8.4%6.9–10.1 | 7% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 3.8%3.2–4.6 | 3.1% | 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 Madison
Is Madison a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Madison is healthier than 61% 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 Madison?
CDC estimates 33.9% of adults have obesity, likely between 27.7% and 42.3%, against 33.5% across Minnesota and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Madison?
Madison Hospital in Madison, 0.2 miles in a straight line from Madison’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; it has no Medicare star rating.
How many people in Madison have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 7.3% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 5.8–9.2%), 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 Madison more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from C− to A.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Madison.
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.