Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0On CDC estimates, Nisswa is healthier than 83% of U.S. towns
Nisswa differs from Minnesota on 18 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 14 better, 4 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Nisswa. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Nisswa
Cancer, heart disease and arthritis run high in Nisswa
1 in 8 adults have had cancer (12%), vs 8.5% across Minnesota. 1 in 13 adults have heart disease (7.7%), vs 5.9% across Minnesota. Arthritis is also above the state: 28.6%, vs 22.3% across Minnesota. In all, Nisswa runs above Minnesota on four of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 28% of residents are 65 or older (Minnesota 17%), and cancer, heart disease and arthritis are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
Nisswa adults report less loneliness
Loneliness (24.9% vs 31.2%), frequent mental distress (12.3% vs 15.1%), lack of emotional support (16.8% vs 21.5%) and depression (21.1% vs 24.4%) all run below Minnesota. Mind & connection ↓
Nisswa is short on dental care and mental health care
Nisswa’s county is a federal shortage area for dental care and mental health care, meaning too few providers for the people who live there. Getting care ↓
Nisswa keeps up with checkups
It beats Minnesota on three of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (78.8% vs 74.8%) and dentist visits (74% vs 67.5%). Checkups ↓
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 Nisswa’s likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from B− to A+.
What’s behind Nisswa’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Nisswa is healthier than 83% of U.S. towns. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is mental distress (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than 97% of towns); the weakest is obesity, still better than 59%.
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). Nisswa’s median household income is $100,000; among the 8,609 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($75K–$125K), it’s healthier than 79%, about where its income would put it.
Out of every 100 Nisswa adults…
Nisswa runs below MN on 2 of 12 conditions and above it on 4. Tap one to see it as people.
Nisswa is an older town: 28% of residents are 65 or older, vs 17% across Minnesota. Heart disease, arthritis and cancer rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Nisswa as about how healthy they are.
How Nisswa adults are doing
On 4 of 4 measures, Nisswa does better than Minnesota.
1 in 4 Nisswa 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.
Keeping up with care
Share of Nisswa adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Minnesota.
Care in and near Nisswa
No hospital or community health center in Nisswa 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 Nisswa; ≈ 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.
0.7 miles of trails across 1 park or preserve
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
5% of Nisswa adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.
Nisswa and the towns around it
Nisswa has the best Health Grade of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nisswa | A− | 35% | 11.3% | 11.6% | CDC place |
| Lake Edward Township | B+ | 36% | 11.9% | 13.6% | ZIP codes |
| Lake Shore | B | 34.8% | 13.3% | 14.2% | CDC place |
| Pequot Lakes | A− | 35.8% | 10.5% | 12.9% | CDC place |
| Loon Lake Township | — | — | — | — |
Loon Lake Township: fewer than 1,000 residents. Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Nisswa adults live with a disability (Minnesota 27.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Nisswa
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Nisswa is better than Minnesota on 14 and worse on 4; on the rest, the Minnesota figure falls inside Nisswa’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Nisswa | MN | U.S. | vs MN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 14.2%11.5–17.3 | 16% | 19.4% | About the same |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 11.3%9.5–13.3 | 11.3% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 12.3%10.6–14.1 | 15.1% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 35%29.6–40.8 | 33.5% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 11.3%9.5–13.2 | 10.1% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 36.6%32.8–40.5 | 31% | 34.4% | Worse |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 35.6%31.9–39.4 | 33.4% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 28.6%25.4–32 | 22.3% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 9.8%8.6–11 | 9.9% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 12%10.9–13.3 | 8.5% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.7%6.6–8.9 | 5.9% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 5.9%4.7–7.4 | 5.4% | 6.3% | About the same |
| Stroke | 3.6%3.1–4.2 | 3.1% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 7%5.7–8.5 | 8.9% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 11.6%8.9–14.6 | 13.1% | 11.8% | About the same |
| No exercise outside work | 21.2%17.2–25.9 | 22.3% | 24.7% | About the same |
| Binge drinking | 16.8%14.2–19.6 | 17.8% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 26.1%21.9–30.7 | 29.2% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 5.4%4–7.2 | 7.5% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 78.8%75.7–81.7 | 74.8% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 74%71.2–76.7 | 67.5% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 89.6%87.9–91.2 | 85.3% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 81.2%78.4–83.8 | 76.1% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 72.4%68.2–76.4 | 68.7% | 65.5% | About the same |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 80.2%74.3–85.4 | 78.5% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 21.1%18.2–24.2 | 24.4% | 20.6% | Better |
| Feel lonely | 24.9%21–28.9 | 31.2% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 16.8%13.9–19.9 | 21.5% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 7.2%5.5–9.3 | 11.4% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 5.9%4.7–7.3 | 9.3% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 3.8%3.1–4.6 | 5.7% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 4.8%4–5.8 | 7.1% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 5%3.7–6.7 | 7.9% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 27.7%23.4–32.4 | 27.4% | 30.1% | About the same |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 12.5%10.1–15.2 | 11.4% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 10.3%8.6–12.2 | 12.8% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 8.6%7.4–9.9 | 6.8% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 3.6%3–4.4 | 4% | 5.4% | About the same |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 6.2%5.1–7.5 | 7% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 3%2.5–3.7 | 3.1% | 3.8% | About the same |
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 Nisswa
Is Nisswa a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Nisswa is healthier than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 79%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Nisswa?
CDC estimates 35% of adults have obesity, likely between 29.6% and 40.8%, against 33.5% across Minnesota and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Nisswa?
Essentia Health St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd, 10.6 miles in a straight line from Nisswa’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 3 of 5 stars.
How many people in Nisswa have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 5.4% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 4–7.2%), 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 Nisswa more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from B− to A+.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Nisswa.
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.