On CDC estimates, Oak Lawn Township is healthier than 60% of U.S. towns
Oak Lawn Township trails Minnesota on 8 of 32 measures CDC estimates, and leads on none.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, from ZIP code 56401. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Oak Lawn Township
COPD, heart disease and stroke run high in Oak Lawn Township
1 in 15 adults have COPD (6.7%), vs 5.4% across Minnesota. 1 in 14 adults have heart disease (7.1%), vs 5.9% across Minnesota. Stroke is also above the state: 3.6%, vs 3.1% across Minnesota. In all, Oak Lawn Township runs above Minnesota on four of 11 chronic conditions. Conditions ↓
Oak Lawn Township is short on dental care and mental health care
Oak Lawn Township’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 ↓
Smoking is more common in Oak Lawn Township
1 in 6 adults smoke cigarettes (16.2%), vs 13.1% 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 Oak Lawn Township’s likely range; Oak Lawn Township’s figures come from ZIP code 56401, which may reach past town lines; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from C to A−.
What’s behind Oak Lawn Township’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Oak Lawn Township is healthier than 60% of U.S. towns. Physical distress holds the grade up (fewer adults with frequent physical distress than 74% of U.S. towns); obesity pulls it down (better than 35%).
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). Oak Lawn Township’s median household income is $85,417; among the 10,366 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($64K–$107K), it’s healthier than 57%, about where its income would put it.
Out of every 100 Oak Lawn Township adults…
Oak Lawn Township runs above MN on 6 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Care in and near Oak Lawn Township
No hospital or community health center in Oak Lawn Township 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 Oak Lawn 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).
Everyday habits, side by side with Minnesota
Share of adults, with the Minnesota figure marked.
9.7 miles of trails across 3 parks and preserves
Keeping up with care
Share of Oak Lawn Township adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Minnesota.
How Oak Lawn Township adults are doing
About the same as Minnesota on each measure.
3 in 10 Oak Lawn Township 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.
9.5% of Oak Lawn Township adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.
Oak Lawn Township and the towns around it
Oak Lawn Township’s Health Grade ranks 2nd of 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Lawn Township · Long Lake Township | B | 38.1% | 11% | 16.2% | ZIP 56401 |
| Brainerd | B− | 38.9% | 10.7% | 17.7% | CDC place |
| Center Township | B+ | 37% | 12.2% | 14.4% | ZIP codes |
| Nokay Lake Township | — | — | — | — | |
| Irondale Township | B− | 38.6% | 12.3% | 17% | ZIP codes |
| Riverton | — | — | — | — |
Oak Lawn Township and Long Lake Township share one ZIP estimate, so they share a row. Nokay Lake Township and Riverton: 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 Oak Lawn Township adults live with a disability (Minnesota 27.4%). Thinking or memory is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Oak Lawn Township
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Oak Lawn Township is better than Minnesota on 0 and worse on 8; on the rest, the Minnesota figure falls inside Oak Lawn Township’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Oak Lawn Township | MN | U.S. | vs MN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 17.2%15.3–19.3 | 16% | 19.4% | About the same |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 12.6%11.3–14.1 | 11.3% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 15.9%14.3–17.8 | 15.1% | 15.9% | About the same |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 38.1%32.9–43.5 | 33.5% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 11%9.7–12.4 | 10.1% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 33.9%30.8–37.1 | 31% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 32.4%29.2–35.7 | 33.4% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 25.8%23.3–28.3 | 22.3% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 10.6%9.5–11.8 | 9.9% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 9.4%8.6–10.2 | 8.5% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.1%6.5–7.8 | 5.9% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 6.7%6.1–7.4 | 5.4% | 6.3% | Worse |
| Stroke | 3.6%3.3–3.9 | 3.1% | 3.4% | Worse |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 12.5%10.3–14.9 | 8.9% | 12.3% | Worse |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 16.2%14.3–18.4 | 13.1% | 11.8% | Worse |
| No exercise outside work | 25%21.7–28.5 | 22.3% | 24.7% | About the same |
| Binge drinking | 18.8%16.1–21.7 | 17.8% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 31.1%26.7–35.7 | 29.2% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 7.7%6.7–9 | 7.5% | 11% | About the same |
| Checkup in the past year | 74.7%71.4–77.8 | 74.8% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 63.6%60.4–66.6 | 67.5% | 63.2% | Worse |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 84.3%82.6–85.8 | 85.3% | 87.1% | About the same |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 76.9%74.4–79.3 | 76.1% | 76.5% | About the same |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 68.2%64.2–71.9 | 68.7% | 65.5% | About the same |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 78.8%72.9–83.7 | 78.5% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 24.1%21.3–27.3 | 24.4% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 28.2%24.4–32.4 | 31.2% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 19.6%16.9–22.5 | 21.5% | 23.6% | About the same |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 12%10.3–13.7 | 11.4% | 15% | About the same |
| Worried about keeping housing | 9.3%8.1–10.7 | 9.3% | 12% | About the same |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 6.2%5.4–7.1 | 5.7% | 7.6% | About the same |
| Lack reliable transportation | 7.5%6.6–8.4 | 7.1% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 9.5%8.1–10.8 | 7.9% | 11.6% | Higher |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 30.9%27.7–34.5 | 27.4% | 30.1% | Higher |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 13.3%11.8–14.9 | 11.4% | 13.6% | Higher |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 14%12.6–15.6 | 12.8% | 13.9% | About the same |
| Hearing difficulty | 8%7.3–8.9 | 6.8% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 4.5%4.2–5 | 4% | 5.4% | Higher |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 8.1%7.4–9 | 7% | 7.9% | Higher |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 3.6%3.4–4 | 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 Oak Lawn Township
Is Oak Lawn Township a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Oak Lawn Township is healthier than 60% of U.S. towns: ≈ B for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 57%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Oak Lawn Township?
CDC estimates 38.1% of adults (the figure for ZIP code 56401, which Oak Lawn Township shares with Crow Wing Township and Long Lake Township) have obesity, likely between 32.9% and 43.5%, against 33.5% across Minnesota and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Oak Lawn Township?
Essentia Health St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd, 3.6 miles in a straight line from Oak Lawn Township’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 3 of 5 stars.
How many people in Oak Lawn Township have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 7.7% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 6.7–9%), 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 Oak Lawn Township more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from C to A−. The figures are ZIP code 56401’s, shared with Crow Wing Township and Long Lake Township.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Oak Lawn Township.
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.