Photo: Iulus Ascanius at English Wikipedia · Public domainOn CDC estimates, Pequot Lakes is healthier than 80% of U.S. towns
Pequot Lakes differs from Minnesota on 10 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 7 better, 3 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Pequot Lakes. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Pequot Lakes
Pequot Lakes is healthier than its income would predict
Against all U.S. towns, Pequot Lakes is healthier than 80%. Against the 9,679 towns with similar household incomes ($48K–$80K), it’s healthier than 97%. Health Grade ↓
Cancer and arthritis run high in Pequot Lakes
1 in 10 adults have had cancer (10.4%), vs 8.5% across Minnesota. 1 in 4 adults have arthritis (26.3%), vs 22.3% across Minnesota. In all, Pequot Lakes runs above Minnesota on three of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 25% of residents are 65 or older (Minnesota 17%), and cancer and arthritis are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
Pequot Lakes is short on dental care and mental health care
Pequot Lakes’ 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 ↓
Fewer Pequot Lakes adults struggle to make ends meet
Worries about food, housing, utility bills and getting around all run below Minnesota. 1 in 12 adults worry about having enough food, vs 1 in 9 adults statewide. Everyday needs ↓
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 Pequot Lakes’ likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from B− to A+.
What’s behind Pequot Lakes’ grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Pequot Lakes is healthier than 80% 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 88% of towns); the weakest is obesity, still better than 53%.
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). Pequot Lakes’ median household income is $63,699; among the 9,679 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($48K–$80K), it’s healthier than 97%, more than its income alone would suggest.
Out of every 100 Pequot Lakes adults…
Pequot Lakes runs above MN on 3 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Pequot Lakes is an older town: 25% 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 Pequot Lakes as about how healthy they are.
Care in and near Pequot Lakes
No hospital or community health center in Pequot Lakes 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 Pequot Lakes; ≈ 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).
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
6.2% of Pequot Lakes adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.
Everyday habits, side by side with Minnesota
Share of adults, with the Minnesota figure marked.
11 miles of trails across 3 parks and preserves
Keeping up with care
Share of Pequot Lakes adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Minnesota.
How Pequot Lakes adults are doing
On 1 of 4 measures, Pequot Lakes does better than Minnesota.
1 in 4 Pequot Lakes 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.
Pequot Lakes and the towns around it
Pequot Lakes’s Health Grade ranks 2nd of 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pequot Lakes | A− | 35.8% | 10.5% | 12.9% | CDC place |
| Jenkins | — | — | — | — | |
| Loon Lake Township | — | — | — | — | |
| Nisswa | A− | 35% | 11.3% | 11.6% | CDC place |
| Pelican Township | — | — | — | — | |
| Ideal Township | B+ | 36.6% | 11.9% | 14.5% | ZIP codes |
| Breezy Point | A− | 37.2% | 10.8% | 13.5% | CDC place |
Jenkins, Loon Lake Township and Pelican 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 Pequot Lakes adults live with a disability (Minnesota 27.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Pequot Lakes
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Pequot Lakes is better than Minnesota on 7 and worse on 3; on the rest, the Minnesota figure falls inside Pequot Lakes’ likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Pequot Lakes | MN | U.S. | vs MN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 14.6%12.1–17.3 | 16% | 19.4% | About the same |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 11.4%9.7–13.2 | 11.3% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 14.2%12.3–16.2 | 15.1% | 15.9% | About the same |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 35.8%30.4–41.7 | 33.5% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 10.5%8.9–12.1 | 10.1% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 33.7%30.1–37.2 | 31% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 32.9%29.5–36.5 | 33.4% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 26.3%23.4–29.3 | 22.3% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 10.2%9.1–11.5 | 9.9% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 10.4%9.4–11.5 | 8.5% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 6.9%6–7.9 | 5.9% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 5.9%4.8–7.1 | 5.4% | 6.3% | About the same |
| Stroke | 3.4%2.9–3.9 | 3.1% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 9.6%7.8–11.6 | 8.9% | 12.3% | About the same |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 12.9%10.2–15.7 | 13.1% | 11.8% | About the same |
| No exercise outside work | 21.9%17.9–26.1 | 22.3% | 24.7% | About the same |
| Binge drinking | 18.5%15.8–21.5 | 17.8% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 27.5%23.1–32.1 | 29.2% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 6.1%4.7–8.1 | 7.5% | 11% | About the same |
| Checkup in the past year | 76.2%73–79.4 | 74.8% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 72.2%69.3–75 | 67.5% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 86.6%84.5–88.5 | 85.3% | 87.1% | About the same |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 78.6%75.9–81.2 | 76.1% | 76.5% | About the same |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 74.5%70.4–78.2 | 68.7% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 77.3%70.9–82.9 | 78.5% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 23%20–26.5 | 24.4% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 26.8%23–31.3 | 31.2% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 17.8%15.1–21.1 | 21.5% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 8.6%6.6–10.8 | 11.4% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 7.1%5.6–8.7 | 9.3% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 4.6%3.7–5.6 | 5.7% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 5.8%4.8–6.9 | 7.1% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 6.2%4.6–7.9 | 7.9% | 11.6% | About the same |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 28.3%24.3–32.5 | 27.4% | 30.1% | About the same |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 12.2%10–14.4 | 11.4% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 11.9%10.1–13.8 | 12.8% | 13.9% | About the same |
| Hearing difficulty | 7.9%6.8–8.9 | 6.8% | 6.7% | About the same |
| Vision difficulty | 3.8%3.2–4.4 | 4% | 5.4% | About the same |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 6.9%5.8–8.1 | 7% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 3.1%2.6–3.6 | 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 Pequot Lakes
Is Pequot Lakes a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Pequot Lakes is healthier than 80% of U.S. towns: A− for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 97%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Pequot Lakes?
CDC estimates 35.8% of adults have obesity, likely between 30.4% and 41.7%, against 33.5% across Minnesota and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Pequot Lakes?
Essentia Health St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd, 16.1 miles in a straight line from Pequot Lakes’ center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 3 of 5 stars.
How many people in Pequot Lakes have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 6.1% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 4.7–8.1%), 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 Pequot Lakes 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 Pequot Lakes.
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.