Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes, Turtle Lake Township is healthier than 21%
Turtle Lake Township trails Minnesota on 10 of 32 measures CDC estimates, and leads on none.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, from ZIP code 56601. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Turtle Lake Township
Against towns with similar incomes, Turtle Lake Township’s lead shrinks
Turtle Lake Township is healthier than 58% of U.S. towns, but 21% of the 5,778 towns with similar household incomes ($90K–$150K). Part of its edge is what towns with its incomes tend to have. Health Grade ↓
Making ends meet is harder in Turtle Lake Township
1 in 7 adults worry about having enough food (14%), vs 11.4% across Minnesota. No reliable transportation (8.8% vs 7.1%) and utility shut-off threats (6.9% vs 5.7%) are higher too. 10.7% of adults receive SNAP, vs 7.9% statewide. Everyday needs ↓
Smoking is more common in Turtle Lake Township
1 in 6 adults smoke cigarettes (16%), vs 13.1% across Minnesota. Habits ↓
COPD runs high in Turtle Lake Township
1 in 15 adults have COPD (6.5%), vs 5.4% across Minnesota. Age is part of it: 25% of residents are 65 or older (Minnesota 17%), and COPD is more common later in life. Conditions ↓
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 Turtle Lake Township’s likely range; Turtle Lake Township’s figures come from ZIP code 56601, 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 Turtle Lake Township’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Turtle Lake Township is healthier than 58% of U.S. towns. Diabetes holds the grade up (fewer adults with diabetes than 77% of U.S. towns); smoking pulls it down (better than 38%).
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). Turtle Lake Township’s median household income is $119,750; among the 5,778 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($90K–$150K), it’s healthier than 21%, less than its income alone would suggest.
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
10.7% of Turtle Lake Township 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.
5.6 miles of trails across 2 parks and preserves
Out of every 100 Turtle Lake Township adults…
Turtle Lake Township runs above MN on 3 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Turtle Lake Township is an older town: 25% of residents are 65 or older, vs 17% across Minnesota. COPD and arthritis rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Turtle Lake Township as about how healthy they are.
Care in and near Turtle Lake Township
No hospital or community health center in Turtle Lake 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 Turtle Lake 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).
Keeping up with care
Share of Turtle Lake Township adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Minnesota.
How Turtle Lake Township adults are doing
On 1 of 4 measures, Turtle Lake Township runs above Minnesota.
3 in 10 Turtle Lake 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.
Turtle Lake Township and the towns around it
How health changes across the town line.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turtle Lake Township · Northern Township | B | 37.4% | 10.3% | 16% | ZIP 56601 |
| Port Hope Township | — | — | — | — | |
| Durand Township | — | — | — | — | |
| Liberty Township | — | — | — | — |
Turtle Lake Township and Northern Township share one ZIP estimate, so they share a row. Port Hope Township, Durand Township and Liberty 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 Turtle Lake Township adults live with a disability (Minnesota 27.4%). Thinking or memory is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Turtle Lake Township
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Turtle Lake Township is better than Minnesota on 0 and worse on 10; on the rest, the Minnesota figure falls inside Turtle Lake Township’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Turtle Lake Township | MN | U.S. | vs MN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 17.8%15.9–19.9 | 16% | 19.4% | About the same |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 12.4%11.1–13.8 | 11.3% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 17.4%15.6–19.3 | 15.1% | 15.9% | Worse |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 37.4%32.8–42.2 | 33.5% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 10.3%9.1–11.6 | 10.1% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 31%28.1–33.9 | 31% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 32.3%29.4–35.4 | 33.4% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 25.5%23.2–27.9 | 22.3% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 11%9.9–12.2 | 9.9% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 8.4%7.7–9.2 | 8.5% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Coronary heart disease | 6.4%5.9–7.1 | 5.9% | 6.4% | About the same |
| COPD | 6.5%5.8–7.2 | 5.4% | 6.3% | Worse |
| Stroke | 3.4%3.1–3.7 | 3.1% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 12%9.8–14.3 | 8.9% | 12.3% | Worse |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 16%14.1–18 | 13.1% | 11.8% | Worse |
| No exercise outside work | 24.8%21.7–28.1 | 22.3% | 24.7% | About the same |
| Binge drinking | 17.9%15.4–20.8 | 17.8% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 31.1%26.7–35.8 | 29.2% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 7.8%6.8–9.1 | 7.5% | 11% | About the same |
| Checkup in the past year | 73.2%69.8–76.3 | 74.8% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 62.7%59.5–65.8 | 67.5% | 63.2% | Worse |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 82%80–83.9 | 85.3% | 87.1% | Worse |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 75.4%72.8–77.8 | 76.1% | 76.5% | About the same |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 69.9%65.9–73.8 | 68.7% | 65.5% | About the same |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 77.3%71–82.8 | 78.5% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 26.9%23.9–30.2 | 24.4% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 30.2%26.6–34 | 31.2% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 21.3%18.6–24.2 | 21.5% | 23.6% | About the same |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 14%12.3–16 | 11.4% | 15% | Worse |
| Worried about keeping housing | 10.3%8.9–11.7 | 9.3% | 12% | About the same |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 6.9%6–7.8 | 5.7% | 7.6% | Worse |
| Lack reliable transportation | 8.8%7.9–9.9 | 7.1% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 10.7%9.3–12.2 | 7.9% | 11.6% | Higher |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 31.2%28–34.5 | 27.4% | 30.1% | Higher |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 12.6%11.3–14.2 | 11.4% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 15.3%13.7–16.9 | 12.8% | 13.9% | Higher |
| Hearing difficulty | 7.6%6.9–8.4 | 6.8% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 4.8%4.4–5.3 | 4% | 5.4% | Higher |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 8.6%7.7–9.5 | 7% | 7.9% | Higher |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 3.6%3.3–4 | 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 Turtle Lake Township
Is Turtle Lake Township a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Turtle Lake Township is healthier than 58% 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 Turtle Lake Township?
CDC estimates 37.4% of adults (the figure for ZIP code 56601, which Turtle Lake Township shares with Bemidji Township, Northern Township, Grant Valley Township, Frohn Township and Turtle River Township) have obesity, likely between 32.8% and 42.2%, against 33.5% across Minnesota and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Turtle Lake Township?
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center in Bemidji, 8.0 miles in a straight line from Turtle Lake Township’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 4 of 5 stars.
How many people in Turtle Lake Township have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 7.8% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 6.8–9.1%), 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 Turtle Lake 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 56601’s, shared with Bemidji Township, Northern Township, Grant Valley Township, Frohn Township and Turtle River Township.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Turtle Lake 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.