On CDC estimates, Boulder Junction is healthier than 57% of U.S. towns
Boulder Junction differs from Wisconsin on 24 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 16 better, 8 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, from ZIP codes 54512, 54545. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Boulder Junction
Cancer, heart disease and arthritis run high in Boulder Junction
1 in 7 adults have had cancer (14.5%), vs 8.6% across Wisconsin. 1 in 10 adults have heart disease (10.4%), vs 6.6% across Wisconsin. Arthritis is also above the state: 37.8%, vs 26.6% across Wisconsin. In all, Boulder Junction runs above Wisconsin on eight of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 36% of residents are 65 or older (Wisconsin 19%), and cancer, heart disease and arthritis are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
More high blood pressure in Boulder Junction, and more people treating it
44.7% of adults have high blood pressure (Wisconsin 33.3%), but 85.3% of them take medicine for it, vs 77.8% statewide. Checkups ↓
Boulder Junction is short on primary care and mental health care
Boulder Junction’s county is a federal shortage area for primary care and mental health care, meaning too few providers for the people who live there. Getting care ↓
Boulder Junction keeps up with checkups
It beats Wisconsin on four of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (83.5% vs 77.6%) and dentist visits (72.5% vs 67.1%). 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 Wisconsin figure falls outside Boulder Junction’s likely range; Boulder Junction’s figures come from ZIP codes 54512, 54545, 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 Boulder Junction’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Boulder Junction is healthier than 57% of U.S. towns. Mental distress holds the grade up (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than 98% of U.S. towns); diabetes pulls it down (better than 21%).
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). Boulder Junction’s median household income is $74,919; among the 10,847 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($56K–$94K), it’s healthier than 66%, about where its income would put it.
Out of every 100 Boulder Junction adults…
Boulder Junction runs below WI on 1 of 12 conditions and above it on 8. Tap one to see it as people.
Boulder Junction is an older town: 36% of residents are 65 or older, vs 19% across Wisconsin. Heart disease, COPD and arthritis rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Boulder Junction as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of Boulder Junction adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Wisconsin.
Care in and near Boulder Junction
No hospital or community health center in Boulder Junction 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 Boulder Junction; ≈ 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 Wisconsin
Share of adults, with the Wisconsin figure marked.
68 miles of trails across 4 parks and preserves
How Boulder Junction adults are doing
On 3 of 4 measures, Boulder Junction does better than Wisconsin.
1 in 4 Boulder Junction 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.
8.3% of Boulder Junction adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 12.5% across Wisconsin.
Boulder Junction and the towns around it
Boulder Junction’s Health Grade ranks 2nd of 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder Junction | B | 36.6% | 14.3% | 11.9% | ZIP codes |
| Presque Isle | — | — | — | — | |
| Arbor Vitae | B | 36.1% | 12.9% | 12.9% | ZIP 54568 |
| Manitowish Waters | — | — | — | — | |
| Lac du Flambeau | C− | 41.6% | 16.2% | 18.6% | ZIP codes |
| Plum Lake | — | — | — | — | |
| Land O'Lakes | — | — | — | — |
Presque Isle, Manitowish Waters, Plum Lake and Land O'Lakes: 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 Boulder Junction adults live with a disability (Wisconsin 29.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Boulder Junction
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Boulder Junction is better than Wisconsin on 16 and worse on 8; on the rest, the Wisconsin figure falls inside Boulder Junction’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Boulder Junction | WI | U.S. | vs WI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 17.7%15.1–20.7 | 17.8% | 19.4% | About the same |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 14.4%12.6–16.4 | 12.9% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 11.6%10.1–13.1 | 15.5% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 36.6%30.5–42.8 | 37.7% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 14.3%12.3–16.4 | 11.4% | 12% | Worse |
| High blood pressure | 44.7%40.6–48.9 | 33.3% | 34.4% | Worse |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 44.9%40.6–49.4 | 34.4% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 37.8%34–41.6 | 26.6% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 10.2%9–11.5 | 10.8% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 14.5%13.2–16 | 8.6% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 10.4%9.2–11.6 | 6.6% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 8.4%7.1–9.9 | 6.5% | 6.3% | Worse |
| Stroke | 4.7%4.2–5.3 | 3.4% | 3.4% | Worse |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 7.8%6.1–9.6 | 9.9% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 11.9%9.7–14.4 | 13.6% | 11.8% | About the same |
| No exercise outside work | 27.6%23.4–32.2 | 26.6% | 24.7% | About the same |
| Binge drinking | 14.5%12–17.4 | 19% | 15.4% | Better |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 24.9%20.3–29.9 | 32.6% | 36% | Better |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 5.2%4.1–6.4 | 8% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 83.5%80.7–86.1 | 77.6% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 72.5%69.3–75.5 | 67.1% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 92.6%91.5–93.6 | 85.9% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 85.3%82.7–87.8 | 77.8% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 77.4%73.4–81.2 | 69.4% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 80.7%74.4–86 | 80.3% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 20.7%17.7–23.8 | 23.2% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 25.7%21.7–30.2 | 30.6% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 16.4%13.7–19.5 | 20.2% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 7.8%6.2–9.7 | 12.1% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 5.6%4.6–6.8 | 9.7% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 3.5%2.9–4.1 | 5.5% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 4.4%3.8–5.2 | 6.7% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 8.3%6.6–10.4 | 12.5% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 32.1%28.1–36.4 | 29.4% | 30.1% | About the same |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 16.9%14.5–19.6 | 13.4% | 13.6% | Higher |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 9.9%8.6–11.5 | 12.8% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 10.5%9.3–11.7 | 6.9% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 4.6%4–5.2 | 4.5% | 5.4% | About the same |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 7.5%6.5–8.7 | 7.9% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 3.9%3.4–4.5 | 3.5% | 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 Wisconsin figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Boulder Junction
Is Boulder Junction a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Boulder Junction is healthier than 57% of U.S. towns: ≈ B for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 66%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Boulder Junction?
CDC estimates 36.6% of adults have obesity, likely between 30.5% and 42.8%, against 37.7% across Wisconsin and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Boulder Junction?
Howard Young Medical Center in Woodruff, 13.8 miles in a straight line from Boulder Junction’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 4 of 5 stars.
How many people in Boulder Junction have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 5.2% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 4.1–6.4%), against 8% across Wisconsin.
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 Boulder Junction 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 Boulder Junction.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Wisconsin 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.