Florence Town Hall · Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC0Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes, Florence is healthier than 68%
Florence differs from Wisconsin on 17 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 7 better, 10 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, from ZIP codes 54121, 54542, 54120. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Florence
Florence is healthier than its income would predict
Against all U.S. towns, Florence is healthier than 42%. Against the 8,615 towns with similar household incomes ($44K–$74K), it’s healthier than 68%. Health Grade ↓
Heart disease, cancer and COPD run high in Florence
1 in 11 adults have heart disease (9.4%), vs 6.6% across Wisconsin. 1 in 8 adults have had cancer (12.1%), vs 8.6% across Wisconsin. COPD is also above the state: 8.7%, vs 6.5% across Wisconsin. In all, Florence runs above Wisconsin on eight of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 28% of residents are 65 or older (Wisconsin 19%), and heart disease, cancer and COPD are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
More high blood pressure in Florence, and more people treating it
41.6% of adults have high blood pressure (Wisconsin 33.3%), but 82.9% of them take medicine for it, vs 77.8% statewide. Checkups ↓
Florence is short on primary care and mental health care
Florence’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 ↓
Fewer Florence adults struggle to make ends meet
Worries about food, housing, utility bills and getting around all run below Wisconsin. 1 in 10 adults worry about having enough food, vs 1 in 8 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 Wisconsin figure falls outside Florence’s likely range; Florence’s figures come from ZIP codes 54121, 54542, 54120, which may reach past town lines; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from C− to B+.
What’s behind Florence’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Florence is healthier than 42% of U.S. towns. Mental distress holds the grade up (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than 91% of U.S. towns); diabetes pulls it down (better than 18%).
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). Florence’s median household income is $58,832; among the 8,615 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($44K–$74K), it’s healthier than 68%, more than its income alone would suggest.
Where Florence compares well: checkup in the past year, 81.5% (U.S. 77.4%); cholesterol check in 5 years, 90.2% (U.S. 87.1%); taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure), 82.9% (U.S. 76.5%).
Out of every 100 Florence adults…
Florence runs above WI on 9 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Florence is an older town: 28% 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 Florence as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of Florence adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Wisconsin.
Care in and near Florence
No hospital or community health center in Florence 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 Florence; ≈ 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.
10.6% of Florence adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 12.5% across Wisconsin.
Everyday habits, side by side with Wisconsin
Share of adults, with the Wisconsin figure marked.
180 miles of trails across 5 parks and preserves
How Florence adults are doing
About the same as Wisconsin on each measure.
1 in 4 Florence 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.
Florence and the towns around it
Florence 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florence | C+ | 37.8% | 14.6% | 14.6% | ZIP codes |
| Aurora | C | 38.7% | 13.8% | 16.9% | ZIP codes |
| Commonwealth | — | — | — | — | |
| Fern | — | — | — | — | |
| Tipler | — | — | — | — | |
| Long Lake | — | — | — | — | |
| Fence | — | — | — | — | |
| Florence | — | — | — | — |
Commonwealth, Fern, Tipler, Long Lake, Fence and Florence: 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 Florence adults live with a disability (Wisconsin 29.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Florence
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Florence is better than Wisconsin on 7 and worse on 10; on the rest, the Wisconsin figure falls inside Florence’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Florence | WI | U.S. | vs WI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 19.5%16.7–22.4 | 17.8% | 19.4% | About the same |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 15.3%13.4–17.3 | 12.9% | 13% | Worse |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 13.7%12.1–15.5 | 15.5% | 15.9% | About the same |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 37.8%30.4–45.7 | 37.7% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 14.6%12.7–16.8 | 11.4% | 12% | Worse |
| High blood pressure | 41.6%37.2–46.1 | 33.3% | 34.4% | Worse |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 42.2%37.7–46.6 | 34.4% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 35.4%31.7–39.2 | 26.6% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 10.7%9.5–11.9 | 10.8% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 12.1%11–13.2 | 8.6% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 9.4%8.3–10.5 | 6.6% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 8.7%7.5–10 | 6.5% | 6.3% | Worse |
| Stroke | 4.5%4.1–5 | 3.4% | 3.4% | Worse |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 13.2%10.8–16 | 9.9% | 12.3% | Worse |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 14.6%12.3–17.2 | 13.6% | 11.8% | About the same |
| No exercise outside work | 29.5%24.9–34.5 | 26.6% | 24.7% | About the same |
| Binge drinking | 16.1%13.5–19.1 | 19% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 31.7%25.8–37.8 | 32.6% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 6.6%5.4–8 | 8% | 11% | About the same |
| Checkup in the past year | 81.5%78.6–84.4 | 77.6% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 66.9%63.3–70.3 | 67.1% | 63.2% | About the same |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 90.2%88.8–91.4 | 85.9% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 82.9%80.2–85.4 | 77.8% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 72.3%67.7–76.6 | 69.4% | 65.5% | About the same |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 79.5%72.5–85.1 | 80.3% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 22.1%18.9–25.6 | 23.2% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 27.3%23–31.9 | 30.6% | 32.5% | About the same |
| Lack social and emotional support | 19%16.2–22.3 | 20.2% | 23.6% | About the same |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 9.7%8.1–11.7 | 12.1% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 7.5%6.3–8.8 | 9.7% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 4.5%3.8–5.2 | 5.5% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 5.4%4.7–6.2 | 6.7% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 10.6%8.9–12.7 | 12.5% | 11.6% | About the same |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 33.7%29.5–38.3 | 29.4% | 30.1% | Higher |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 17.2%14.8–19.7 | 13.4% | 13.6% | Higher |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 11.8%10.3–13.3 | 12.8% | 13.9% | About the same |
| Hearing difficulty | 9.6%8.6–10.8 | 6.9% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 4.9%4.3–5.5 | 4.5% | 5.4% | About the same |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 8.2%7.1–9.2 | 7.9% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 4.2%3.7–4.8 | 3.5% | 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 Wisconsin figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Florence
Is Florence a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Florence is healthier than 42% of U.S. towns: C+ 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 Florence?
CDC estimates 37.8% of adults have obesity, likely between 30.4% and 45.7%, against 37.7% across Wisconsin and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Florence?
Dickinson County Memorial Hospital in Iron Mountain, 17.2 miles in a straight line from Florence’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 2 of 5 stars.
How many people in Florence have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 6.6% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 5.4–8%), 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 Florence more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from C− to B+.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Florence.
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.