Health Profile of Wadena County, Minnesota
Wadena County Health Score
The Map AI Health Index is a score that reflects local life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment to help you quickly compare the overall health and well-being of different areas.
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B
Wadena County Around averageAmong the 5 least healthy counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Wadena County | Minnesota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.9 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.5% | 4.7% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 15.6% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Wadena County is 77.9 years, about 2.9 years shorter than the Minnesota average of 80.8 years. The uninsured rate is 5.5%, higher than the Minnesota average of 4.7%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 15.6% of residents, higher than the Minnesota average of 13.0%.
Population by Age
Older residents
5,541 residents in Wadena County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 494 122 men · 372 women
- 75–84 890 405 men · 486 women
- 65–74 1,487 716 men · 771 women
- 50–64 2,670 1,368 men · 1,302 women
Younger residents
3,464 residents in Wadena County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,044 547 boys · 497 girls
- 7–12 1,013 522 boys · 491 girls
- 3–7 808 410 boys · 399 girls
- 0–3 598 309 boys · 289 girls
About 1,098 residents in Wadena County (7.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 77.9 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Wadena County | Minnesota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.8% | 9.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 8.4% | 7.4% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.6% | 7.0% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 34.0% | 34.5% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Wadena County is about 24% higher than in Minnesota. The rate of diabetes in Wadena County is about 19% higher than in Minnesota.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Wadena County | Minnesota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 20.2% | 18.5% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.3% | 19.1% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 24.9% | 22.2% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Wadena County are about the same as in Minnesota.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 21,279 cigarettes a day, 638,378 a month, or 7.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 234,072 minutes a day and 85.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Wadena County is 77.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.09 lifetimes a year.
* Source: Shaw M, Mitchell R, Dorling D. "Time for a smoke? One cigarette reduces your life by 11 minutes." BMJ. 2000;320:53.
Illustrative only. This is not an estimate of how many people actually die from smoking each day or year - it's a rough, order-of-magnitude comparison meant to help grasp the scale of smoking in this area. We take no responsibility for any decisions made based on this figure.
Air Quality
| Metric | Wadena County | Minnesota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.26 | 5.25 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 4.3 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Wadena County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Wadena County, MN Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Wadena County, MN is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 14,256 residents against a local median of 30,992. Nothing separates Wadena County, MN sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 5% below the local median at 5.5% against 5.8%. Wadena County, MN has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wadena County, MN | 14,256 | 77.9 yrs #6/6 | 5.5% #1/6 | 34.0% #3/6 |
| Todd County, MN | 25,575 | 81.5 yrs | 9.5% | 37.3% |
| Hubbard County, MN | 21,828 | 82.2 yrs | 5.5% | 34.8% |
| Cass County, MN | 30,992 | 79.8 yrs | 6.9% | 33.0% |
| Otter Tail County, MN | 60,475 | 81.0 yrs | 5.6% | 31.0% |
| Becker County, MN | 35,340 | 80.4 yrs | 5.8% | 35.4% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Wadena County, Minnesota has an overall health index grade of B, making it about on par with Minnesota, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Wadena County, Minnesota.
What is the health grade for Wadena County, Minnesota?
Wadena County, Minnesota has a Map AI Health Index grade of B, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a B grade means residents are somewhat healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Wadena County, Minnesota one of the healthiest counties in Minnesota?
Wadena County ranks 84th healthiest out of 87 counties in Minnesota by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the average lifespan in Wadena County, Minnesota?
People in Wadena County, Minnesota can expect to live 77.9 years on average, 2.9 years shorter than the Minnesota average of 80.8.
What percentage of Wadena County, Minnesota residents are uninsured?
5.5% of residents in Wadena County, Minnesota have no health insurance, about 1 in 18 people, 0.8 points above the Minnesota rate of 4.7%.
How common is obesity in Wadena County, Minnesota?
34.0% of adults in Wadena County, Minnesota are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 0.6 points below the Minnesota rate of 34.5%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Wadena County, Minnesota go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 21,279 cigarettes a day, 638,378 a month, or 7.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 234,072 minutes a day and 85.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Wadena County is 77.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.09 lifetimes a year.
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