County health data
Steele County, MN
CDC PLACES estimates diabetes at 10.9% of adults in Steele County (Minnesota: 10.5%). This county has 1 hospital.
License. US government work, Public Domain Mark 1.0.
For help with food, housing, utilities, or rides in Steele County, call 211 or visit 211.org.
Health measures compared with the state
40 measures for adults in Steele County (about 28,437 adults). 24 have a Minnesota figure from the same survey.
Largest differences from the Minnesota figure: obesity 37.4% vs 33.2% (+4.2 points), coronary heart disease 6.7% vs 3.6% (+3.1 points), and arthritis 24.6% vs 22.1% (+2.5 points).
Health Outcomes
| Measure | Steele County | Minnesota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 24.6% | 22.1% | 26.3% | 2023 |
| High blood pressure | 33.3% | 31.1% | 34.0% | 2023 |
| Cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer | 9.3% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Current asthma | 9.9% | 9.8% | 10.2% | 2023 |
| Coronary heart disease | 6.7% | 3.6% | 4.0% | 2023 |
| COPD | 6.1% | 4.5% | 6.3% | 2023 |
| Depression | 23.1% | 23.1% | 21.8% | 2023 |
| Diagnosed diabetes | 10.9% | 10.5% | 11.8% | 2023 |
| High cholesterol, adults ever screened | 33.7% | 33.8% | 37.2% | 2023 |
| Obesity | 37.4% | 33.2% | 34.4% | 2023 |
| Stroke | 3.4% | 3.1% | 3.3% | 2023 |
| All teeth lost, ages 65 and older | 5.1% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Prevention
| Measure | Steele County | Minnesota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, ages 18 to 64 | 8.2% | 6.9% | 9.3% | 2023 |
| Taking blood pressure medicine, adults with high blood pressure | 77.8% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Routine checkup in the past year | 74.5% | 75.9% | 78.4% | 2023 |
| Cholesterol screening | 85.2% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Colorectal cancer screening, ages 45 to 75 | 69.2% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Dental visit in the past year | 67.7% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Mammogram, women ages 50 to 74 | 80.2% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Risk Behaviors
| Measure | Steele County | Minnesota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking | 18.0% | 17.0% | 15.1% | 2023 |
| Current smoking | 14.2% | 12.2% | 12.1% | 2023 |
| No leisure-time physical activity | 24.3% | 22.8% | 24.5% | 2023 |
| Short sleep | 28.3% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Status
| Measure | Steele County | Minnesota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health | 16.9% | 15.5% | 18.5% | 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress | 15.1% | 14.2% | 15.4% | 2023 |
| Frequent physical distress | 12.3% | 10.5% | 12.6% | 2023 |
Disability
| Measure | Steele County | Minnesota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability | 12.9% | 11.8% | 13.7% | 2023 |
| Any disability | 28.2% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Hearing disability | 7.7% | 6.6% | 7.4% | 2023 |
| Independent living disability | 7.3% | 6.8% | 7.8% | 2023 |
| Mobility disability | 12.5% | 11.1% | 13.4% | 2023 |
| Self-care disability | 3.4% | 3.1% | 3.7% | 2023 |
| Vision disability | 4.3% | 3.7% | 5.0% | 2023 |
Health-Related Social Needs
| Measure | Steele County | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support | 21.2% | 2023 |
| Food insecurity in the past year | 11.6% | 2023 |
| Received food stamps in the past year | 8.0% | 2023 |
| Housing insecurity in the past year | 9.3% | 2023 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past year | 7.0% | 2023 |
| Loneliness | 30.5% | 2023 |
| Utility shut-off threat in the past year | 5.8% | 2023 |
Source: CDC PLACES county data, as of December 4, 2025. Publisher page
Source: CDC BRFSS prevalence data, as of September 15, 2026. Publisher page
Hospitals and readmission rates
CMS Care Compare lists 1 acute care or critical access hospital in Steele County. None has a readmission rate CMS rates worse than the national rate.
| Hospital | City | Stars | Heart failure | Pneumonia | COPD | Heart attack | Hip or knee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OWATONNA HOSPITAL | OWATONNA | 5 | 22.8% | 16.6% | 19.4% | n/a | 5.0% |
Each rate is the share of patients readmitted within 30 days of discharge, July 2023 to June 2025. "n/a" means CMS did not publish a rate for that hospital.
Source: CMS Care Compare hospital general information, as of August 13, 2026. Publisher page
Source: CMS Care Compare unplanned hospital visits, as of September 30, 2026. Publisher page
Minnesota rural health plan
Minnesota Rural Health Transformation Program
Initiatives, as the state's abstract names them (page 35):
- Community-Based Preventive Care and Chronic Disease Management
- Recruit and Retain Talent in Rural Communities
- Sustain Access to Services to Keep Care Closer to Home
- Create Regional Care Models to Improve Whole Person Health
- Invest in Technology, Infrastructure, and Collaboration for Financial Viability
CMS says the abstract budgets are illustrative and are not award amounts, so none are shown.
Source: CMS Rural Health Transformation Program state project abstracts, as of December 2025. Publisher page
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Neighboring counties
Medicare plans in Steele County, MN
About this data
County rates are CDC PLACES model-based estimates of adults, built from the CDC BRFSS survey and Census population data. State and US figures are BRFSS survey results for the same year. They are not averages of counties, and small differences may not be meaningful.
Shortage rows are HRSA designations with status Designated. Scores run from 0 to 25 (0 to 26 for dental); a higher score means greater need. Hospitals are acute care and critical access hospitals CMS lists in the county, with 30-day rates of unplanned readmission. Health centers are active HRSA-funded and look-alike sites.
Rural health plan initiatives are copied as the state wrote them. Nothing here is medical advice.
Source: CDC PLACES county data, as of December 4, 2025. Publisher page
Source: CDC BRFSS prevalence data, as of September 15, 2026. Publisher page
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page