County health data
Benson County, ND
CDC PLACES estimates diabetes at 15.4% of adults in Benson County (North Dakota: 9.5%). This county has 9 HRSA shortage designations (3 area or population, 6 facility).
License: a US government work, in the public domain (Public Domain Mark 1.0).
For help with food, housing, utilities, or rides in Benson County, call 211 or visit 211.org.
Health measures compared with the state
40 measures for adults in Benson County (about 3,810 adults). 24 have a North Dakota figure from the same survey.
Largest differences from the North Dakota figure: fair or poor health 26.4% vs 15.3% (+11.1 points), no leisure-time physical activity 31.3% vs 21.5% (+9.8 points), and current smoking 22.0% vs 13.4% (+8.6 points).
Health Outcomes
| Measure | Benson County | North Dakota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 30.3% | 26.0% | 26.3% | 2023 |
| High blood pressure | 40.3% | 31.8% | 34.0% | 2023 |
| Cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer | 8.2% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Current asthma | 12.4% | 10.1% | 10.2% | 2023 |
| Coronary heart disease | 9.0% | 3.9% | 4.0% | 2023 |
| COPD | 9.8% | 5.2% | 6.3% | 2023 |
| Depression | 21.5% | 22.3% | 21.8% | 2023 |
| Diagnosed diabetes | 15.4% | 9.5% | 11.8% | 2023 |
| High cholesterol, adults ever screened | 37.5% | 35.1% | 37.2% | 2023 |
| Obesity | 43.3% | 35.6% | 34.4% | 2023 |
| Stroke | 4.8% | 2.6% | 3.3% | 2023 |
| All teeth lost, ages 65 and older | 22.8% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Prevention
| Measure | Benson County | North Dakota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, ages 18 to 64 | 9.8% | 6.0% | 9.3% | 2023 |
| Taking blood pressure medicine, adults with high blood pressure | 78.1% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Routine checkup in the past year | 75.3% | 75.7% | 78.4% | 2023 |
| Cholesterol screening | 80.1% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Colorectal cancer screening, ages 45 to 75 | 58.6% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Dental visit in the past year | 50.4% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Mammogram, women ages 50 to 74 | 67.7% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Risk Behaviors
| Measure | Benson County | North Dakota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking | 17.9% | 21.2% | 15.1% | 2023 |
| Current smoking | 22.0% | 13.4% | 12.1% | 2023 |
| No leisure-time physical activity | 31.3% | 21.5% | 24.5% | 2023 |
| Short sleep | 39.9% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Status
| Measure | Benson County | North Dakota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health | 26.4% | 15.3% | 18.5% | 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress | 17.3% | 13.1% | 15.4% | 2023 |
| Frequent physical distress | 16.7% | 10.3% | 12.6% | 2023 |
Disability
| Measure | Benson County | North Dakota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability | 17.2% | 11.9% | 13.7% | 2023 |
| Any disability | 39.2% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Hearing disability | 11.3% | 8.7% | 7.4% | 2023 |
| Independent living disability | 11.4% | 6.7% | 7.8% | 2023 |
| Mobility disability | 18.5% | 10.7% | 13.4% | 2023 |
| Self-care disability | 5.5% | 3.1% | 3.7% | 2023 |
| Vision disability | 8.0% | 4.0% | 5.0% | 2023 |
Health-Related Social Needs
| Measure | Benson County | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support | 24.9% | 2023 |
| Food insecurity in the past year | 23.5% | 2023 |
| Received food stamps in the past year | 16.6% | 2023 |
| Housing insecurity in the past year | 16.5% | 2023 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past year | 13.2% | 2023 |
| Loneliness | 30.3% | 2023 |
| Utility shut-off threat in the past year | 11.8% | 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
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Health professional shortage areas
HRSA, the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, designates Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs): places, population groups, or facilities with too few primary care, mental health, or dental providers. An area designation covers a geographic area or a population group, such as low-income residents. A facility designation covers one site, such as a health center or clinic. Each has a score from 0 to 25 (0 to 26 for dental); a higher score means greater need.
HRSA lists 9 designated shortage rows in Benson County: primary care 3 (highest score 20), mental health 3 (highest score 17), and dental 3 (highest score 24). 3 cover a geographic area or population group; the other 6 are facility designations.
| Discipline | Area or population | Facility | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary care | 1 | 2 | 20 |
| mental health | 1 | 2 | 17 |
| dental | 1 | 2 | 24 |
Area and population designations
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Lake Nation | primary care | Geographic HPSA | 17 |
| Region III Devils Lake Catchment | mental health | High Needs Geographic HPSA | 16 |
| Spirit Lake Nation | dental | Geographic HPSA | 16 |
Facility designations (6)
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPIRIT LAKE HEALTH CENTER | dental | Indian Health Service, Tribal Health, and Urban Indian Health Organizations | 24 |
| SPIRIT LAKE HEALTH CENTER | primary care | Indian Health Service, Tribal Health, and Urban Indian Health Organizations | 20 |
| HEART OF AMERICA JOHNSON CLINIC - MADDOCK | dental | Rural Health Clinic | 18 |
| HEART OF AMERICA JOHNSON CLINIC - MADDOCK | primary care | Rural Health Clinic | 17 |
| SPIRIT LAKE HEALTH CENTER | mental health | Indian Health Service, Tribal Health, and Urban Indian Health Organizations | 17 |
| HEART OF AMERICA JOHNSON CLINIC - MADDOCK | mental health | Rural Health Clinic | 16 |
In the Type column, a Geographic HPSA covers everyone in the area; and a High Needs Geographic HPSA is a geographic designation that also meets HRSA's added tests for high need.
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
North Dakota rural health plan
North Dakota Rural Health Transformation Program
Initiatives, as the state's abstract names them (page 52):
- Strengthen and Stabilize Rural Health Workforce
- Make North Dakota Healthy Again
- Bring High-Quality Health Care Closer to Home
- Connect Tech, Data and Providers for a Stronger ND
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
Neighboring counties
Medicare plans in Benson County, ND
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 accesshospitals 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