County health data

Foster County, ND

CDC PLACES estimates diabetes at 11.8% of adults in Foster County (North Dakota: 9.5%). This county has 1 HRSA shortage designation and 1 hospital.

License. US government work, Public Domain Mark 1.0.

For help with food, housing, utilities, or rides in Foster County, call 211 or visit 211.org.

Health measures compared with the state

40 measures for adults in Foster County (about 2,554 adults). 24 have a North Dakota figure from the same survey.

Largest differences from the North Dakota figure: high blood pressure 37.8% vs 31.8% (+6.0 points), arthritis 31.2% vs 26.0% (+5.2 points), and coronary heart disease 7.8% vs 3.9% (+3.9 points).

Health Outcomes

Health Outcomes, Foster County, ND and North Dakota
MeasureFoster CountyNorth DakotaUSYear
Arthritis31.2%26.0%26.3%2023
High blood pressure37.8%31.8%34.0%2023
Cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer10.8%n/an/a2023
Current asthma10.0%10.1%10.2%2023
Coronary heart disease7.8%3.9%4.0%2023
COPD7.2%5.2%6.3%2023
Depression19.8%22.3%21.8%2023
Diagnosed diabetes11.8%9.5%11.8%2023
High cholesterol, adults ever screened38.4%35.1%37.2%2023
Obesity35.7%35.6%34.4%2023
Stroke3.8%2.6%3.3%2023
All teeth lost, ages 65 and older9.1%n/an/a2022

Prevention

Prevention, Foster County, ND and North Dakota
MeasureFoster CountyNorth DakotaUSYear
No health insurance, ages 18 to 646.6%6.0%9.3%2023
Taking blood pressure medicine, adults with high blood pressure80.9%n/an/a2023
Routine checkup in the past year77.1%75.7%78.4%2023
Cholesterol screening86.3%n/an/a2023
Colorectal cancer screening, ages 45 to 7568.8%n/an/a2022
Dental visit in the past year65.9%n/an/a2022
Mammogram, women ages 50 to 7476.9%n/an/a2022

Health Risk Behaviors

Health Risk Behaviors, Foster County, ND and North Dakota
MeasureFoster CountyNorth DakotaUSYear
Binge drinking19.2%21.2%15.1%2023
Current smoking13.3%13.4%12.1%2023
No leisure-time physical activity24.4%21.5%24.5%2023
Short sleep31.0%n/an/a2022

Health Status

Health Status, Foster County, ND and North Dakota
MeasureFoster CountyNorth DakotaUSYear
Fair or poor health17.2%15.3%18.5%2023
Frequent mental distress13.1%13.1%15.4%2023
Frequent physical distress12.7%10.3%12.6%2023

Disability

Disability, Foster County, ND and North Dakota
MeasureFoster CountyNorth DakotaUSYear
Cognitive disability11.7%11.9%13.7%2023
Any disability29.2%n/an/a2023
Hearing disability9.6%8.7%7.4%2023
Independent living disability7.3%6.7%7.8%2023
Mobility disability13.6%10.7%13.4%2023
Self-care disability3.6%3.1%3.7%2023
Vision disability4.4%4.0%5.0%2023

Health-Related Social Needs

Health-Related Social Needs, Foster County, ND and North Dakota
MeasureFoster CountyYear
Lack of social and emotional support19.6%2023
Food insecurity in the past year9.3%2023
Received food stamps in the past year5.9%2023
Housing insecurity in the past year7.6%2023
Lack of reliable transportation in the past year5.6%2023
Loneliness27.9%2023
Utility shut-off threat in the past year5.1%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

Health professional shortage areas

HRSA lists 1 designated shortage row in Foster County: mental health 1 (highest score 14). It covers a geographic area or population group.

HRSA shortage designations by discipline
DisciplineArea or populationFacilityHighest score
mental health1014

Area and population designations

Area and population shortage designations
DesignationDisciplineTypeScore
Jamestown Mental Health Catchment Areamental healthHigh Needs Geographic HPSA14

Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page

Hospitals and readmission rates

CMS Care Compare lists 1 acute care or critical access hospital in Foster County, 1 of them critical access. None has a readmission rate CMS rates worse than the national rate.

Hospitals with 30-day readmission rates
HospitalCityStarsHeart failurePneumoniaCOPDHeart attackHip or knee
CARRINGTON HEALTH CENTERCritical accessCARRINGTONn/an/a18.2%n/an/an/a

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

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

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Neighboring counties

Medicare plans in Foster 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 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

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