County health data
Steele County, ND
CDC PLACES estimates diabetes at 12.7% of adults in Steele County (North Dakota: 9.5%). This county has 2 HRSA shortage designations.
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 1,384 adults). 24 have a North Dakota figure from the same survey.
Largest differences from the North Dakota figure: high blood pressure 38.8% vs 31.8% (+7.0 points), arthritis 32.0% vs 26.0% (+6.0 points), and coronary heart disease 8.7% vs 3.9% (+4.8 points).
Health Outcomes
| Measure | Steele County | North Dakota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 32.0% | 26.0% | 26.3% | 2023 |
| High blood pressure | 38.8% | 31.8% | 34.0% | 2023 |
| Cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer | 11.1% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Current asthma | 9.8% | 10.1% | 10.2% | 2023 |
| Coronary heart disease | 8.7% | 3.9% | 4.0% | 2023 |
| COPD | 7.9% | 5.2% | 6.3% | 2023 |
| Depression | 19.5% | 22.3% | 21.8% | 2023 |
| Diagnosed diabetes | 12.7% | 9.5% | 11.8% | 2023 |
| High cholesterol, adults ever screened | 39.6% | 35.1% | 37.2% | 2023 |
| Obesity | 35.0% | 35.6% | 34.4% | 2023 |
| Stroke | 4.1% | 2.6% | 3.3% | 2023 |
| All teeth lost, ages 65 and older | 12.5% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Prevention
| Measure | Steele County | North Dakota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, ages 18 to 64 | 7.1% | 6.0% | 9.3% | 2023 |
| Taking blood pressure medicine, adults with high blood pressure | 81.5% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Routine checkup in the past year | 77.3% | 75.7% | 78.4% | 2023 |
| Cholesterol screening | 86.3% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Colorectal cancer screening, ages 45 to 75 | 67.0% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Dental visit in the past year | 67.1% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Mammogram, women ages 50 to 74 | 75.9% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Risk Behaviors
| Measure | Steele County | North Dakota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking | 18.5% | 21.2% | 15.1% | 2023 |
| Current smoking | 14.2% | 13.4% | 12.1% | 2023 |
| No leisure-time physical activity | 24.9% | 21.5% | 24.5% | 2023 |
| Short sleep | 30.7% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Status
| Measure | Steele County | North Dakota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health | 18.3% | 15.3% | 18.5% | 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress | 13.1% | 13.1% | 15.4% | 2023 |
| Frequent physical distress | 13.2% | 10.3% | 12.6% | 2023 |
Disability
| Measure | Steele County | North Dakota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability | 12.0% | 11.9% | 13.7% | 2023 |
| Any disability | 31.4% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Hearing disability | 10.4% | 8.7% | 7.4% | 2023 |
| Independent living disability | 7.6% | 6.7% | 7.8% | 2023 |
| Mobility disability | 14.5% | 10.7% | 13.4% | 2023 |
| Self-care disability | 3.9% | 3.1% | 3.7% | 2023 |
| Vision disability | 4.7% | 4.0% | 5.0% | 2023 |
Health-Related Social Needs
| Measure | Steele County | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support | 19.9% | 2023 |
| Food insecurity in the past year | 10.2% | 2023 |
| Received food stamps in the past year | 6.6% | 2023 |
| Housing insecurity in the past year | 7.9% | 2023 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past year | 5.8% | 2023 |
| Loneliness | 27.6% | 2023 |
| Utility shut-off threat in the past year | 5.3% | 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 2 designated shortage rows in Steele County: mental health 1 (highest score 13) and dental 1 (highest score 13). All of them cover a geographic area or population group.
| Discipline | Area or population | Facility | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| mental health | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| dental | 1 | 0 | 13 |
Area and population designations
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steele County | mental health | High Needs Geographic HPSA | 13 |
| Griggs & Steele Counties | dental | Geographic HPSA | 13 |
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
For health centers, health departments, and nonprofits
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Neighboring counties
Medicare plans in Steele 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