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County-Level Health Indicators
The county-level health indicators spreadsheet provides links to county-level health data from various sources. MDH has gathered these indicators to assist Minnesota's local health departments and community health boards in their community health assessment and community health improvement planning processes.
Local health departments and community health boards are not required to use these specific indicators, nor are these indicators intended to represent the only measures that local public health agencies might want or need to examine for a thorough community health assessment and improvement plan.
On this page
Download: County-level health indicators spreadsheet
Help, questions, and feedback
Additional resources
Indicators by category: Primary
Indicators by category: Secondary
Download: County-level health indicators spreadsheet
County-level health indicators (XLS)
- This spreadsheet contains:
Indicator and link to origin
Definition
Data source
Access tips
Considerations for use
Methodology - You can also sort and filter based on:
Whether a demographic breakdown is available
Whether a visualization is available
Primary categories noted below
Secondary categories noted below
Help, questions, and feedback
- Community health assessment help: The MDH Center for Public Health Practice assists local and tribal public health in many areas of local public health practice, including the community health assessment process. Contact the Center for Public Health Practice by email (health.ophp@state.mn.us) or phone (651-201-3880).
- Data technical assistance: The MDH Center for Health Statistics can provide technical assistance with data. Contact staff by email (health.healthstats@state.mn.us) or phone (651-201-3880).
- Feedback: Please use this form if you'd like to provide feedback or comments: County-Level Health Indicators Feedback Form.
Additional resources
- Assessment and planning for local public health: Learn more about the community health assessment and planning process and find resources from the MDH Center for Public Health Practice.
- CARES HQ: Explore the versatile tools on the CARES HQ website. Use the Map Room to generate free county-level maps for thousands of indicators or select Free Assessment Tools to generate a customizable report of your county’s data.
- Creating dynamic presentations: Watch videos on data presentation and slide design from Public Health Learn Link.
- Data equity walk: Plan a data equity walk with these resources from the Education Trust West.
- Data: Quality, analysis, and interpretation: Access information on finding county level data, evaluating data quality, and interpreting and presenting data from the MDH Center for Public Health Practice.
- Data, statistics, and legislation: Find links to various data available from MDH.
- Data visualization tips: Find tips for data visualization from Geckoboard.
- Do no harm guide (PDF): Learn how to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion practices into data analysis and visualization using this guide and the associated checklist from the Urban Institute.
- Health equity data analysis (HEDA): Implement a health equity data analysis (HEDA) using this MDH guide which provides a detailed process for analyzing health inequities in a local jurisdiction.
- Healthy People 2030: Align your efforts with national public health priorities and measurable objectives from Healthy People 2030.
- Indicator criteria matrix: Use this matrix from National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) to organize and evaluate your indicators. This resource is available in NACCHO's MAPP tool repository. To learn how to access NACCHO tools, visit: Instructions for the MAPP network (PDF).
- Secondary data resources from NACCHO: Explore additional secondary data sources, many of which are available at the county-level, with this National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) spreadsheet. This resource is available in NACCHO's MAPP tool repository. To learn how to access NACCHO tools, visit: Instructions for the MAPP network (PDF).
- Tip sheet: Data issues in jurisdictions with small populations (DOC): Read tips for data analysis for communities with small populations in this two-page document from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO).
- Toolkit for community health assessment and planning
Use these community health assessment and community health improvement planning resources gathered by MDH staff.
Indicators by category: Primary
These are major themes MDH has used to organize indicators. Please refer to the spreadsheet County-level health indicators (XLS) for definitions, data sources and links, access tips, considerations for use, and more.
Demographics contains the following indicators:
- Birth and fertility
- Children in single-parent households
- Households
- Income
- K-12th grade English learners
- Life expectancy
- Long-term services and supports demographics
- Population demographics
- Population who speak English less than "very well"
- Population with disability
- Primary home language for K-12th grade students
- Rural health atlas
- Social vulnerability index (SVI)
- Teen birth and pregnancy
- Youth gender identity
- Youth sexual orientation
- Youth with mental health, behavioral, or emotional problems
- Youth with physical disabilities or long term health problems
Economic stability contains the following indicators:
- Child care cost burden
- Children in poverty
- Community resilience estimates
- Cost of living
- Evictions
- Food insecurity
- Free or reduced price lunch eligibility
- Households paying 30% or more of income for housing
- Housing costs
- Income
- Income inequality
- Older adults in poverty
- Poverty
- Poverty, ≤200%
- Rural health atlas
- Social vulnerability index (SVI)
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Unemployment rate
- Value of owner-occupied housing
- Youth who skipped a meal due to lack of money
Education contains the following indicators:
- High school graduation and dropout rates
- K-12th grade English learners
- Population who speak English less than "very well"
- Reading proficiency of 3rd graders
- Social vulnerability index (SVI)
- Youth extracurricular activities
- Youth who feel safe at school
Environment contains the following indicators:
- Air quality
- Drinking water
- Drinking water violations
- Heat-related emergency department visits
- Impaired waters
- Radon levels
Health care access and quality contains the following indicators:
- Adolescent vaccination coverage
- Adult dental care
- Adult influenza vaccination coverage
- Adult mental health services
- Adult routine checkup
- Childhood immunization series completion
- Community resilience estimates
- COVID-19 hospital utilization
- COVID-19 vaccination
- Dental care
- Health insurance coverage
- Healthcare workforce
- Inadequate prenatal care
- Long-term services and supports demographics
- Long-term services and supports performance measures
- Medicaid (Medical Assistance) and Minnesota Health Care Program enrollment
- Minnesota all payer claims database
- Older adult preventive care
- Prenatal care utilization
- Social vulnerability index (SVI)
- Substance use in Minnesota (SUMN)
- Treatment for youth with dental problems
- Youth dentist visits
Health behaviors contains the following indicators:
- Adolescent vaccination coverage
- Adult binge drinking
- Adult dental care
- Adult influenza vaccination coverage
- Adult physical inactivity
- Adult routine checkup
- Adult smoking
- Breastfeeding among WIC participants
- Childhood immunization series completion
- COVID-19 vaccination
- Older adult preventive care
- Sexually active youth
- Substance use in Minnesota (SUMN)
- WIC reports and data
- Youth alcohol use
- Youth binge drinking
- Youth contraceptive use
- Youth fruit consumption
- Youth marijuana use
- Youth motor vehicle use after using alcohol or drugs
- Youth physical activity
- Youth sleep
- Youth tobacco product use
- Youth vape use
- Youth vegetable consumption
Health conditions and outcomes contains the following indicators:
- Adult asthma
- Adult cancer
- Adult COPD
- Adult coronary heart disease
- Adult depression
- Adult diabetes
- Adult fair or poor health
- Adult high blood pressure
- Adult mental health services
- Adult obesity
- Adult poor mental health
- Adult poor physical health
- Child maltreatment
- Childhood lead exposure
- Children in WIC who are overweight or obese
- COVID-19 cases
- COVID-19 community level
- COVID-19 deaths
- COVID-19 hospital utilization
- Drug overdose
- Heat-related emergency department visits
- HIV
- Homicide deaths
- Infant mortality
- Injury hospital and death data (MIDAS)
- Law enforcement intervention deaths
- Leading causes of death
- Leading causes of premature death
- Life expectancy
- Low birth weight births
- Minnesota all payer claims database
- STDs (gonorrhea and chlamydia)
- Substance use in Minnesota (SUMN)
- Suicide deaths
- Unintentional firearm deaths
- WIC reports and data
- Youth adverse childhood event (ACE) scores
- Youth anxiety
- Youth depression
- Youth general health status
- Youth overweight and obese
- Youth suicide attempts
- Youth who seriously considered suicide
- Youth with mental health, behavioral, or emotional problems
- Youth with physical disabilities or long term health problems
Neighborhood, housing, and transportation contains the following indicators:
- Childhood lead exposure
- Children in out-of-home care
- Community resilience estimates
- COVID-19 community level
- Drinking water violations
- Evictions
- Food insecurity
- Homelessness and housing support
- Homicide deaths
- Households paying 30% or more of income for housing
- Households with a computer
- Households with broadband internet
- Housing costs
- Housing occupied by owner
- Housing vacancy
- Law enforcement intervention deaths
- Livability index
- Means of transportation to work
- Older adults with no computer
- Park access
- Public transportation list
- Public transportation map
- Radon levels
- Social vulnerability index (SVI)
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Travel time to work
- Unintentional firearm deaths
- Value of owner-occupied housing
- Vehicle crashes
- Vehicles per household
- Violent crime arrests
- Walkability index
- Youth foster care
- Youth fruit consumption
- Youth home computer access
- Youth home internet access
- Youth housing insecurity
- Youth vegetable consumption
- Youth who feel safe in their neighborhood
Social and community support contains the following indicators:
- Child care assistance program
- Community resilience estimates
- Disconnected youth
- Long-term services and supports demographics
- Long-term services and supports performance measures
- Membership associations
- Social vulnerability index (SVI)
- Substance use in Minnesota (SUMN)
- Voter turnout
- WIC reports and data
- Youth barriers to extracurricular activities
- Youth bullying
- Youth extracurricular activities
- Youth who feel cared about
- Youth who feel safe at home
- Youth who feel safe at school
- Youth who feel safe in their neighborhood
- Youth who feel valued and appreciated
- Youth with parents or guardians currently in jail or prison
- Youth with parents or guardians in jail or prison in the past
Indicators by category: Secondary
These are more focused themes MDH has used to organize indicators, including specific populations or health topics. Please refer to the spreadsheet County-level health indicators (XLS) for definitions, data sources and links, access tips, considerations for use, and more.
Adults contains the following indicators:
- Adult asthma
- Adult binge drinking
- Adult cancer
- Adult COPD
- Adult coronary heart disease
- Adult dental care
- Adult depression
- Adult diabetes
- Adult fair or poor health
- Adult high blood pressure
- Adult influenza vaccination coverage
- Adult mental health services
- Adult obesity
- Adult physical inactivity
- Adult poor mental health
- Adult poor physical health
- Adult routine checkup
- Adult smoking
- Dental care
- Health insurance coverage
- Medicaid (Medical Assistance) and Minnesota Health Care Program enrollment
- Population demographics
- Substance use in Minnesota (SUMN)
- Violent crime arrests
- Voter turnout
Children and adolescents contains the following indicators:
- Adolescent vaccination coverage
- Child care assistance program
- Child care cost burden
- Child maltreatment
- Childhood immunization series completion
- Childhood lead exposure
- Children in out-of-home care
- Children in poverty
- Children in single-parent households
- Children in WIC who are overweight or obese
- Dental care
- Disconnected youth
- Free or reduced price lunch eligibility
- Health insurance coverage
- High school graduation and dropout rates
- K-12th grade English learners
- Population demographics
- Primary home language for K-12th grade students
- Reading proficiency of 3rd graders
- Sexually active youth
- Substance use in Minnesota (SUMN)
- Teen birth and pregnancy
- Treatment for youth with dental problems
- Violent crime arrests
- WIC reports and data
- Youth adverse childhood event (ACE) scores
- Youth alcohol use
- Youth anxiety
- Youth barriers to extracurricular activities
- Youth binge drinking
- Youth bullying
- Youth contraceptive use
- Youth dentist visits
- Youth depression
- Youth extracurricular activities
- Youth foster care
- Youth fruit consumption
- Youth gender identity
- Youth general health status
- Youth home computer access
- Youth home internet access
- Youth housing insecurity
- Youth marijuana use
- Youth motor vehicle use after using alcohol or drugs
- Youth overweight and obese
- Youth physical activity
- Youth sexual orientation
- Youth sleep
- Youth suicide attempts
- Youth tobacco product use
- Youth vape use
- Youth vegetable consumption
- Youth who feel cared about
- Youth who feel safe at home
- Youth who feel safe at school
- Youth who feel safe in their neighborhood
- Youth who feel valued and appreciated
- Youth who seriously considered suicide
- Youth who skipped a meal due to lack of money
- Youth with mental health, behavioral, or emotional problems
- Youth with parents or guardians currently in jail or prison
- Youth with parents or guardians in jail or prison in the past
- Youth with physical disabilities or long term health problems
Disability contains the following indicators:
- Long-term services and supports demographics
- Long-term services and supports performance measures
- Medicaid (Medical Assistance) and Minnesota Health Care Program enrollment
- Population with disability
- Youth with physical disabilities or long term health problems
Family contains the following indicators:
- Birth and fertility
- Breastfeeding among WIC participants
- Child care assistance program
- Child care cost burden
- Child maltreatment
- Children in out-of-home care
- Children in single-parent households
- Primary home language for K-12th grade students
- Teen birth and pregnancy
- WIC reports and data
- Youth adverse childhood event (ACE) scores
- Youth foster care
- Youth housing insecurity
- Youth who feel cared about
- Youth who feel safe at home
- Youth who skipped a meal due to lack of money
- Youth with parents or guardians currently in jail or prison
- Youth with parents or guardians in jail or prison in the past
Infants contains the following indicators:
- Birth and fertility
- Breastfeeding among WIC participants
- Inadequate prenatal care
- Infant mortality
- Low birth weight births
- Prenatal care utilization
- WIC reports and data
Mental health contains the following indicators:
- Adult depression
- Adult mental health services
- Adult poor mental health
- Substance use in Minnesota (SUMN)
- Suicide deaths
- Youth adverse childhood event (ACE) scores
- Youth anxiety
- Youth depression
- Youth suicide attempts
- Youth who feel cared about
- Youth who feel valued and appreciated
- Youth who seriously considered suicide
- Youth with mental health, behavioral, or emotional problems
Nutrition and healthy eating contains the following indicators:
- Food insecurity
- Free or reduced price lunch eligibility
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- WIC reports and data
- Youth fruit consumption
- Youth vegetable consumption
- Youth who skipped a meal due to lack of money
Older adults contains the following indicators:
- Health insurance coverage
- Livability index
- Long-term services and supports demographics
- Long-term services and supports performance measures
- Medicaid (Medical Assistance) and Minnesota Health Care Program enrollment
- Older adult preventive care
- Older adults in poverty
- Older adults with no computer
- Population demographics
- Substance use in Minnesota (SUMN)
Oral health contains the following indicators:
- Adult dental care
- Dental care
- Treatment for youth with dental problems
- Youth dentist visits
Overweight and obesity contains the following indicators:
- Adult obesity
- Children in WIC who are overweight or obese
- Food insecurity
- WIC reports and data
- Youth overweight and obese
Physical activity contains the following indicators:
- Adult physical inactivity
- Park access
- Walkability index
- Youth physical activity
Safety contains the following indicators:
- Child maltreatment
- Children in out-of-home care
- Homicide deaths
- Injury hospital and death data (MIDAS)
- Law enforcement intervention deaths
- Substance use in Minnesota (SUMN)
- Suicide deaths
- Unintentional firearm deaths
- Vehicle crashes
- Violent crime arrests
- Youth adverse childhood event (ACE) scores
- Youth bullying
- Youth housing insecurity
- Youth who feel safe at home
- Youth who feel safe at school
- Youth who feel safe in their neighborhood
Sexual and reproductive health contains the following indicators:
- Birth and fertility
- Breastfeeding among WIC participants
- HIV
- Inadequate prenatal care
- Prenatal care utilization
- Sexually active youth
- STDs (gonorrhea and chlamydia)
- Teen birth and pregnancy
- WIC reports and data
- Youth contraceptive use
Substance use contains the following indicators:
- Adult binge drinking
- Adult smoking
- Drug overdose
- Injury hospital and death data (MIDAS)
- Substance use in Minnesota (SUMN)
- Vehicle crashes
- Youth alcohol use
- Youth binge drinking
- Youth marijuana use
- Youth motor vehicle use after using alcohol or drugs
- Youth tobacco product use
- Youth vape use