OBJECTIVES: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and its consequences are largely studied worldwide. The number of diabetic patients is increasing and thus, a growing number of health care resources are needed to cover the treatment of this population. It is also known that in spite of the national treatment guidelines, the recommended HbA1c level (<6.5%/48 mmol/mol) is not always achieved. In order to allocate the resources effectively, local information concerning epidemiological and demographic differences across different jurisdictions must be available. METHODS: A national population-based study (Finriski 2007) was used to estimate the prevalence of diabetes in different geographical areas. The estimated prevalence rates and number of T2D patients were extrapolated to municipal level using demographic data from the official statistics. UKPDS risk equation was used to predict the number of cardiovascular events with and without proper treatment in each municipality. Local risk profile and different HbA1c levels (6.5% (48 mmol/mol) and 8.0% (64 mmol/mol)) were used to illustrate the importance of treating patients to target. A map-based application was built (Tableau 8) to visualize the information to be easily communicated to local authorities and clinicians. RESULTS: A middle-sized Finnish municipality with 74 168 inhabitants (Joensuu) was chosen as a case-example. The estimated number of diabetic patients was 2267, out of which 1678 had T2D. Within three years among patients with T2D, the predicted number of CHD events would be 73 and 57 for HbA1c levels 6.5% and 8.0%, respectively, resulting total of 16 avoidable CHD events. CONCLUSIONS: By bringing the understanding of epidemiology and treatment effects to local level, there is a possibility to show the positive outcomes of good diabetes care in real practice. This information may be used to help budget holders in resource allocation and to motivate authorities, clinicians (and patients) to follow the diabetes treatments guidelines.