ZIP code
01603
in Worcester, MassachusettsPopulation 20,868
45.32/ 100
Ranked #22,081 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 31%)
Ranked #501 of 527 Massachusetts ZIPs (bottom 5.0%)
Ranked #110 of 112 Worcester, MA-CT ZIPs (bottom 1.8%)
Ranks are modeled estimates — ZIPs a few hundred places apart are effectively tied.
What defines this ZIP
Metrics where this ZIP sits in the tails of the national distribution — the ones that most set it apart. Select any tile for its definition and methodology.
Mental-health provider access
0.22 per 1,000 residents
in the top 3.5% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST95thUS97thDefinition & source ›
The number of mental-health clinics located inside this ZIP’s boundary, per 1,000 residents.
Counted from establishments located inside this ZIP’s boundary, so one just across the line is not counted. Where a ZIP has too few residents for the density to be reliable, no value is published rather than an unreliable one.
Full methodology ›Households without a vehicle
21.4%
in the top 4.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST91stUS96thDefinition & source ›
The share of households with no vehicle available.
Full methodology ›Walkability
150 intersections/sq mi
in the top 4.9% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST86thUS95thDefinition & source ›
The number of street intersections per square mile — a standard street-connectivity measure; denser networks correlate with more walkable neighborhoods.
Full methodology ›PFAS in drinking water
100%
at the national maximum
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The share of residents served by public water systems where PFAS — man-made “forever chemicals” that build up in the body and environment instead of breaking down — were detected in EPA testing.
Measured from EPA records for the public water systems that serve this ZIP. Households on private wells — roughly 30% of the US population — are not covered by this measure, and this figure says nothing about their water.
Full methodology ›Mammography
82%
in the top 4.0% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST25thUS96thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of women aged 50–74 who had a mammogram within the past two years.
Full methodology ›Loneliness
38.4%
in the top 7.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST92ndUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who report feeling lonely.
Full methodology ›Lack of transportation
13.9%
in the top 8.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who lacked reliable transportation in the past 12 months.
Full methodology ›Homeownership rate
49.5%
in the bottom 8.8% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST16thUS9thDefinition & source ›
The share of occupied homes that are owned, rather than rented, by the people living in them.
Full methodology ›Grocery access
0.18 per 1,000 residents
in the top 8.8% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST88thUS91stDefinition & source ›
The number of full supermarkets inside this ZIP’s boundary, per 1,000 residents.
Counted from establishments located inside this ZIP’s boundary, so one just across the line is not counted. Where a ZIP has too few residents for the density to be reliable, no value is published rather than an unreliable one. ZipVitals’s food-access signal is derived from these in-ZIP densities — it is not USDA’s food-desert designation, which measures distance to the nearest supermarket. Where a leg is missing, a ZIP reads “not determinable,” never “not a food desert.”
Full methodology ›Transportation noise
9.4%
in the top 9.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST75thUS91stDefinition & source ›
The modeled share of residents exposed to average road, rail, and aviation noise at or above 55 decibels — a noticeable background presence.
Full methodology ›The read
ZIP 01603, one of several in Worcester, Massachusetts, overall, ranks in the bottom 31% nationally (22,081st) and the bottom 5.0% of Massachusetts (501st).
Reading the numbers as a whole, the picture lands somewhere in between: mental-health providers rests in the top 3.5% nationally, walkability registers in the top 4.9% nationally, and modeled mammography resides in the top 4.0% nationally. Grocery settles in the top 8.8% nationally. On the other side, households without a vehicle is in the top 4.1% nationally, and PFAS in drinking water sits at the national maximum. Modeled loneliness lands in the top 7.5% nationally, and transportation lies in the top 8.3% nationally. Homeownership stands in the bottom 8.8% nationally, and modeled transportation noise rests in the top 9.5% nationally.
Measured against the nearby ZIPs, park land runs far lower than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Defined simply, PFAS in drinking water is the family of man-made "forever chemicals" that build up in the body and environment instead of breaking down. Transportation noise is the modeled share of an area exposed to average road, rail, and air noise at or above 55 decibels. ZIP 01501, just across the boundary, comes out healthier overall.
What’s driving this score
Nine domains make up the ZipVitals Score — here is how this ZIP does on each, and how much each one counts. Compare it against the US, this state and the Worcester, MA-CT metro area.
Compared with the ZIP codes measured across all nine scoring domains — not with all US ZIP codes.
Lifting this score
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 68%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 89%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 58%
21%
Preventive Care
healthier than 45%
13%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 6%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 25%
14%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 20%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 15%
8%
Disability
healthier than 30%
7%
Lifting this score
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 66%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 87%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 23%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 5%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 35%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 11%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 6%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 12%
8%
Disability
healthier than 7%
7%
Lifting this score
Healthcare Access
healthier than 84%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 17%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 3%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 36%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 4%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 5%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 13%
8%
Disability
healthier than 3%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 38%
5%
“Share” is how much of this ZIP’s score the domain accounts for. Percentages are rounded; higher is healthier in every domain. How the score works, and who it compares you with ›
Findings that name this ZIP
One of our published findings lists this ZIP code. Each finding compares one published measure against a stated benchmark, and names only the ZIP codes whose estimates are reliable enough to rank. See all surprising findings.
Below its nearby ZIPs
The ZIP codes that outlive their neighbors
Estimated life expectancy is 77.8 ± 1.5 years. The 50 nearest ZIP codes with estimates average 80.6 years — 2.8 years below them.
Ranked #2,194 of the 3,687 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by years above the nearby-ZIP average, highest first.
Nearby & similar ZIPs
Editorially selected — see how this ZIP compares to nearby and similar places.
Nearby
01501
Massachusettsshares a border
Score 57.63
Closest healthier
01524
Massachusettsshares a border
Score 55.12
Similar health profile
01119
Massachusetts99% similar profile
Score 44.87
How these were chosen: only ZIPs with a published Score appear — a nearby ZIP with too little data to score won’t. Nearby means closest by distance between ZIP boundaries, which can cross state lines. A similar health profile is a close match across the nine Score domains, not similar demographics. Distances are measured between ZIP boundaries — ZIPs that touch share a border. How distance is measured
Evidence
Every measure this page draws on, by source. Collapsed by default — the full data stays in the page for search engines either way.
Health OutcomesCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Arthritis among adults | 24.7% | 22.6–26.9 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 34.1% | 31.3–36.8 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 6.0% | 5.5–6.6 |
| Current asthma among adults | 12.6% | 11.3–14.0 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 6.3% | 5.8–7.0 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 7.4% | 6.7–8.2 |
| Depression among adults | 25.4% | 22.7–28.2 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 13.2% | 11.8–14.7 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 34.1% | 31.3–36.9 |
| Obesity among adults | 36.4% | 32.2–40.8 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.6% | 3.3–3.9 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 19.8% | 16.6–22.9 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 9.9% | 8.5–11.4 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 72.6% | 70.1–75.2 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 79.5% | 76.9–82.0 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 85.3% | 83.6–86.9 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 61.9% | 57.9–65.4 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 58.9% | 55.8–61.7 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 82.0% | 76.8–86.0 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 16.2% | 14.2–18.5 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 16.2% | 14.4–18.1 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 32.5% | 29.2–35.8 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 38.7% | 34.6–42.5 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 24.9% | 22.6–27.2 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 20.0% | 18.1–21.9 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 16.0% | 14.5–17.6 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 19.1% | 17.2–20.9 |
| Any disability among adults | 34.3% | 31.2–37.4 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 6.2% | 5.5–6.9 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 10.6% | 9.5–11.6 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 15.3% | 13.8–17.0 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 4.9% | 4.6–5.4 |
| Vision disability among adults | 7.2% | 6.6–7.7 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 29.6% | 26.7–32.7 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 26.1% | 23.5–28.7 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 29.8% | 27.2–32.6 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 19.6% | 17.6–21.8 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 13.9% | 12.5–15.4 |
| Loneliness among adults | 38.4% | 35.1–41.9 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 13.5% | 12.0–15.1 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | MA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 17.8% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 6.4% (2.6–16.9%) n=524 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 6.8% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 2.4% (0.0–6.3%) n=525 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 16.1% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 4.7% (1.1–15.2%) n=526 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 24.1% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 45.7% (23.6–77.5%) n=526 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 7.1% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.4% (1.6–7.9%) n=523 |
| Households without a vehicle | 21.4% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 4.6% (0.4–20.2%) n=522 |
| Broadband subscription | 91.5% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 94.1% (87.2–98.4%) n=522 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 39.9% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 30.5% (21.2–43.7%) n=522 |
| Homeownership rate | 49.5% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 79.1% (39.6–93.5%) n=522 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 2.3% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.1% (0.0–3.8%) n=522 |
| Foreign-born population | 26.0% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 8.7% (1.9–28.4%) n=527 |
| Single-parent households | 34.2% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 52.5% (40.0–68.7%) n=520 |
| Population 65+ | 13.0% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 19.4% (12.1–33.8%) n=527 |
| Median age | 35.1 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 43.5 yr (34.3–57.2) n=524 |
| Median household income | $66,049 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $110,450 ($68,196–$177,335) n=505 |
| Median home value | $331,300 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $519,200 ($297,220–$949,670) n=508 |
| Median gross rent | $1,372 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $1,659 ($1,104–$2,452) n=461 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | MA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 77.8 yr ± 0.78 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 81.3 yr (78.1–84.4) n=514 |
About the ± — it’s this estimate’s give-or-take (statisticians call it the standard error). The true life expectancy for this ZIP most likely falls within 0.78 years of 77.8, and it’s very unlikely to be off by more than twice that.
More ZIPs to explore ▾More ZIPs to explore ▴
How these lists were built: they draw only from ZIPs that have a published Score, so ZIPs with too little data to score are not listed. Distance-based lists use distance between ZIP boundaries with no state filter, so an out-of-state ZIP can appear. Statistically similar means a close match across the nine Score domains, not a demographic match: the measure is the cosine similarity between two ZIPs’ domain scores, taken over the domains both ZIPs have data for and only where that overlap covers at least six of the nine — and where no ZIP clears that minimum-overlap floor, that list is left out rather than filled with a weak match. How distance is measured