ZIP code
02558
in Onset, MassachusettsPopulation 1,734
51.95/ 100
Ranked #13,514 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 42%)
Ranked #449 of 527 Massachusetts ZIPs (bottom 14.9%)
Ranked #258 of 281 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH ZIPs (bottom 8.2%)
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.
Mammography
84.7%
in the top 0.8% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST70thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of women aged 50–74 who had a mammogram within the past two years.
Full methodology ›PFOS in drinking water
100%
at the national maximum
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The share of residents served by public water systems where PFOS, one of the most common “forever chemicals,” was 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 ›Fatal road crashes
0 per 100,000 residents per year
at the national minimum
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & source ›
The annual rate of fatal road crashes per 100,000 residents, pooled over a ten-year window.
A rate per resident population. Where a ZIP has too few residents for the rate to be reliable — about 30% of US ZIPs — no value is published rather than an unstable one; those ZIPs are absent from this comparison, not counted as crash-free.
Full methodology ›Floodplain exposure
57.4%
in the top 2.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST98thUS97thDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area inside FEMA’s 1%-annual-chance floodplain — the “100-year” flood zone, where flooding has about a 1-in-100 chance in any given year.
Measured from FEMA’s mapped flood panels. Where a panel has not been mapped, no value is published for that ZIP — those ZIPs are absent from this comparison rather than counted as unexposed.
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 ›Outer-floodplain exposure
4.6%
in the top 7.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST87thUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area inside FEMA’s 0.2%-annual-chance flood band — the “500-year” zone, a lower but real 1-in-500 yearly chance.
Measured from FEMA’s mapped flood panels. Where a panel has not been mapped, no value is published for that ZIP — those ZIPs are absent from this comparison rather than counted as unexposed.
Full methodology ›Unemployment rate
10.9%
in the top 8.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The share of the civilian labor force that is unemployed.
Full methodology ›Households without a vehicle
13.9%
in the top 8.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST84thUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The share of households with no vehicle available.
Full methodology ›Colon-cancer screening
72.5%
in the top 8.9% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST57thUS91stDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 45–75 who are up to date on colorectal-cancer screening.
Full methodology ›Expected annual disaster loss
$0
in the bottom 12.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST10thUS12thDefinition & source ›
FEMA’s modeled estimate, in dollars per year, of the average harm to people expected from natural hazards — an annualized average, not a forecast for any single year.
Full methodology ›Cross-source signals
Combined exposures in this ZIP
More than one environmental exposure stands out in this ZIP. Each is established independently and shown on its own above; they are grouped here for context — not because one causes the other.
This area ranks among the highest 10% of US ZIP codes for both flood exposure and the share of households without a vehicle.
See the full flooding, evacuation & humid-heat analysis →
The read
In overall standing, Onset, Massachusetts (ZIP 02558) comes out in the top 42% healthiest ZIPs nationally (13,514th) and the bottom 14.9% of Massachusetts (449th).
Both sides of the picture show up plainly in this area's numbers: modeled mammography sits in the top 0.8% nationally, fatal road crashes settles at the national minimum, and walkability registers in the top 10.7% nationally. Modeled colon screening stands in the top 8.9% nationally. By contrast, PFOS in drinking water lands at the national maximum, and floodplain exposure is in the top 2.9% nationally. PFAS in drinking water resides at the national maximum, and outer-floodplain exposure rests in the top 7.8% nationally. Unemployment lies in the top 8.0% nationally, and households without a vehicle sits in the top 8.3% nationally.
Relative to the ZIPs around it, outer-floodplain exposure runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. In plain terms, PFOS in drinking water is a common one of the man-made "forever chemicals" that build up in the body and environment instead of breaking down. PFAS in drinking water is the family of man-made "forever chemicals" that build up in the body and environment instead of breaking down. Floodplain exposure is land with about a 1-in-100 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "100-year floodplain". The nearest healthier ZIP overall is ZIP 02532, just across the boundary.
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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area.
Compared with the ZIP codes measured across all nine scoring domains — not with all US ZIP codes.
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 93%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 97%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 68%
11%
About typical
Disability
healthier than 51%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 54%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 35%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 37%
16%
Mental Health
healthier than 31%
8%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 10%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 97%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 62%
13%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 7%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 19%
16%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 31%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 30%
8%
Disability
healthier than 16%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 2%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 29%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
in the top 0.4%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 68%
13%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 1%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 11%
16%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 19%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 16%
8%
Disability
healthier than 9%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 2%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 33%
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.
Clean environment, heavy chronic burden
Where the environment and chronic illness point in opposite directions
Environmental-hazard standing 92.9 (top 10%); chronic-disease standing 35.2 — 58 points apart, cleaner on the environment than it is on chronic illness.
Ranked #1,905 of the 18,187 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by the gap from cleanest environment to heaviest chronic burden, highest first.
Nearby & similar ZIPs
Editorially selected — see how this ZIP compares to nearby and similar places.
Nearby
02532
Massachusettsshares a border
Score 59.31
Closest healthier
02538
Massachusettsshares a border
Score 55.64
Similar health profile
48609
Michigan98% similar profile
Score 51.70
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 | 32.1% | 29.0–35.0 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 36.4% | 32.8–39.4 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 11.2% | 10.1–12.2 |
| Current asthma among adults | 12.8% | 11.3–14.2 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 7.8% | 6.9–8.7 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 8.4% | 7.1–9.7 |
| Depression among adults | 25.0% | 21.8–27.9 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 12.1% | 10.4–13.8 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 41.0% | 37.3–44.1 |
| Obesity among adults | 30.8% | 25.9–35.2 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.0% | 3.5–4.4 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 13.3% | 11.1–16.3 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 4.4% | 3.5–5.3 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 79.5% | 76.4–81.9 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 83.1% | 80.3–85.3 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 91.2% | 89.7–92.4 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 72.5% | 69.2–76.4 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 68.4% | 65.7–71.5 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 84.7% | 80.6–89.1 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 15.7% | 13.3–18.0 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 13.6% | 11.3–15.9 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 23.0% | 19.3–26.6 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 35.2% | 31.5–39.8 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 18.3% | 15.7–20.9 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 17.6% | 15.5–19.5 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 15.0% | 13.0–16.9 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 15.0% | 13.1–16.9 |
| Any disability among adults | 33.9% | 29.9–37.7 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 8.3% | 7.3–9.4 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 8.4% | 7.3–9.5 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 15.0% | 12.8–17.2 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.9% | 3.4–4.4 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.7% | 4.2–5.3 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 23.4% | 20.4–26.8 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 12.1% | 10.1–14.4 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 14.6% | 12.1–17.5 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 11.0% | 9.3–12.9 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 7.5% | 6.4–8.6 |
| Loneliness among adults | 33.1% | 29.4–37.0 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 7.1% | 6.1–8.3 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | MA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 7.2% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 6.4% (2.6–16.9%) n=524 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 13.8% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 2.4% (0.0–6.3%) n=525 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 6.6% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 4.7% (1.1–15.2%) n=526 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 20.0% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 45.7% (23.6–77.5%) n=526 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 10.9% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.4% (1.6–7.9%) n=523 |
| Households without a vehicle | 13.9% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 4.6% (0.4–20.2%) n=522 |
| Broadband subscription | 87.3% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 94.1% (87.2–98.4%) n=522 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 26.9% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 30.5% (21.2–43.7%) n=522 |
| Homeownership rate | 87.1% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 79.1% (39.6–93.5%) n=522 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 0.0% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.1% (0.0–3.8%) n=522 |
| Foreign-born population | 9.8% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 8.7% (1.9–28.4%) n=527 |
| Single-parent households | 61.6% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 52.5% (40.0–68.7%) n=520 |
| Population 65+ | 29.4% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 19.4% (12.1–33.8%) n=527 |
| Median age | 56.5 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 43.5 yr (34.3–57.2) n=524 |
| Median household income | $79,598 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $110,450 ($68,196–$177,335) n=505 |
| Median home value | $441,700 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $519,200 ($297,220–$949,670) n=508 |
| Median gross rent | $1,468 | $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 unavailable for this ZIP — fewer than 80% of the census tracts that make it up could be matched across the 2010→2020 tract-boundary revision, so no value is published rather than an unreliable one. See how coverage gaps are handled. | |||
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