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ZIP code

04859

in Spruce Head, MainePopulation 753

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

54.06/ 100

Ranked #10,616 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 33%)

Ranked #108 of 408 Maine ZIPs (top 26%)

Ranks are modeled estimates — ZIPs a few hundred places apart are effectively tied.

Robust across all 9 health domains

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.

Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility

25.2 mi

in the top 3.0% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST96th
US97th
Definition & source ›

The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest facility that handles enough hazardous chemicals to require an EPA risk-management plan for accidental releases.

Full methodology ›

Floodplain exposure

50.9%

in the top 3.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US96th
Definition & 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 ›

Short sleep

27.9%

in the bottom 2.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST9th
US3rd
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who usually sleep less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.

Full methodology ›

Humid extreme heat

6.9 days/year

in the bottom 4.4% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST17th
US4th
Definition & source ›

The average number of days per year when modeled heat stress — temperature, humidity, sun, and wind combined — reaches levels hard on the body outdoors.

Full methodology ›

Mammography

82.8%

in the top 2.6% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST92nd
US97th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of women aged 50–74 who had a mammogram within the past two years.

Full methodology ›

Housing insecurity

6.8%

in the bottom 6.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST9th
US6th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who experienced housing insecurity in the past 12 months.

Full methodology ›

Food insecurity

7.8%

in the bottom 6.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST14th
US7th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months.

Full methodology ›

PFAS in drinking water

62.4%

in the top 7.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST96th
US93rd
Definition & source ›

The modeled probability that PFAS “forever chemicals” would be detected in untreated groundwater in this area, the source private wells draw on.

A modeled likelihood for untreated groundwater, the source drawn on by private wells, which are federally unregulated. It is not a measurement of treated water delivered by a public system, and it is not a test of any individual well.

Full methodology ›

Loneliness

28%

in the bottom 7.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST7th
US7th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who report feeling lonely.

Full methodology ›

Air-toxics cancer risk

19.7 per million

in the bottom 7.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST36th
US8th
Definition & source ›

The EPA’s modeled estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air toxics, in cases per million people exposed over a lifetime.

Full methodology ›

The read

Spruce Head, Maine (ZIP 04859), by its composite score, sits in the top 33% healthiest ZIPs nationally (10,616th) and the top 26% of Maine (108th).

continue reading

Where the data is kindest to this area, a few readings lead the way: distance to a hazardous-chemical facility lies in the top 3.0% nationally, and modeled short sleep rests in the bottom 2.9% nationally. Modeled humid heat resides in the bottom 4.4% nationally, and mammography is in the top 2.6% nationally. Modeled housing insecurity lands in the bottom 6.0% nationally, and food insecurity stands in the bottom 6.6% nationally. Unemployment registers at the national minimum, shared with about 15% of ZIPs. Modeled loneliness settles in the bottom 7.3% nationally. On the other hand, floodplain exposure sits in the top 3.8% nationally, and modeled pfas lies in the top 7.0% nationally.

For anyone unfamiliar, distance to a hazardous-chemical facility is a plant handling large amounts of hazardous chemicals that must file an EPA risk-management plan for accidental releases. Pfas is the man-made "forever chemicals" that build up in the body and environment instead of breaking down; here a modeled estimate of the chance a private well contains them. Floodplain exposure is land with about a 1-in-100 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "100-year floodplain". For a healthier comparison close by, see ZIP 04858, 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.

Compared with the ZIP codes measured across all nine scoring domains — not with all US ZIP codes.

Compare within

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 65%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 97%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 96%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 78%

8%

About typical

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 48%

16%

Disability

healthier than 52%

7%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 20%

21%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 15%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 11%

5%

Lifting this score

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 68%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 89%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 90%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 96%

8%

About typical

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 46%

14%

Disability

healthier than 46%

7%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 24%

21%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 1%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 8%

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 ›

Nearby & similar ZIPs

Editorially selected — see how this ZIP compares to nearby and similar places.

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
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Arthritis among adults39.2%35.9–42.6
High blood pressure among adults40.9%37.3–44.5
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults13.3%12.0–14.7
Current asthma among adults11.4%10.1–12.8
Coronary heart disease among adults9.8%8.3–11.5
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults9.6%7.4–12.3
Depression among adults23.3%20.5–26.4
Diagnosed diabetes among adults12.8%10.8–15.0
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened44.2%40.7–47.6
Obesity among adults27.6%23.3–32.1
Stroke among adults4.5%3.8–5.4
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years13.5%11.2–16.1
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years7.2%4.9–9.8
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure81.9%79.3–84.5
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults84.6%82.3–86.8
Cholesterol screening among adults90.7%89.0–92.3
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years73.7%69.8–77.2
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults67.7%64.7–70.5
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years82.8%78.0–86.7
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults12.1%10.2–14.1
Current cigarette smoking among adults12.5%9.4–16.0
No leisure-time physical activity among adults22.1%17.7–27.0
Short sleep duration among adults27.9%24.2–31.7
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults17.8%14.2–22.1
Frequent mental distress among adults13.3%11.5–15.4
Frequent physical distress among adults14.2%11.9–16.9
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults12.4%10.2–14.9
Any disability among adults31.7%26.9–36.8
Hearing disability among adults10.5%9.1–12.2
Independent living disability among adults7.5%6.0–9.2
Mobility disability among adults16.0%12.9–19.8
Self-care disability among adults3.7%2.9–4.6
Vision disability among adults4.6%3.7–5.7
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults21.6%18.1–25.2
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults7.8%5.6–10.4
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults10.3%7.3–13.9
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults6.8%5.3–8.7
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults5.9%4.7–7.2
Loneliness among adults28.0%24.3–32.0
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults5.2%4.2–6.4
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)ME median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate2.9%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36410.3% (3.2–19.5%) n=416
Uninsured 18–640.0%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2869.8% (3.0–20.9%) n=413
No HS diploma (25+)0.0%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5055.2% (0.8–11.7%) n=417
Bachelor's or higher (25+)30.2%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50529.4% (14.9–57.3%) n=417
Unemployment rate (16+)0.0%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2743.1% (0.0–8.3%) n=415
Households without a vehicle2.9%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3223.7% (0.0–11.5%) n=416
Broadband subscription86.8%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32289.9% (79.7–97.2%) n=416
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)26.4%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32223.4% (13.9–35.0%) n=416
Homeownership rate84.5%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32284.7% (68.7–95.5%) n=416
Crowded housing (>1 per room)0.0%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.8% (0.0–3.4%) n=416
Foreign-born population3.6%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5532.1% (0.1–5.9%) n=417
Single-parent households65.9%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08761.5% (48.8–80.6%) n=414
Population 65+30.4%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55324.6% (16.3–42.1%) n=417
Median age58.2 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29249.0 yr (39.3–60.7) n=413
Median household income$75,341$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$68,485 ($50,225–$100,018) n=396
Median home value—$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$246,500 ($130,660–$484,830) n=402
Median gross rent—$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$1,014 ($618–$1,501) n=320
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)ME 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 ▾

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