ZIP code
05038
in Chelsea, VermontPopulation 1,371
54.44/ 100
Ranked #10,150 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 32%)
Ranked #155 of 249 Vermont ZIPs (bottom 38%)
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.
Elder-services access
0.75 per 1,000 residents
in the top 1.3% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST98thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The number of services for older adults and people with disabilities 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 ›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 ›Industrial-pollution burden
in the bottom 2.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST9thUS3rdDefinition & source ›
The EPA’s modeled screening score for industrial chemical releases, weighting the amounts released by their toxicity and how many people live nearby — a relative comparison score, not a measured exposure.
Full methodology ›Civic-institution access
0.75 per 1,000 residents
in the top 6.9% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST86thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The number of civic and social organizations 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 ›Short sleep
29.2%
in the bottom 6.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST40thUS6thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who usually sleep less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.
Full methodology ›Fiber broadband
97.1%
in the top 8.0% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST87thUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The share of homes where fiber-optic internet service is available.
Full methodology ›Tree cover
72.1%
in the top 8.1% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST49thUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.
Full methodology ›Humid extreme heat
11.6 days/year
in the bottom 8.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST24thUS9thDefinition & 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 ›Air-toxics cancer risk
20 per million
in the bottom 25% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS25thDefinition & 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
By its overall health score, Chelsea, Vermont (ZIP 05038) lands in the top 32% healthiest ZIPs nationally (10,150th) and the bottom 38% of Vermont (155th), based on limited data; treat as directional.
The measures split the difference for this area: elder services resides in the top 1.3% nationally, and fatal road crashes lands at the national minimum. Modeled industrial-pollution burden registers in the bottom 2.6% nationally, and civic sits in the top 6.9% nationally. Modeled short sleep rests in the bottom 6.5% nationally, fiber broadband is in the top 8.0% nationally, and modeled tree cover stands in the top 8.1% nationally. Modeled humid heat settles in the bottom 8.6% nationally. Modeled extreme heat lies at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Modeled loud transportation noise resides at the national minimum, shared with about 22% of ZIPs.
Weighed against the ZIPs nearby, elder services runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. To translate a couple of terms, industrial-pollution burden is the EPA's modeled screening score weighting industrial chemical releases by their toxicity and how many people live nearby. Humid heat is a modeled heat-stress measure combining temperature, humidity, sun, and wind to gauge heat on the body outdoors. Extreme heat is a modeled count of days a year reaching a dangerously high temperature, a leading weather hazard. Overall, the nearest healthier neighbor is ZIP 05036, 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.
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 88%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 66%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 89%
11%
Disability
healthier than 60%
7%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
in the top 0.2%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 61%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 46%
21%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 23%
16%
Mental Health
healthier than 37%
8%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 84%
14%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
in the top 0.00%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 80%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 14%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 38%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 31%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 33%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 38%
8%
Disability
healthier than 17%
7%
“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.
Nearby
05036
Vermontshares a border
Score 57.22
Closest healthier
05039
Vermontshares a border
Score 54.66
Similar health profile
05733
Vermont98% similar profile
Score 53.79
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 | 33.4% | 30.2–37.0 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 36.3% | 32.6–40.2 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 11.2% | 10.0–12.3 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.6% | 10.2–13.1 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 7.6% | 6.7–8.6 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 8.0% | 6.6–9.4 |
| Depression among adults | 26.8% | 23.4–30.5 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 10.6% | 9.1–12.4 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 35.7% | 32.0–39.5 |
| Obesity among adults | 33.6% | 28.2–39.5 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.0% | 3.5–4.5 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 13.3% | 11.0–15.9 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 6.2% | 4.7–7.9 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 79.5% | 76.4–82.3 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 77.5% | 73.9–80.6 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 87.3% | 85.2–89.3 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 70.9% | 66.9–74.5 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 64.8% | 61.5–68.1 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 73.4% | 66.9–79.2 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 14.2% | 11.9–16.8 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 12.8% | 10.2–15.5 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 23.6% | 19.6–28.0 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 29.2% | 25.1–33.6 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 17.6% | 14.7–20.5 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 15.6% | 13.6–17.8 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 14.3% | 12.4–16.4 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 12.6% | 10.7–14.6 |
| Any disability among adults | 28.2% | 24.3–32.5 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 8.9% | 7.8–10.1 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 7.7% | 6.5–9.0 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 13.6% | 11.4–15.9 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.8% | 3.2–4.4 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.7% | 4.0–5.4 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | VT median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 13.4% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 7.8% (2.6–16.6%) n=249 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 7.2% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 5.1% (0.5–11.7%) n=249 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 3.9% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 4.4% (1.1–10.6%) n=249 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 28.8% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 37.6% (23.1–61.5%) n=249 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 0.9% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 2.5% (0.0–6.9%) n=248 |
| Households without a vehicle | 3.7% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 2.7% (0.0–9.1%) n=249 |
| Broadband subscription | 84.5% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 90.2% (79.4–96.9%) n=249 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 28.5% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 28.2% (16.0–37.4%) n=249 |
| Homeownership rate | 82.7% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 83.7% (67.1–94.3%) n=249 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 1.7% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 0.5% (0.0–4.2%) n=249 |
| Foreign-born population | 3.1% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 2.4% (0.0–7.3%) n=250 |
| Single-parent households | 69.7% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 60.6% (46.4–74.0%) n=248 |
| Population 65+ | 28.1% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 23.8% (15.2–32.4%) n=250 |
| Median age | 55.1 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 46.5 yr (38.1–56.3) n=249 |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $79,091 ($59,484–$109,843) n=238 |
| Median home value | $254,800 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $281,300 ($200,110–$447,750) n=242 |
| Median gross rent | $1,567 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $1,131 ($858–$1,557) n=190 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | VT median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.3 yr ± 1.45 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 82.0 yr (78.6–85.9) n=250 |
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 1.45 years of 82.3, 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