ZIP code
06451
in Meriden, ConnecticutPopulation 24,851
50.02/ 100
Ranked #16,219 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 49%)
Ranked #250 of 277 Connecticut ZIPs (bottom 9.8%)
Ranked #33 of 41 New Haven-Milford, CT ZIPs (bottom 20%)
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.
Lithium in drinking water
9 µg/L
in the bottom 0.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & source ›
The average detected level of lithium — a natural trace metal with no federal drinking-water limit yet — across the public water systems serving this ZIP, in micrograms per liter.
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 ›Expected annual disaster loss
$0
at the national minimum
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & 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 ›PFOA in drinking water
100%
at the national maximum
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The share of residents served by public water systems where PFOA, one of the man-made “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 ›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 ›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 ›Subsidized affordable housing
416 units
in the top 5.6% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST97thUS94thDefinition & source ›
The number of affordable rental units in this ZIP supported by the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.
Full methodology ›Industrial-pollution burden
in the top 7.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST89thUS92ndDefinition & 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 ›Transit access
3.6 per 1,000 residents
in the top 8.3% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST72ndUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The number of public-transit stops 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
12.9%
in the top 9.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST89thUS90thDefinition & source ›
The share of households with no vehicle available.
Full methodology ›Housing insecurity
19%
in the top 10.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST91stUS90thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who experienced housing insecurity in the past 12 months.
Full methodology ›The read
ZIP 06451, one of several in Meriden, Connecticut, by its overall standing, sits in the bottom 49% nationally (16,219th) and the bottom 9.8% of Connecticut (250th).
The data points to real strain across a number of measures here: PFOA in drinking water sits at the national maximum, PFOS in drinking water settles at the national maximum, and PFAS in drinking water registers at the national maximum. Modeled industrial-pollution burden stands in the top 7.6% nationally, and households without a vehicle lands in the top 9.6% nationally. On the brighter side, lithium in drinking water is in the bottom 0.2% nationally, and modeled expected annual loss resides at the national minimum. Distance to an emergency room rests at the national minimum, shared with about 11% of ZIPs. Subsidized affordable housing lies in the top 5.6% nationally, and transit sits in the top 8.3% nationally.
Held up against its neighbors, park land runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Defined in plain terms, lithium in drinking water is a natural metal that dissolves into some groundwater and has no federal drinking-water limit yet. Expected annual loss is FEMA's modeled estimate, in dollars, of average yearly harm to people from natural hazards. PFOA in drinking water is one of the man-made "forever chemicals" that build up in the body and environment instead of breaking down. The nearest ZIP ranking healthier overall is ZIP 06037, 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 New Haven-Milford, CT metro area.
Compared with the ZIP codes measured across all nine scoring domains — not with all US ZIP codes.
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 62%
21%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 69%
5%
Healthcare Access
in the top 0.00%
5%
About typical
Mental Health
healthier than 55%
8%
Disability
healthier than 48%
7%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 21%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 20%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 35%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 33%
11%
Lifting this score
Healthcare Access
in the top 0.00%
5%
About typical
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 46%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 23%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 14%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 29%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 9%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 13%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 26%
8%
Disability
healthier than 11%
7%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 67%
14%
Healthcare Access
in the top 0.00%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 22%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 31%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 22%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 17%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 22%
8%
Disability
healthier than 19%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 28%
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 78.0 ± 1.3 years. The 46 nearest ZIP codes with estimates average 80.2 years — 2.2 years below them.
Ranked #1,717 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
06037
Connecticutshares a border
Score 60.71
Closest healthier
06410
Connecticutshares a border
Score 66.72
Similar health profile
14894
New York92% similar profile
Score 49.36
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 | 33.6% | 31.0–36.3 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 7.1% | 6.5–7.7 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.1% | 10.0–12.3 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 6.4% | 5.8–7.1 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 6.6% | 5.9–7.3 |
| Depression among adults | 21.1% | 18.8–23.6 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 11.9% | 10.6–13.2 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 38.3% | 35.5–41.2 |
| Obesity among adults | 37.2% | 32.7–41.9 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.5% | 3.3–3.8 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 17.3% | 14.8–20.3 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 15.8% | 14.0–17.6 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 73.7% | 71.1–76.2 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 78.5% | 75.9–80.9 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 87.1% | 85.6–88.6 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 66.9% | 63.5–70.4 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 60.0% | 57.2–63.0 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 76.4% | 71.5–81.3 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 14.5% | 12.7–16.5 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 13.7% | 12.1–15.4 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 32.5% | 29.5–36.0 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 40.1% | 36.2–44.4 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 20.9% | 19.0–23.1 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 17.7% | 16.1–19.5 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 14.9% | 13.5–16.5 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 15.2% | 13.8–16.8 |
| Any disability among adults | 30.2% | 27.5–33.1 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 6.3% | 5.6–7.0 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 8.7% | 7.9–9.6 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 14.0% | 12.6–15.5 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 4.6% | 4.2–5.0 |
| Vision disability among adults | 6.7% | 6.2–7.3 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 27.8% | 25.0–30.6 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 21.8% | 19.7–24.1 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 18.0% | 16.0–20.2 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 19.0% | 17.1–21.0 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 11.6% | 10.4–12.8 |
| Loneliness among adults | 36.0% | 32.7–39.2 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 12.4% | 11.0–13.9 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | CT median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 13.3% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 5.8% (2.3–20.8%) n=278 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 8.8% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 4.5% (1.2–12.9%) n=277 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 14.2% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 4.6% (1.1–14.3%) n=278 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 19.7% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 43.6% (19.2–70.7%) n=278 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 8.6% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.4% (1.6–9.1%) n=277 |
| Households without a vehicle | 12.9% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 4.1% (0.0–13.7%) n=278 |
| Broadband subscription | 87.4% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 93.7% (86.9–98.8%) n=278 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 38.4% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 29.3% (18.2–44.9%) n=278 |
| Homeownership rate | 56.9% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 80.1% (41.3–93.1%) n=278 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 1.9% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 0.7% (0.0–3.8%) n=278 |
| Foreign-born population | 10.2% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 9.3% (2.1–22.3%) n=278 |
| Single-parent households | 40.6% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 51.1% (36.0–68.7%) n=277 |
| Population 65+ | 14.8% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 19.8% (13.4–30.2%) n=278 |
| Median age | 38.8 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 44.1 yr (34.7–53.2) n=278 |
| Median household income | $71,255 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $107,247 ($63,371–$163,278) n=270 |
| Median home value | $239,800 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $365,900 ($239,080–$622,060) n=268 |
| Median gross rent | $1,213 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $1,450 ($1,128–$2,175) n=247 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | CT median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.0 yr ± 0.64 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 81.2 yr (77.7–83.5) n=266 |
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 0.64 years of 78.0, 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