ZIP code
08863
in Fords, New JerseyPopulation 12,771
62.49/ 100
Ranked #3,232 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 10.1%)
Ranked #322 of 583 New Jersey ZIPs (bottom 45%)
Ranked #538 of 853 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ ZIPs (bottom 37%)
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.
Walkability
200 intersections/sq mi
in the top 2.6% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST96thUS97thDefinition & source ›
The number of street intersections per square mile — a standard street-connectivity measure; denser networks correlate with more walkable neighborhoods.
Full methodology ›Floodplain exposure
0.00%
at the national minimum
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & 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 ›Loud transportation noise
2.7%
in the top 4.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST93rdUS95thDefinition & source ›
The modeled share of residents exposed to average road, rail, and aviation noise at or above 65 decibels — around the volume of normal conversation.
Full methodology ›Tree cover
0.00%
at the national minimum
Higher is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.
Full methodology ›PFOA in drinking water
96.3%
in the top 5.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST58thUS94thDefinition & 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 ›Energy-cost burden
1.5%
in the bottom 5.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST25thUS5thDefinition & source ›
The modeled share of household income spent on home energy bills — electricity, gas, and heating fuels.
A modeled share of household income spent on home energy. Estimates that hit the model’s 100% ceiling are suppressed rather than published, because at that point the figure reflects the model’s limit rather than a measured burden.
Full methodology ›Hearing disability
5.1%
in the bottom 7.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST27thUS7thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing.
Full methodology ›Elder-services access
0.15 per 1,000 residents
in the top 9.8% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST91stUS90thDefinition & 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 ›Coronary heart disease
5.0%
in the bottom 9.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST28thUS10thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have coronary heart disease or angina.
Full methodology ›Industrial-pollution burden
in the top 12.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST91stUS87thDefinition & 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 ›The read
Fords, New Jersey (ZIP 08863) ranks in the top 10.1% healthiest ZIPs nationally (3,232nd) and the bottom 45% of New Jersey (322nd).
The strongest marks in the data are worth naming first: walkability is in the top 2.6% nationally, and floodplain exposure registers at the national minimum. Modeled energy burden lies in the bottom 5.3% nationally, and hearing disability is in the bottom 7.2% nationally. Elder services registers in the top 9.8% nationally, modeled coronary heart disease lies in the bottom 9.7% nationally, and transit is in the top 11.5% nationally. On the other side, modeled loud transportation noise registers in the top 4.7% nationally, modeled tree cover lies at the national minimum, and PFOA in drinking water is in the top 5.8% nationally.
Against its neighbors, walkability runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. For context, PFOA in drinking water is one of the 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". Loud transportation noise is the modeled share of an area exposed to road, rail, and air noise at or above 65 decibels, near conversation volume. The closest ZIP that ranks healthier overall is ZIP 08837, 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 York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ 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 89%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 81%
16%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 64%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 97%
8%
Disability
healthier than 88%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 82%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 79%
5%
About typical
Preventive Care
healthier than 51%
13%
Holding it back
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 5%
14%
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 63%
21%
Mental Health
healthier than 67%
8%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 89%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 79%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 42%
16%
Disability
healthier than 47%
7%
Holding it back
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 8%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 30%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 39%
11%
Lifting this score
Mental Health
healthier than 63%
8%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 72%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 65%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 60%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 47%
16%
Disability
healthier than 43%
7%
Holding it back
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 5%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 25%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 36%
11%
“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.
Heavy environment, light chronic burden
Where the environment and chronic illness point in opposite directions
Environmental-hazard standing 5.6 (bottom 10%); chronic-disease standing 89.0 — 83 points apart, heavier on the environment than it is on chronic illness.
Ranked #17,442 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
07095
New Jerseyshares a border
Score 61.89
Closest healthier
08837
New Jerseyshares a border
Score 64.64
Similar health profile
07604
New Jersey99% similar profile
Score 62.77
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 | 21.0% | 18.9–23.2 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 32.6% | 29.7–35.4 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 6.6% | 6.1–7.3 |
| Current asthma among adults | 8.8% | 7.8–9.9 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 5.0% | 4.4–5.5 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 4.5% | 4.0–5.1 |
| Depression among adults | 13.7% | 11.8–15.8 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 10.9% | 9.6–12.4 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 38.0% | 34.9–41.0 |
| Obesity among adults | 31.7% | 27.5–35.9 |
| Stroke among adults | 2.7% | 2.5–3.0 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 7.2% | 5.8–8.9 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 11.2% | 9.7–12.9 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 75.7% | 72.8–78.2 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 78.4% | 75.5–81.0 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 89.0% | 87.6–90.3 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 65.0% | 61.0–69.0 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 66.9% | 64.0–69.7 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 74.9% | 68.5–80.6 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 15.7% | 13.5–18.1 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 10.3% | 8.8–11.9 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 24.7% | 21.7–28.0 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 38.6% | 34.6–42.7 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 17.0% | 15.1–19.1 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 14.6% | 13.0–16.4 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 11.4% | 10.1–12.8 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 11.3% | 10.0–12.7 |
| Any disability among adults | 24.4% | 21.7–27.3 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 5.1% | 4.5–5.7 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 6.1% | 5.4–6.9 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 10.7% | 9.4–12.1 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.0% | 2.7–3.3 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.3% | 3.9–4.8 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 24.4% | 21.7–27.5 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 13.6% | 11.8–15.6 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 7.1% | 6.0–8.4 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 12.1% | 10.6–13.9 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 7.1% | 6.3–8.1 |
| Loneliness among adults | 34.0% | 30.6–37.8 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 6.5% | 5.6–7.4 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | NJ median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 6.4% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 5.8% (1.8–16.1%) n=588 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 4.6% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 5.6% (1.2–16.1%) n=585 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 8.0% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 5.3% (1.4–15.4%) n=589 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 42.0% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 44.2% (20.0–72.5%) n=589 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 4.3% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 5.3% (2.5–9.7%) n=583 |
| Households without a vehicle | 7.2% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 4.8% (0.8–17.6%) n=585 |
| Broadband subscription | 96.3% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 94.4% (88.0–98.5%) n=585 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 33.0% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 31.7% (22.1–46.5%) n=585 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.7% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 77.5% (39.3–94.9%) n=585 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 1.3% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.4% (0.0–7.4%) n=585 |
| Foreign-born population | 30.9% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 13.7% (3.3–39.5%) n=590 |
| Single-parent households | 43.9% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 49.6% (35.2–64.9%) n=581 |
| Population 65+ | 14.9% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 17.8% (11.7–27.5%) n=590 |
| Median age | 39.9 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 42.0 yr (35.6–51.8) n=582 |
| Median household income | $115,861 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $111,711 ($68,311–$188,075) n=565 |
| Median home value | $438,000 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $449,450 ($250,890–$845,440) n=564 |
| Median gross rent | $1,913 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $1,781 ($1,267–$2,530) n=516 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | NJ median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.2 yr ± 0.83 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 80.4 yr (76.6–83.7) n=571 |
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 0.83 years of 80.2, 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