ZIP code

12121

in Melrose, New YorkPopulation 2,280

ZipVitals Score

How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

57.69/ 100

Ranked #6,655 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 21%)

Ranked #801 of 1,730 New York ZIPs (top 46%)

Ranked #62 of 114 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY ZIPs (bottom 46%)

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

Robust across all 9 health domains

Jump to a section

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.

Homeownership rate

100%

at the national maximum

Higher is healthier

ST99th

US99th

Definition & source ›

The share of occupied homes that are owned, rather than rented, by the people living in them.

Full methodology ›

Uninsured (under 65)

4.8%

in the bottom 5.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST22nd

US5th

Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults aged 18–64 with no current health-insurance coverage.

Full methodology ›

Fine-particle (PM2.5) exceedance

0.55%

in the top 17% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th

US83rd

Definition & source ›

The share of days in the year when modeled fine-particle (PM2.5) pollution was above the EPA’s daily limit of 35 micrograms per cubic meter.

Full methodology ›

The read

By its overall health score, Melrose, New York (ZIP 12121) lands in the top 21% healthiest ZIPs nationally (6,655th) and the top 46% of New York (801st).

Neither strongly one way nor the other, the measures sit mixed: homeownership stands at the national maximum. Unemployment settles at the national minimum, shared with about 15% of ZIPs. Households without a vehicle lies at the national minimum, shared with about 16% of ZIPs. Modeled extreme heat resides at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Poverty lands in the bottom 12.2% nationally, and modeled mammography registers in the top 11.7% nationally. Crowded housing sits at the national minimum, shared with about 29% of ZIPs. Home broadband subscription rests in the top 14.5% nationally, and modeled disaster risk is in the bottom 15% nationally. Against that, fiber broadband stands at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs.

Weighed against the ZIPs nearby, park land runs far lower than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. To translate a couple of terms, disaster risk is the area's national rank on its highest non-flood peril in FEMA's modeled Risk Index, like wildfire or quake. 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 12118, 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 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY metro area.

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

Compare withinUnited StatesNew YorkMetro area

DomainHow this ZIP comparesShare

Lifting this score

healthier than most of the United States

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 64%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 64%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 90%

13%

Mental Health

healthier than 71%

Disability

healthier than 78%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 77%

About typical

close to the middle of the United States

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 47%

14%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 44%

11%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 48%

Nothing measured is holding this score back.

DomainHow this ZIP comparesShare

Lifting this score

healthier than most of New York

Preventive Care

healthier than 62%

13%

About typical

close to the middle of New York

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 41%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 58%

16%

Disability

healthier than 52%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 45%

Holding it back

less healthy than most of New York

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 38%

14%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 33%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 30%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 38%

DomainHow this ZIP comparesShare

Lifting this score

healthier than most of this metro area

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 61%

16%

About typical

close to the middle of this metro area

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 51%

21%

Preventive Care

healthier than 58%

13%

Mental Health

healthier than 45%

Disability

healthier than 54%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 43%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 57%

Holding it back

less healthy than most of this metro area

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 36%

14%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 34%

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 ›

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

Measure	Crude prevalence	95% CI
Arthritis among adults	29.5%	26.1–32.9
High blood pressure among adults	33.8%	29.8–37.6
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults	10.0%	9.1–11.0
Current asthma among adults	11.2%	9.9–12.6
Coronary heart disease among adults	6.5%	5.7–7.3
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults	7.3%	6.2–8.4
Depression among adults	20.8%	17.6–24.0
Diagnosed diabetes among adults	10.4%	8.8–12.0
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened	38.4%	34.2–42.5
Obesity among adults	31.6%	25.6–37.7
Stroke among adults	3.3%	3.0–3.7
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years	8.7%	7.0–10.6

PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS

Measure	Crude prevalence	95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years	4.8%	3.9–5.9
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure	78.4%	75.2–81.2
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults	80.4%	77.1–83.3
Cholesterol screening among adults	90.1%	88.6–91.5
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years	70.8%	66.4–74.7
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults	68.0%	64.8–71.0
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years	79.9%	73.3–85.2

Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS

Measure	Crude prevalence	95% CI
Binge drinking among adults	17.4%	14.5–20.5
Current cigarette smoking among adults	12.9%	10.7–15.2
No leisure-time physical activity among adults	23.3%	19.2–27.6
Short sleep duration among adults	39.5%	34.1–44.9

Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS

Measure	Crude prevalence	95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults	15.7%	13.2–18.3
Frequent mental distress among adults	16.0%	14.0–18.0
Frequent physical distress among adults	13.5%	11.7–15.4

DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS

Measure	Crude prevalence	95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults	12.1%	10.5–13.8
Any disability among adults	27.2%	23.2–31.3
Hearing disability among adults	6.2%	5.5–7.1
Independent living disability among adults	7.3%	6.3–8.4
Mobility disability among adults	12.9%	10.8–15.0
Self-care disability among adults	3.4%	3.0–3.9
Vision disability among adults	4.0%	3.5–4.6

Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS

Measure	Crude prevalence	95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults	22.7%	19.3–26.1
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults	10.6%	8.7–12.7
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults	9.5%	7.7–11.3
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults	9.5%	7.9–11.2
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults	6.2%	5.3–7.0
Loneliness among adults	30.7%	26.0–35.5
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults	5.8%	4.9–6.7

Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed

Measure	Value	US median (p10–p90)	NY median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate	3.6%	10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364	9.5% (2.5–22.6%) n=1,734
Uninsured 18–64	5.3%	9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286	5.0% (0.0–13.1%) n=1,734
No HS diploma (25+)	3.4%	7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505	7.1% (1.2–17.5%) n=1,743
Bachelor's or higher (25+)	19.2%	23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505	31.8% (13.9–62.1%) n=1,743
Unemployment rate (16+)	0.0%	3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274	4.4% (0.0–9.7%) n=1,730
Households without a vehicle	0.0%	3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322	5.7% (0.0–28.9%) n=1,730
Broadband subscription	96.0%	89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322	91.5% (81.1–98.3%) n=1,730
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)	28.0%	23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322	27.2% (14.2–45.5%) n=1,730
Homeownership rate	100.0%	78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322	80.2% (40.9–94.8%) n=1,730
Crowded housing (>1 per room)	0.0%	1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322	1.0% (0.0–6.6%) n=1,730
Foreign-born population	1.5%	2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553	4.8% (0.0–28.7%) n=1,746
Single-parent households	65.1%	53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087	54.0% (36.7–74.5%) n=1,716
Population 65+	29.6%	19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553	20.0% (12.0–33.2%) n=1,746
Median age	49.0 yr	42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292	43.5 yr (34.6–56.1) n=1,733
Median household income	$100,461	$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318	$81,837 ($55,470–$145,610) n=1,626
Median home value	$297,400	$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049	$247,700 ($121,180–$801,380) n=1,629
Median gross rent	—	$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670	$1,162 ($782–$2,359) n=1,367

Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based

Measure	Value	US median (p10–p90)	NY median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth	81.1 yr ± 1.07	78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308	80.9 yr (78.0–84.5) n=1,692

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 1.07 years of 81.1, and it’s very unlikely to be off by more than twice that.

More ZIPs to explore ▾

Statistically similar ZIPs nationally

Similar means a ZIP whose health profile is shaped like this one’s — the same pattern of strengths and weaknesses across the nine health domains behind the Score, not similar demographics or income. The percentage is how closely the two patterns line up. A very similar ZIP can still have a different overall Score.

15658Pennsylvania99% similar
Score 56.81View 15658 Compare this ZIP with 15658
13456New York99% similar
Score 60.32View 13456 Compare this ZIP with 13456
13490New York99% similar
Score 58.00View 13490 Compare this ZIP with 13490
53565Wisconsin99% similar
Score 57.13View 53565 Compare this ZIP with 53565
53061Wisconsin99% similar
Score 56.49View 53061 Compare this ZIP with 53061
54730Wisconsin99% similar
Score 55.66View 54730 Compare this ZIP with 54730
14548New York99% similar
Score 56.70View 14548 Compare this ZIP with 14548
16428Pennsylvania98% similar
Score 55.67View 16428 Compare this ZIP with 16428
54473Wisconsin98% similar
Score 56.16View 54473 Compare this ZIP with 54473
14043New York98% similar
Score 59.52View 14043 Compare this ZIP with 14043

as of 2026

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