ZIP code
12998
in Witherbee, New YorkPopulation 399
51.21/ 100
Ranked #14,530 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 45%)
Ranked #1,367 of 1,730 New York ZIPs (bottom 21%)
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.
Transportation noise
0.00%
at the national minimum
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & source ›
The modeled share of residents exposed to average road, rail, and aviation noise at or above 55 decibels — a noticeable background presence.
Full methodology ›Energy-cost burden
5.8%
in the top 3.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS96thDefinition & 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 ›Households without a vehicle
16.6%
in the top 6.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST84thUS94thDefinition & source ›
The share of households with no vehicle available.
Full methodology ›Tree cover
75.9%
in the top 6.6% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST90thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.
Full methodology ›Housing-cost burden
7.6%
in the bottom 6.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST4thUS7thDefinition & source ›
The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
Full methodology ›Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility
13.1 mi
in the top 9.8% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST87thUS90thDefinition & 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 ›Slow internet speeds
1.1%
in the top 10.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST95thUS89thDefinition & source ›
The share of homes whose fastest available download speed is under 10 Mbps.
Full methodology ›Colon-cancer screening
72.2%
in the top 9.9% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST75thUS90thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 45–75 who are up to date on colorectal-cancer screening.
Full methodology ›Distance to a Superfund site
29.7 mi
in the top 28% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST97thUS72ndDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Superfund site — an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has listed for cleanup.
Full methodology ›The read
In its overall standing, Witherbee, New York (ZIP 12998) lands in the top 45% healthiest ZIPs nationally (14,530th) and the bottom 21% of New York (1,367th), based on limited data; treat as directional.
Taken together, the data gives a genuinely mixed reading: modeled transportation noise lies at the national minimum, modeled tree cover stands in the top 6.6% nationally, and housing-cost burden rests in the bottom 6.9% nationally. Modeled extreme heat registers at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility resides in the top 9.8% nationally. Modeled loud transportation noise settles at the national minimum, shared with about 22% of ZIPs. On the other side, modeled energy burden is in the top 3.7% nationally, and households without a vehicle sits in the top 6.1% nationally. Unemployment lands in the top 10.5% nationally, and slow internet speeds lies in the top 10.6% nationally.
Put simply, 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. Transportation noise is the modeled share of an area exposed to average road, rail, and air noise at or above 55 decibels. Energy burden is the share of household income that goes to home energy bills. On the overall standing, ZIP 12855, just across the boundary, ranks healthier.
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 90%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 70%
13%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 94%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 48%
21%
Mental Health
healthier than 46%
8%
Disability
healthier than 49%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 49%
5%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 12%
16%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 36%
11%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 96%
14%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 93%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 22%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 10%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 28%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 26%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 10%
8%
Disability
healthier than 18%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 39%
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.
Nearby
12855
New Yorkshares a border
Score 57.53
Closest healthier
12932
New Yorkshares a border
Score 59.24
Similar health profile
18616
Pennsylvania98% similar profile
Score 51.55
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 | 29.4% | 26.3–32.4 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 35.2% | 31.4–38.9 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 9.4% | 8.5–10.4 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.4% | 10.1–12.8 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 7.5% | 6.7–8.5 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 8.8% | 7.5–10.1 |
| Depression among adults | 22.5% | 19.2–25.9 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 11.2% | 9.6–12.7 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 36.6% | 32.7–40.6 |
| Obesity among adults | 36.2% | 29.6–42.9 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.9% | 3.5–4.3 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 16.0% | 13.0–19.3 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 7.1% | 5.5–8.8 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 76.2% | 73.3–78.8 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 78.8% | 75.4–82.0 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 87.2% | 85.2–89.0 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 72.2% | 67.7–76.4 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 60.1% | 56.4–63.8 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 78.0% | 71.2–84.1 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 17.7% | 14.8–21.0 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 15.8% | 13.0–18.6 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 27.3% | 22.8–31.8 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 35.3% | 29.7–41.4 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 19.6% | 16.8–22.6 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 17.6% | 15.5–19.8 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 15.0% | 13.2–17.0 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 14.5% | 12.5–16.6 |
| Any disability among adults | 31.7% | 27.5–36.2 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 7.3% | 6.4–8.2 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 9.2% | 8.0–10.6 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 15.5% | 13.4–17.8 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 4.2% | 3.7–4.8 |
| Vision disability among adults | 5.3% | 4.7–6.0 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 23.4% | 20.1–27.3 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 15.2% | 12.4–18.1 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 14.9% | 12.2–17.8 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 12.4% | 10.4–14.6 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 8.4% | 7.3–9.8 |
| Loneliness among adults | 32.6% | 28.2–38.0 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 7.9% | 6.7–9.2 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | NY median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 8.8% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 9.5% (2.5–22.6%) n=1,734 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 19.5% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 5.0% (0.0–13.1%) n=1,734 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 3.1% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 7.1% (1.2–17.5%) n=1,743 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 18.0% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 31.8% (13.9–62.1%) n=1,743 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 9.6% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.4% (0.0–9.7%) n=1,730 |
| Households without a vehicle | 16.6% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 5.7% (0.0–28.9%) n=1,730 |
| Broadband subscription | 92.4% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 91.5% (81.1–98.3%) n=1,730 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 7.6% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 27.2% (14.2–45.5%) n=1,730 |
| Homeownership rate | 83.4% | 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 | 0.0% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 4.8% (0.0–28.7%) n=1,746 |
| Single-parent households | 37.9% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 54.0% (36.7–74.5%) n=1,716 |
| Population 65+ | 15.3% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 20.0% (12.0–33.2%) n=1,746 |
| Median age | 45.0 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 43.5 yr (34.6–56.1) n=1,733 |
| Median household income | — | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $81,837 ($55,470–$145,610) n=1,626 |
| Median home value | — | $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 | 77.2 yr ± 0.75 | 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 0.75 years of 77.2, 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