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ZipVitals

ZIP code

16510

in Erie, PennsylvaniaPopulation 24,198

47.63/ 100

Ranked #19,409 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 39%)

Ranked #1,130 of 1,748 Pennsylvania ZIPs (bottom 35%)

Ranked #22 of 30 Erie, PA ZIPs (bottom 27%)

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

Some domains have limited local data — read this Score as directional

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.

Industrial-pollution burden

in the top 2.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST97th
US98th
Definition & 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 ›

Grocery access

0.24 per 1,000 residents

in the top 5.1% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST94th
US95th
Definition & source ›

The number of full supermarkets 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. ZipVitals’s food-access signal is derived from these in-ZIP densities — it is not USDA’s food-desert designation, which measures distance to the nearest supermarket. Where a leg is missing, a ZIP reads “not determinable,” never “not a food desert.”

Full methodology ›

Air-toxics cancer risk

38 per million

in the top 7.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST91st
US92nd
Definition & 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 ›

PFAS in drinking water

57.4%

in the top 9.1% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST86th
US91st
Definition & source ›

The modeled probability that PFAS “forever chemicals” would be detected in untreated groundwater in this area, the source private wells draw on.

A modeled likelihood for untreated groundwater, the source drawn on by private wells, which are federally unregulated. It is not a measurement of treated water delivered by a public system, and it is not a test of any individual well.

Full methodology ›

Arsenic in groundwater

12.5%

in the top 13.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST97th
US87th
Definition & source ›

The modeled probability that untreated groundwater in this area — the source private wells draw on — exceeds the federal arsenic limit of 10 micrograms per liter.

A modeled likelihood for untreated groundwater, the source drawn on by private wells, which are federally unregulated. It is not a measurement of treated water delivered by a public system, and it is not a test of any individual well.

Full methodology ›

Subsidized affordable housing

104 units

in the top 18% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST93rd
US82nd
Definition & source ›

The number of affordable rental units in this ZIP supported by the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.

Full methodology ›

The read

From the partial coverage available here, ZIP 16510, one of several in Erie, Pennsylvania lands in the bottom 39% nationally (19,409th) and the bottom 35% of Pennsylvania (1,130th), based on limited data; treat as directional.

continue reading

The readings that are available are worth naming, coverage aside: grocery registers in the top 5.1% nationally. Modeled extreme heat lies at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Distance to a community health center is at the national minimum, shared with about 23% of ZIPs. Floodplain exposure registers in the bottom 17% nationally, and subsidized affordable housing lies in the top 18% nationally. On the other hand, modeled industrial-pollution burden is in the top 2.0% nationally, air-toxics cancer risk registers in the top 7.9% nationally, and pfas lies in the top 9.1% nationally. Modeled arsenic is in the top 13.0% nationally. Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility registers at the national minimum, shared with about 31% of ZIPs.

Set beside the wider area around it, industrial-pollution burden runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. For clarity, industrial-pollution burden is the EPA's modeled screening score weighting industrial chemical releases by their toxicity and how many people live nearby. Air-toxics cancer risk is a modeled EPA estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air, per million people. Pfas is the man-made "forever chemicals" that build up in the body and environment instead of breaking down; here a modeled estimate of the chance a private well contains them. ZIP 16421, just across the boundary, ranks better overall among the ZIPs nearby.

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

Preventive CarePartial

healthier than 73%

15%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 93%

6%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 86%

6%

Holding it back

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 40%

19%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 3%

16%

Not placed: Chronic Disease Burden and Risk Behavior — too little of each is measured here to compare reliably. They still count toward the score (together 38% of it); we just will not publish a standing we cannot stand behind.

No data: Mental Health and Disability — not measured in this ZIP, so it is left out of the score entirely rather than estimated.

“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.

  • Highest-risk tenth

    Air toxics and the years between the two ends of the risk scale

    Modeled air-toxics cancer risk is 38.0 cases per million — among the tenth of compared ZIP codes with the most. Estimated life expectancy is 77.9 ± 1.2 years.

    Ranked #1,747 of the 4,173 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by modeled air-toxics risk, highest first.

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 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years16.2%13.4–19.4
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years68.8%64.2–73.1
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults61.8%58.4–65.3
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years77.9%71.2–83.9
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Short sleep duration among adults37.5%32.1–43.0
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)PA median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate14.6%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3649.3% (2.1–21.6%) n=1,759
Uninsured 18–645.2%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2866.3% (0.0–16.6%) n=1,753
No HS diploma (25+)7.0%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5057.0% (1.5–16.1%) n=1,762
Bachelor's or higher (25+)26.9%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50521.9% (8.9–50.4%) n=1,762
Unemployment rate (16+)4.9%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2743.9% (0.0–9.6%) n=1,755
Households without a vehicle6.6%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3224.8% (0.0–15.6%) n=1,758
Broadband subscription87.5%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32288.2% (75.7–97.3%) n=1,758
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)24.0%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32221.9% (9.9–35.3%) n=1,758
Homeownership rate79.9%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32280.1% (57.1–94.5%) n=1,758
Crowded housing (>1 per room)1.6%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.6% (0.0–3.3%) n=1,758
Foreign-born population7.9%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5531.4% (0.0–10.2%) n=1,763
Single-parent households53.0%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08756.3% (38.5–72.8%) n=1,744
Population 65+19.9%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55321.1% (12.3–31.4%) n=1,763
Median age42.2 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29244.2 yr (33.9–55.5) n=1,752
Median household income$66,450$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$71,250 ($50,880–$112,747) n=1,642
Median home value$170,700$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$197,200 ($99,000–$382,120) n=1,649
Median gross rent$859$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$983 ($701–$1,527) n=1,367
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)PA median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth77.9 yr ± 0.6078.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,30879.2 yr (76.0–82.0) n=1,730

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 0.60 years of 77.9, and it’s very unlikely to be off by more than twice that.

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