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ZipVitals

ZIP code

17087

in Richland, PennsylvaniaPopulation 2,370

48.75/ 100

Ranked #18,001 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 44%)

Ranked #1,022 of 1,748 Pennsylvania ZIPs (bottom 42%)

Ranked #33 of 49 Reading, PA ZIPs (bottom 33%)

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.

Radon

3.7 pCi/L

in the top 3.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST98th
US97th
Definition & source ›

The modeled typical indoor radon level for this area, in picocuries per liter — the EPA recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or above.

Modeled from indoor-radon measurements. In Alaska and Hawaii, where those measurements are not published, a US Geological Survey geologic radon-potential category stands in — a coarser input, disclosed rather than hidden.

Full methodology ›

Nitrate in drinking water

13.9%

in the top 2.7% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US97th
Definition & source ›

The modeled share of this area’s domestic-well groundwater at or above the federal nitrate limit of 10 milligrams 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 ›

Loud transportation noise

1.9%

in the top 7.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST92nd
US92nd
Definition & 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 ›

Industrial-pollution burden

in the top 8.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST86th
US92nd
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 ›

Transportation noise

9.9%

in the top 8.7% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST87th
US91st
Definition & 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 ›

Arsenic in groundwater

1.5%

in the bottom 13.2% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST7th
US13th
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 ›

Crowded housing

3.4%

in the top 22% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST90th
US78th
Definition & source ›

The share of occupied homes with more than one person per room, the Census definition of crowded housing.

Full methodology ›

The read

On the data available so far, Richland, Pennsylvania (ZIP 17087) lands in the bottom 44% nationally (18,001st) and the bottom 42% of Pennsylvania (1,022nd), based on limited data; treat as directional.

continue reading

The available readings suggest a handful of things about this area: poverty registers in the bottom 11.0% nationally, and modeled arsenic lies in the bottom 13.2% nationally. Housing-cost burden is in the bottom 14.4% nationally, and modeled mammography registers in the top 18% nationally. By contrast, modeled radon lies in the top 3.3% nationally, nitrate is in the top 2.7% nationally, and loud transportation noise registers in the top 7.8% nationally. Modeled industrial-pollution burden lies in the top 8.3% nationally, modeled transportation noise is in the top 8.7% nationally, and distance to a Superfund site registers in the bottom 12.9% nationally.

Against its neighbors, park land runs far lower than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. For context, radon is a radioactive soil gas the EPA identifies as the top cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. Nitrate is a groundwater compound from fertilizer, manure, and sewage, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Industrial-pollution burden is the EPA's modeled screening score weighting industrial chemical releases by their toxicity and how many people live nearby. The closest ZIP that ranks healthier overall is ZIP 17067, 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.

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

Lifting this score

Preventive CarePartial

healthier than 66%

15%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 65%

6%

Holding it back

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 39%

19%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 5%

16%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 32%

6%

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 ›

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 years14.6%12.2–17.2
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years65.8%61.5–69.7
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults61.3%58.0–64.5
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years79.0%73.2–84.0
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Short sleep duration among adults36.8%31.5–42.4
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)PA median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate3.3%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3649.3% (2.1–21.6%) n=1,759
Uninsured 18–6419.2%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2866.3% (0.0–16.6%) n=1,753
No HS diploma (25+)15.0%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5057.0% (1.5–16.1%) n=1,762
Bachelor's or higher (25+)21.9%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50521.9% (8.9–50.4%) n=1,762
Unemployment rate (16+)2.8%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2743.9% (0.0–9.6%) n=1,755
Households without a vehicle3.7%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3224.8% (0.0–15.6%) n=1,758
Broadband subscription80.9%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32288.2% (75.7–97.3%) n=1,758
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)13.1%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32221.9% (9.9–35.3%) n=1,758
Homeownership rate79.5%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32280.1% (57.1–94.5%) n=1,758
Crowded housing (>1 per room)3.4%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.6% (0.0–3.3%) n=1,758
Foreign-born population1.4%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5531.4% (0.0–10.2%) n=1,763
Single-parent households54.5%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08756.3% (38.5–72.8%) n=1,744
Population 65+20.5%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55321.1% (12.3–31.4%) n=1,763
Median age39.2 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29244.2 yr (33.9–55.5) n=1,752
Median household income$93,150$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$71,250 ($50,880–$112,747) n=1,642
Median home value$225,200$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$197,200 ($99,000–$382,120) n=1,649
Median gross rent$903$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 birth80.8 yr ± 0.6278.9 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 0.62 years of 80.8, 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