ZIP code
18460
in South Sterling, PennsylvaniaPopulation 118
39.00/ 100
Ranked #27,389 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 14.6%)
Ranked #1,604 of 1,748 Pennsylvania ZIPs (bottom 8.3%)
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.
Natural-disaster risk
in the bottom 5.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST19thUS6thDefinition & source ›
This area’s national rank on its single highest non-flood natural hazard — such as wildfire, tornado, or earthquake — in FEMA’s modeled National Risk Index; flooding is shown separately.
Full methodology ›Tree cover
78%
in the top 5.7% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST90thUS94thDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.
Full methodology ›Expected annual disaster loss
$0
in the bottom 7.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST18thUS7thDefinition & source ›
FEMA’s modeled estimate, in dollars per year, of the average harm to people expected from natural hazards — an annualized average, not a forecast for any single year.
Full methodology ›Distance to an emergency room
17.3 mi
in the top 7.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST95thUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare-certified hospital with an emergency room.
Full methodology ›Energy-cost burden
5.3%
in the top 6.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST89thUS93rdDefinition & 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 ›Distance to a nursing home
10.9 mi
in the top 9.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS91stDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing home.
Full methodology ›Housing-cost burden
38%
in the top 12.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST93rdUS87thDefinition & source ›
The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
Full methodology ›Humid extreme heat
16.9 days/year
in the bottom 13.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST2ndUS14thDefinition & source ›
The average number of days per year when modeled heat stress — temperature, humidity, sun, and wind combined — reaches levels hard on the body outdoors.
Full methodology ›Tooth loss
20.9%
in the top 15% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST93rdUS85thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 65 and older who have lost all of their natural teeth.
Full methodology ›Mammography
71.5%
in the bottom 22% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST2ndUS22ndDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of women aged 50–74 who had a mammogram within the past two years.
Full methodology ›The read
Working only from the data in hand, South Sterling, Pennsylvania (ZIP 18460) lands in the bottom 14.6% nationally (27,389th) and the bottom 8.3% of Pennsylvania (1,604th), based on limited data; treat as directional.
What little the measures show is worth setting out plainly: modeled disaster risk sits in the bottom 5.6% nationally, and tree cover rests in the top 5.7% nationally. Modeled expected annual loss is in the bottom 7.0% nationally. Households without a vehicle stands at the national minimum, shared with about 16% of ZIPs. Modeled extreme heat settles at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Modeled loud transportation noise lies at the national minimum, shared with about 22% of ZIPs. On the other hand, distance to an emergency room resides in the top 7.8% nationally, modeled energy burden lands in the top 6.6% nationally, and distance to a nursing home registers in the top 9.5% nationally. Fiber broadband sits 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. Expected annual loss is FEMA's modeled estimate, in dollars, of average yearly harm to people from natural hazards. Energy burden is the share of household income that goes to home energy bills. Overall, the nearest healthier neighbor is ZIP 18326, 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
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 76%
16%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 67%
6%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 9%
19%
Preventive CarePartial
healthier than 30%
15%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 21%
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.
Nearby
18326
Pennsylvaniashares a border
Score 54.21
Closest healthier
18445
Pennsylvaniashares a border
Score 42.26
Similar health profile
45682
Ohio100% similar profile
Score 35.97
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
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 20.9% | 17.0–25.3 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 68.2% | 62.6–73.4 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 56.7% | 52.5–60.7 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 71.5% | 62.4–79.3 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Short sleep duration among adults | 40.0% | 32.6–47.7 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | PA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 15.3% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 9.3% (2.1–21.6%) n=1,759 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 16.0% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 6.3% (0.0–16.6%) n=1,753 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 23.3% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 7.0% (1.5–16.1%) n=1,762 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 12.8% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 21.9% (8.9–50.4%) n=1,762 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 4.4% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 3.9% (0.0–9.6%) n=1,755 |
| Households without a vehicle | 0.0% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 4.8% (0.0–15.6%) n=1,758 |
| Broadband subscription | 82.0% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 88.2% (75.7–97.3%) n=1,758 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 38.0% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 21.9% (9.9–35.3%) n=1,758 |
| Homeownership rate | 80.0% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 80.1% (57.1–94.5%) n=1,758 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 0.0% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 0.6% (0.0–3.3%) n=1,758 |
| Foreign-born population | 0.0% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 1.4% (0.0–10.2%) n=1,763 |
| Single-parent households | 42.1% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 56.3% (38.5–72.8%) n=1,744 |
| Population 65+ | 32.2% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 21.1% (12.3–31.4%) n=1,763 |
| Median age | 43.5 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 44.2 yr (33.9–55.5) n=1,752 |
| Median household income | $51,500 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $71,250 ($50,880–$112,747) n=1,642 |
| Median home value | $236,400 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $197,200 ($99,000–$382,120) n=1,649 |
| Median gross rent | $1,071 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $983 ($701–$1,527) n=1,367 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | PA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.0 yr ± 1.54 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 79.2 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 1.54 years of 79.0, 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