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ZipVitals

ZIP code

18706

in Laurel Run, PennsylvaniaPopulation 16,387

45.07/ 100

Ranked #22,333 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 30%)

Ranked #1,354 of 1,748 Pennsylvania ZIPs (bottom 23%)

Ranked #56 of 73 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA ZIPs (bottom 23%)

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.

Transit access

5.5 per 1,000 residents

in the top 4.3% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST92nd
US96th
Definition & source ›

The number of public-transit stops 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.

Full methodology ›

Pharmacy access

0.37 per 1,000 residents

in the top 9.7% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST87th
US90th
Definition & source ›

The number of pharmacies located 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.

Full methodology ›

The read

From the partial coverage available here, Laurel Run, Pennsylvania (ZIP 18706) lands in the bottom 30% nationally (22,333rd) and the bottom 23% of Pennsylvania (1,354th), based on limited data; treat as directional.

continue reading

The available readings suggest a handful of things about this area: transit lands in the top 4.3% nationally. Modeled extreme heat settles at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Pharmacy rests in the top 9.7% nationally. Distance to a nursing home lands at the national minimum, shared with about 27% of ZIPs. Lead in tap water settles in the bottom 13.5% nationally, and modeled tree cover rests in the top 15% nationally. By contrast, households without a vehicle lands in the top 12.4% nationally. Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility settles at the national minimum, shared with about 31% of ZIPs. Distance to a Superfund site rests in the bottom 16% nationally, and poverty lands in the top 17% nationally.

Set beside the wider area around it, park land runs far lower than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. For clarity, lead in tap water is the EPA trigger, 15 parts per billion in tap samples, above which a water system must act on lead. 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. Distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. ZIP 18707, 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

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 72%

6%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 76%

6%

About typical

Preventive CarePartial

healthier than 40%

15%

Holding it back

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 16%

19%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 25%

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

2 of our published findings list 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.

  • Below what income predicts

    The ZIP codes that outlive their incomes

    Estimated life expectancy is 75.9 ± 1.3 years. A median household income of $58,558 predicts 78.0 years — 2.1 years below.

    Ranked #2,822 of the 5,842 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by years above what income predicts, highest first.

  • Below its nearby ZIPs

    The ZIP codes that outlive their neighbors

    Estimated life expectancy is 75.9 ± 1.3 years. The 48 nearest ZIP codes with estimates average 78.1 years — 2.3 years below them.

    Ranked #1,748 of the 3,687 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by years above the nearby-ZIP average, 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 years15.6%12.6–18.8
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years65.3%60.2–70.2
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults60.4%56.5–64.1
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years74.7%66.7–81.6
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Short sleep duration among adults39.8%33.8–46.4
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)PA median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate20.8%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3649.3% (2.1–21.6%) n=1,759
Uninsured 18–6410.9%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2866.3% (0.0–16.6%) n=1,753
No HS diploma (25+)8.1%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5057.0% (1.5–16.1%) n=1,762
Bachelor's or higher (25+)18.6%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50521.9% (8.9–50.4%) n=1,762
Unemployment rate (16+)4.7%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2743.9% (0.0–9.6%) n=1,755
Households without a vehicle11.1%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3224.8% (0.0–15.6%) n=1,758
Broadband subscription84.8%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32288.2% (75.7–97.3%) n=1,758
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)30.4%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32221.9% (9.9–35.3%) n=1,758
Homeownership rate66.3%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 population6.3%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5531.4% (0.0–10.2%) n=1,763
Single-parent households43.5%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08756.3% (38.5–72.8%) n=1,744
Population 65+19.1%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55321.1% (12.3–31.4%) n=1,763
Median age38.3 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29244.2 yr (33.9–55.5) n=1,752
Median household income$58,558$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$71,250 ($50,880–$112,747) n=1,642
Median home value$138,300$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$197,200 ($99,000–$382,120) n=1,649
Median gross rent$965$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 birth75.9 yr ± 0.6878.9 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 0.68 years of 75.9, 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