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ZipVitals

ZIP code

19703

in Claymont, DelawarePopulation 15,460

57.08/ 100

Ranked #7,205 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 22%)

Ranked #27 of 64 Delaware ZIPs (top 42%)

Ranked #203 of 361 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD ZIPs (bottom 44%)

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

Robust across all 9 health domains

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.

PFOA in drinking water

94.1%

in the top 6.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST76th
US93rd
Definition & source ›

The share of residents served by public water systems where PFOA, one of the man-made “forever chemicals,” was detected in EPA testing.

Measured from EPA records for the public water systems that serve this ZIP. Households on private wells — roughly 30% of the US population — are not covered by this measure, and this figure says nothing about their water.

Full methodology ›

Air-toxics cancer risk

39.4 per million

in the top 7.2% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST82nd
US93rd
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 ›

Hearing disability

5.0%

in the bottom 6.4% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST7th
US6th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing.

Full methodology ›

Subsidized affordable housing

264 units

in the top 9.4% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST91st
US91st
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Outer-floodplain exposure

3.5%

in the top 9.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST91st
US90th
Definition & source ›

The share of this ZIP’s land area inside FEMA’s 0.2%-annual-chance flood band — the “500-year” zone, a lower but real 1-in-500 yearly chance.

Measured from FEMA’s mapped flood panels. Where a panel has not been mapped, no value is published for that ZIP — those ZIPs are absent from this comparison rather than counted as unexposed.

Full methodology ›

Homeownership rate

54.7%

in the bottom 11.9% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST7th
US12th
Definition & source ›

The share of occupied homes that are owned, rather than rented, by the people living in them.

Full methodology ›

Coronary heart disease

5.1%

in the bottom 10.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST6th
US11th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have coronary heart disease or angina.

Full methodology ›

The read

Judged by its overall standing, Claymont, Delaware (ZIP 19703) sits in the top 22% healthiest ZIPs nationally (7,205th) and the top 42% of Delaware (27th).

continue reading

The measures that most flatter this area set the tone for the rest: modeled hearing disability stands in the bottom 6.4% nationally, subsidized affordable housing resides in the top 9.4% nationally, and transit sits in the top 10.9% nationally. Distance to a community health center stands at the national minimum, shared with about 23% of ZIPs. Walkability resides in the top 12.4% nationally. Against that, PFOA in drinking water sits in the top 6.9% nationally, and modeled air-toxics cancer risk stands in the top 7.2% nationally. Outer-floodplain exposure resides in the top 9.8% nationally, and distance to a Superfund site sits in the bottom 10.1% nationally. Homeownership stands in the bottom 11.9% nationally.

Placed beside its immediate neighbors, park land runs far lower than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Put plainly, PFOA in drinking water is one of the man-made "forever chemicals" that build up in the body and environment instead of breaking down. Air-toxics cancer risk is a modeled EPA estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air, per million people. Distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. A healthier nearby ZIP overall is ZIP 19809, 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. Compare it against the US, this state and the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area.

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

Compare within

Lifting this score

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 80%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 74%

16%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 66%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 70%

8%

Disability

healthier than 81%

7%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 81%

5%

About typical

Preventive Care

healthier than 53%

13%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 45%

5%

Holding it back

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 7%

14%

Lifting this score

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 92%

21%

Disability

healthier than 77%

7%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 77%

5%

About typical

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 57%

16%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 57%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 59%

8%

Holding it back

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 3%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 34%

13%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 38%

5%

Lifting this score

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 68%

21%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 69%

11%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 82%

5%

About typical

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 51%

16%

Disability

healthier than 57%

7%

Holding it back

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 6%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 39%

13%

Mental Health

healthier than 32%

8%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 35%

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 ›

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.

  • Heavy environment, light chronic burden

    Where the environment and chronic illness point in opposite directions

    Environmental-hazard standing 7.6 (bottom 10%); chronic-disease standing 79.7 — 72 points apart, heavier on the environment than it is on chronic illness.

    Ranked #16,579 of the 18,187 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by the gap from cleanest environment to heaviest chronic burden, highest first.

  • Highest-risk tenth

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

    Modeled air-toxics cancer risk is 39.4 cases per million — among the tenth of compared ZIP codes with the most. Estimated life expectancy is 77.3 ± 2.2 years.

    Ranked #1,559 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 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Arthritis among adults23.5%21.0–25.9
High blood pressure among adults33.1%29.7–36.2
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults7.2%6.6–7.9
Current asthma among adults10.5%9.3–11.8
Coronary heart disease among adults5.1%4.6–5.7
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults5.4%4.8–6.1
Depression among adults21.1%18.0–24.1
Diagnosed diabetes among adults11.0%9.7–12.4
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened36.4%32.7–39.9
Obesity among adults33.1%27.5–38.5
Stroke among adults3.0%2.8–3.3
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years11.4%9.4–13.7
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years8.4%7.2–9.7
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure73.3%70.4–76.0
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults78.2%74.9–81.2
Cholesterol screening among adults86.9%85.0–88.4
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years65.6%61.3–69.8
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults62.9%59.3–66.4
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years78.8%73.1–83.8
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults15.7%13.4–18.2
Current cigarette smoking among adults11.6%10.0–13.3
No leisure-time physical activity among adults24.8%21.2–28.4
Short sleep duration among adults36.7%31.9–42.0
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults16.6%14.7–18.6
Frequent mental distress among adults16.0%14.2–17.9
Frequent physical distress among adults11.7%10.4–13.0
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults13.1%11.5–14.6
Any disability among adults27.5%24.2–30.9
Hearing disability among adults5.0%4.4–5.6
Independent living disability among adults7.2%6.4–8.0
Mobility disability among adults12.2%10.8–13.6
Self-care disability among adults3.2%2.9–3.5
Vision disability among adults4.3%3.9–4.7
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults23.6%20.8–26.7
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults14.4%12.6–16.3
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults11.6%9.9–13.5
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults12.7%11.2–14.5
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults8.1%7.2–9.1
Loneliness among adults33.0%29.3–37.0
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults8.0%7.0–9.1
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)DE median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate10.1%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3648.2% (2.4–16.7%) n=62
Uninsured 18–646.6%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2867.8% (3.2–18.9%) n=63
No HS diploma (25+)5.2%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5058.1% (3.2–15.9%) n=63
Bachelor's or higher (25+)37.4%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50531.1% (13.0–59.9%) n=63
Unemployment rate (16+)5.2%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2744.6% (1.9–8.9%) n=63
Households without a vehicle8.0%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3223.6% (0.0–9.1%) n=62
Broadband subscription91.3%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32292.8% (85.5–97.0%) n=62
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)29.0%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32225.1% (17.0–38.0%) n=62
Homeownership rate54.7%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32281.6% (59.5–92.0%) n=62
Crowded housing (>1 per room)2.9%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3221.1% (0.0–4.8%) n=62
Foreign-born population13.8%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5537.1% (1.1–16.0%) n=64
Single-parent households49.4%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08752.4% (43.2–77.6%) n=62
Population 65+16.0%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55319.2% (13.0–42.2%) n=64
Median age39.0 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29241.5 yr (34.9–62.0) n=64
Median household income$76,939$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$82,604 ($60,703–$125,491) n=61
Median home value$284,700$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$322,500 ($243,800–$534,600) n=61
Median gross rent$1,392$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$1,370 ($1,106–$1,655) n=55
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)DE median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth77.3 yr ± 1.1078.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,30877.6 yr (75.5–81.2) n=61

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 1.10 years of 77.3, 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