ZIP code
21014
in Bel Air, MarylandPopulation 38,707
62.03/ 100
Ranked #3,509 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 11.0%)
Ranked #148 of 458 Maryland ZIPs (top 32%)
Ranked #77 of 157 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD ZIPs (top 49%)
Ranks are modeled estimates — ZIPs a few hundred places apart are effectively tied.
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.
PFAS in drinking water
70.2%
in the top 4.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS96thDefinition & 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 ›Fatal road crashes
2.3 per 100,000 residents per year
in the bottom 8.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST9thUS8thDefinition & source ›
The annual rate of fatal road crashes per 100,000 residents, pooled over a ten-year window.
A rate per resident population. Where a ZIP has too few residents for the rate to be reliable — about 30% of US ZIPs — no value is published rather than an unstable one; those ZIPs are absent from this comparison, not counted as crash-free.
Full methodology ›Physician access
1.8 per 1,000 residents
in the top 8.8% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST88thUS91stDefinition & source ›
The number of physicians’ offices 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 ›Dental provider access
0.86 per 1,000 residents
in the top 9.4% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST89thUS91stDefinition & source ›
The number of dental offices 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 ›Energy-cost burden
1.8%
in the bottom 9.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST25thUS9thDefinition & 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 ›Elder-services access
0.13 per 1,000 residents
in the top 11.7% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST92ndUS88thDefinition & source ›
The number of services for older adults and people with disabilities 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 ›Mammography
80.4%
in the top 9.1% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST60thUS91stDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of women aged 50–74 who had a mammogram within the past two years.
Full methodology ›Tooth loss
7.2%
in the bottom 9.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST31stUS9thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 65 and older who have lost all of their natural teeth.
Full methodology ›Natural-disaster risk
in the top 17% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS83rdDefinition & 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 ›PFOA in drinking water
35.8%
in the top 18% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS82ndDefinition & 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 ›The read
ZIP 21014, one of several in Bel Air, Maryland ranks in the top 11.0% healthiest ZIPs nationally (3,509th) and the top 32% of Maryland (148th).
The bright spots in the data define much of the story here: distance to an emergency room settles at the national minimum, shared with about 11% of ZIPs. Fatal road crashes rests in the bottom 8.0% nationally, and physicians lands in the top 8.8% nationally. Dental providers settles in the top 9.4% nationally, modeled energy burden rests in the bottom 9.4% nationally, and elder services lands in the top 11.7% nationally. Modeled mammography settles in the top 9.1% nationally, outpatient rests in the top 12.1% nationally, and modeled transportation lands in the bottom 12.4% nationally. On the other side, modeled pfas settles in the top 4.4% nationally.
Against its neighbors, park land runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. For context, 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. Energy burden is the share of household income that goes to home energy bills. The closest ZIP that ranks healthier overall is ZIP 21015, just across the boundary. The area also sits on the healthier half of the national range on at least seven of the ten good-life measures tracked here, from quiet and green space to nearby care, a combination reached by about one in twenty-five US ZIP codes.
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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area.
Compared with the ZIP codes measured across all nine scoring domains — not with all US ZIP codes.
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 72%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 93%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 87%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 86%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 71%
8%
Disability
healthier than 87%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 63%
5%
About typical
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 54%
14%
Holding it back
Healthcare Access
healthier than 27%
5%
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 60%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 80%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 65%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 71%
11%
Disability
healthier than 65%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 72%
5%
About typical
Mental Health
healthier than 43%
8%
Holding it back
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 37%
14%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 15%
5%
Lifting this score
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 68%
16%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 63%
11%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 62%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 44%
21%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 56%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 53%
13%
Mental Health
healthier than 44%
8%
Disability
healthier than 45%
7%
Holding it back
Healthcare Access
healthier than 16%
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
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.
Above its nearby ZIPs
The ZIP codes that outlive their neighbors
Estimated life expectancy is 80.6 ± 1.2 years. The 49 nearest ZIP codes with estimates average 78.4 years — 2.2 years above them.
Ranked #1,316 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.
Nearby
21015
Marylandshares a border
Score 63.56
Closest healthier
21047
Marylandshares a border
Score 65.11
Similar health profile
21071
Maryland100% similar profile
Score 65.43
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
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Arthritis among adults | 27.8% | 25.2–30.4 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 34.6% | 31.5–37.7 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 9.5% | 8.6–10.3 |
| Current asthma among adults | 10.0% | 8.9–11.1 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 5.8% | 5.2–6.4 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 6.1% | 5.4–6.8 |
| Depression among adults | 22.2% | 19.4–25.0 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 10.8% | 9.4–12.1 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 40.3% | 36.9–43.6 |
| Obesity among adults | 33.9% | 29.3–38.6 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.0% | 2.8–3.3 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 7.2% | 5.9–8.7 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 6.2% | 5.3–7.1 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 76.0% | 73.1–78.5 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 79.5% | 76.4–82.0 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 90.0% | 88.6–91.1 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 71.6% | 67.9–75.1 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 68.5% | 65.7–71.3 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 80.4% | 75.1–84.9 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 14.9% | 12.6–17.3 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 10.3% | 8.8–11.8 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 19.5% | 16.6–22.3 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 35.1% | 31.0–39.4 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 15.0% | 13.2–16.9 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 15.1% | 13.5–16.8 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 11.9% | 10.5–13.3 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 11.3% | 10.0–12.6 |
| Any disability among adults | 23.9% | 21.0–26.8 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 6.3% | 5.7–7.0 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 6.3% | 5.6–7.0 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 10.7% | 9.4–12.2 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 2.8% | 2.6–3.1 |
| Vision disability among adults | 3.5% | 3.2–3.9 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 19.9% | 17.2–23.0 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 9.2% | 7.9–10.7 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 7.1% | 6.0–8.2 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 8.4% | 7.2–9.7 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 5.4% | 4.7–6.1 |
| Loneliness among adults | 31.1% | 27.1–35.5 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 5.4% | 4.7–6.2 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | MD median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 6.6% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 6.7% (1.1–19.3%) n=459 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 4.8% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 4.8% (0.0–13.1%) n=459 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 5.0% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 6.3% (0.5–16.6%) n=463 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 47.2% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 37.3% (15.0–64.4%) n=463 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 2.4% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 3.9% (0.0–8.6%) n=457 |
| Households without a vehicle | 5.5% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.2% (0.0–12.4%) n=457 |
| Broadband subscription | 92.8% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 93.3% (81.2–100.0%) n=457 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 24.8% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 27.0% (12.0–41.8%) n=457 |
| Homeownership rate | 75.8% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 82.1% (49.9–98.5%) n=457 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 0.7% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 0.7% (0.0–4.0%) n=457 |
| Foreign-born population | 7.0% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 6.2% (0.0–26.4%) n=464 |
| Single-parent households | 51.2% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 50.9% (34.0–73.3%) n=450 |
| Population 65+ | 18.8% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 18.0% (10.9–33.1%) n=464 |
| Median age | 41.3 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.8 yr (34.2–57.2) n=460 |
| Median household income | $116,970 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $106,181 ($62,879–$172,423) n=419 |
| Median home value | $429,900 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $423,400 ($215,180–$683,660) n=427 |
| Median gross rent | $1,577 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $1,626 ($958–$2,415) n=339 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | MD median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.6 yr ± 0.62 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 79.5 yr (75.7–82.7) n=451 |
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 80.6, 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