ZIP code
21623
in Church Hill, MarylandPopulation 2,669
54.19/ 100
Ranked #10,453 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 33%)
Ranked #315 of 458 Maryland ZIPs (bottom 31%)
Ranked #128 of 157 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD ZIPs (bottom 18%)
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.
Crowded housing
6.0%
in the top 10.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS89thDefinition & source ›
The share of occupied homes with more than one person per room, the Census definition of crowded housing.
Full methodology ›PFAS in drinking water
11.5%
in the bottom 12.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST10thUS13thDefinition & 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
30 per 100,000 residents per year
in the top 13.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS87thDefinition & 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 ›Binge drinking
18.6%
in the top 14.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST96thUS86thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who report binge drinking — five or more drinks on one occasion for men, four or more for women.
Full methodology ›High cholesterol
33.9%
in the bottom 13.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST8thUS13thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with high cholesterol, among those who have ever been screened for it.
Full methodology ›The read
Church Hill, Maryland (ZIP 21623), overall, ranks in the top 33% healthiest ZIPs nationally (10,453rd) and the bottom 31% of Maryland (315th).
This area's strengths are easy to pick out across the measures: distance to a community health center sits at the national minimum, shared with about 23% of ZIPs. Modeled pfas lands in the bottom 12.7% nationally, civic lies in the top 14.8% nationally, and modeled hearing disability stands in the bottom 18% nationally. Modeled high cholesterol rests in the bottom 13.1% nationally. Working the other way, crowded housing registers in the top 10.7% nationally, and fatal road crashes resides in the top 13.3% nationally. Modeled binge drinking settles in the top 14.1% nationally. Recreation is at the national minimum, shared with about 35% of ZIPs. Physicians sits at the national minimum, shared with about 38% of ZIPs.
Defined simply, 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. Distance to a community health center is a federally funded (HRSA) community health center serving everyone regardless of ability to pay. ZIP 21617, just across the boundary, comes out healthier overall.
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 73%
21%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 82%
14%
Disability
healthier than 71%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 63%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 67%
5%
About typical
Preventive Care
healthier than 46%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 43%
11%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 37%
16%
Mental Health
healthier than 36%
8%
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 64%
21%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 82%
14%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 72%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 71%
5%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 17%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 16%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 18%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 12%
8%
Disability
healthier than 38%
7%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 99%
14%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 61%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 69%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 49%
21%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 14%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 14%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 16%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 15%
8%
Disability
healthier than 21%
7%
“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
21607
Marylandshares a border
Score 51.95
Closest healthier
21617
Marylandshares a border
Score 61.05
Similar health profile
14420
New York96% similar profile
Score 57.85
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 | 26.8% | 24.3–29.3 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 36.3% | 33.1–39.4 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 7.8% | 7.1–8.6 |
| Current asthma among adults | 10.6% | 9.4–11.8 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 5.8% | 5.1–6.4 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 6.9% | 6.0–7.7 |
| Depression among adults | 24.2% | 21.2–27.2 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 11.2% | 9.9–12.6 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 33.9% | 30.7–37.0 |
| Obesity among adults | 32.8% | 28.1–37.6 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.2% | 2.9–3.5 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 11.4% | 9.4–13.6 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 8.6% | 7.1–10.2 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 74.3% | 71.3–77.1 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 75.2% | 71.8–78.3 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 87.6% | 85.7–89.4 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 65.1% | 60.7–69.0 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 63.3% | 60.1–66.4 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 77.9% | 72.0–82.9 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 18.6% | 15.7–21.5 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 14.5% | 12.1–16.8 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 23.1% | 19.9–26.3 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 36.4% | 31.8–41.0 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 18.4% | 16.1–20.7 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 17.6% | 15.6–19.6 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 13.1% | 11.5–14.6 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 14.1% | 12.4–15.9 |
| Any disability among adults | 27.9% | 24.4–31.2 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 6.1% | 5.5–6.8 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 7.8% | 6.8–8.8 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 12.3% | 10.7–13.8 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.6% | 3.2–4.0 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.5% | 4.1–5.0 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 24.0% | 20.7–27.5 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 15.0% | 12.4–17.6 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 12.7% | 10.4–15.1 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 13.3% | 11.1–15.4 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 8.1% | 7.0–9.3 |
| Loneliness among adults | 34.1% | 29.9–38.5 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 8.8% | 7.5–10.2 |
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 | 25.2% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 4.8% (0.0–13.1%) n=459 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 15.8% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 6.3% (0.5–16.6%) n=463 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 21.6% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 37.3% (15.0–64.4%) n=463 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 2.6% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 3.9% (0.0–8.6%) n=457 |
| Households without a vehicle | 0.9% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.2% (0.0–12.4%) n=457 |
| Broadband subscription | 82.9% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 93.3% (81.2–100.0%) n=457 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 31.4% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 27.0% (12.0–41.8%) n=457 |
| Homeownership rate | 84.8% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 82.1% (49.9–98.5%) n=457 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 6.0% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 0.7% (0.0–4.0%) n=457 |
| Foreign-born population | 20.2% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 6.2% (0.0–26.4%) n=464 |
| Single-parent households | 40.8% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 50.9% (34.0–73.3%) n=450 |
| Population 65+ | 14.8% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 18.0% (10.9–33.1%) n=464 |
| Median age | 36.4 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.8 yr (34.2–57.2) n=460 |
| Median household income | $78,345 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $106,181 ($62,879–$172,423) n=419 |
| Median home value | $391,400 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $423,400 ($215,180–$683,660) n=427 |
| Median gross rent | $1,233 | $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 | 81.4 yr ± 1.25 | 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 1.25 years of 81.4, 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