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ZIP code

26283

in Montrose, West VirginiaPopulation 1,410

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

39.72/ 100

Ranked #26,939 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 16%)

Ranked #166 of 697 West Virginia ZIPs (top 24%)

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.

Unemployment rate

15.7%

in the top 3.4% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST88th
US97th
Definition & source ›

The share of the civilian labor force that is unemployed.

Full methodology ›

Tree cover

78.2%

in the top 5.6% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST39th
US94th
Definition & source ›

The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.

Full methodology ›

Poverty rate

1.5%

in the bottom 6.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST12th
US6th
Definition & source ›

The share of residents whose income is below the federal poverty line, from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

Full methodology ›

Short sleep

42.5%

in the top 7.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST50th
US92nd
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who usually sleep less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.

Full methodology ›

Obesity

44.5%

in the top 5.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST75th
US95th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults with obesity, defined as a body-mass index of 30 or higher.

Full methodology ›

Park land

15.8%

in the top 8.5% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST95th
US92nd
Definition & source ›

The share of this ZIP’s land area that is public parkland.

Full methodology ›

High blood pressure

46.7%

in the top 8.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST45th
US92nd
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have high blood pressure.

Full methodology ›

Housing-cost burden

10.4%

in the bottom 9.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST32nd
US10th
Definition & source ›

The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.

Full methodology ›

High cholesterol

43.9%

in the top 7.2% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST32nd
US93rd
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults with high cholesterol, among those who have ever been screened for it.

Full methodology ›

Air-toxics cancer risk

20 per million

in the bottom 25% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US25th
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 ›

The read

Judged by its overall standing, Montrose, West Virginia (ZIP 26283) sits in the bottom 16% nationally (26,939th) and the top 24% of West Virginia (166th).

continue reading

A few readings each way define this mixed profile: modeled tree cover stands in the top 5.6% nationally, poverty resides in the bottom 6.0% nationally, and park land sits in the top 8.5% nationally. Modeled extreme heat stands at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Housing-cost burden resides in the bottom 9.8% nationally. Pulling the other way, unemployment sits in the top 3.4% nationally, and modeled short sleep stands in the top 7.8% nationally. Modeled obesity resides in the top 5.3% nationally, and high blood pressure sits in the top 8.3% nationally. Modeled high cholesterol stands in the top 7.2% nationally.

Placed beside its immediate neighbors, park land runs far lower than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Put plainly, extreme heat is a modeled count of days a year reaching a dangerously high temperature, a leading weather hazard. A healthier nearby ZIP overall is ZIP 26276, 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.

Compare within

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 72%

14%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 77%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 75%

5%

About typical

Preventive Care

healthier than 59%

13%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 7%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 38%

16%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 13%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 5%

8%

Disability

healthier than 25%

7%

Lifting this score

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 63%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 70%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 61%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 62%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 75%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 74%

8%

Disability

healthier than 78%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 71%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 85%

5%

Nothing measured is holding this score back.

“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.

  • Clean environment, heavy chronic burden

    Where the environment and chronic illness point in opposite directions

    Environmental-hazard standing 72.3; chronic-disease standing 7.2 (bottom 10%) — 65 points apart, cleaner on the environment than it is on chronic illness.

    Ranked #1,390 of the 18,187 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by the gap from cleanest environment to heaviest chronic burden, 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 adults40.6%37.4–44.0
High blood pressure among adults46.7%43.0–50.5
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults10.5%9.6–11.4
Current asthma among adults12.2%10.9–13.5
Coronary heart disease among adults9.3%8.5–10.3
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults10.9%9.7–12.2
Depression among adults30.7%27.2–34.4
Diagnosed diabetes among adults16.3%14.5–18.2
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened43.9%40.1–47.9
Obesity among adults44.5%37.9–51.4
Stroke among adults4.4%4.0–4.8
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years21.9%18.9–25.0
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years7.8%6.5–9.2
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure81.0%78.7–83.2
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults81.0%78.1–83.7
Cholesterol screening among adults88.1%86.6–89.5
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years69.5%65.3–73.3
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults51.7%48.2–55.0
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years73.0%65.9–79.3
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults13.7%11.5–16.2
Current cigarette smoking among adults19.4%16.9–22.0
No leisure-time physical activity among adults32.6%28.3–36.9
Short sleep duration among adults42.5%36.9–48.0
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults25.1%22.3–28.0
Frequent mental distress among adults20.3%18.3–22.3
Frequent physical distress among adults17.6%15.7–19.4
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults17.9%15.9–19.9
Any disability among adults39.7%35.7–43.7
Hearing disability among adults9.6%8.7–10.7
Independent living disability among adults10.5%9.4–11.7
Mobility disability among adults19.0%16.9–21.2
Self-care disability among adults4.5%4.1–5.0
Vision disability among adults5.5%5.0–6.1
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults23.0%20.2–26.3
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults14.5%12.4–16.7
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults15.3%13.2–17.7
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults11.0%9.6–12.7
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults8.0%7.1–9.0
Loneliness among adults34.5%30.5–39.1
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults9.7%8.5–11.1
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)WV median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate1.5%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36416.3% (0.0–41.0%) n=694
Uninsured 18–649.6%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2867.1% (0.0–21.5%) n=682
No HS diploma (25+)4.4%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,50511.8% (0.9–29.6%) n=695
Bachelor's or higher (25+)26.6%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50514.1% (0.0–32.5%) n=695
Unemployment rate (16+)15.7%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2743.4% (0.0–17.9%) n=668
Households without a vehicle5.1%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3224.3% (0.0–17.1%) n=694
Broadband subscription86.7%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32285.7% (62.6–100.0%) n=694
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)10.4%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32216.7% (0.0–34.6%) n=694
Homeownership rate90.7%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32284.0% (61.6–100.0%) n=694
Crowded housing (>1 per room)0.0%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.0% (0.0–4.1%) n=694
Foreign-born population0.5%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5530.0% (0.0–2.1%) n=696
Single-parent households62.4%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08757.0% (31.3–90.6%) n=686
Population 65+23.4%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55322.0% (10.4–45.0%) n=696
Median age48.6 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29245.9 yr (32.6–62.1) n=681
Median household income$75,556$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$55,088 ($33,083–$85,218) n=539
Median home value$153,500$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$125,600 ($66,920–$223,500) n=553
Median gross rent$572$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$802 ($586–$1,085) n=293
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)WV median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy unavailable for this ZIP — fewer than 80% of the census tracts that make it up could be matched across the 2010→2020 tract-boundary revision, so no value is published rather than an unreliable one. See how coverage gaps are handled.
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