ZIP code
27024
in Lowgap, North CarolinaPopulation 2,387
46.45/ 100
Ranked #20,812 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 35%)
Ranked #522 of 793 North Carolina ZIPs (bottom 34%)
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.
Fiber broadband
99.2%
in the top 4.2% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST97thUS96thDefinition & source ›
The share of homes where fiber-optic internet service is available.
Full methodology ›Tree cover
71.8%
in the top 8.3% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST90thUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.
Full methodology ›Floodplain exposure
1.2%
in the bottom 13.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST6thUS13thDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area inside FEMA’s 1%-annual-chance floodplain — the “100-year” flood zone, where flooding has about a 1-in-100 chance in any given year.
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 ›Slow internet speeds
0.53%
in the top 19% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST91stUS81stDefinition & source ›
The share of homes whose fastest available download speed is under 10 Mbps.
Full methodology ›Air-toxics cancer risk
20 per million
in the bottom 25% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS25thDefinition & 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
Overall, Lowgap, North Carolina (ZIP 27024) places in the bottom 35% nationally (20,812th) and the bottom 34% of North Carolina (522nd).
The data opens on a genuinely even set of readings: fiber broadband sits in the top 4.2% nationally, and modeled tree cover lies in the top 8.3% nationally. Modeled arsenic rests in the bottom 12.7% nationally, and floodplain exposure resides in the bottom 13.2% nationally. Modeled extreme heat is in the bottom 21% nationally. On the other side, recreation lands at the national minimum, shared with about 35% of ZIPs. Households without a vehicle stands in the top 18% nationally. Physicians registers at the national minimum, shared with about 38% of ZIPs. Slow internet speeds settles in the top 19% nationally, and home broadband subscription sits in the bottom 21% nationally.
For readers new to these terms, arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Floodplain exposure is land with about a 1-in-100 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "100-year floodplain". Extreme heat is a modeled count of days a year reaching a dangerously high temperature, a leading weather hazard. Among nearby ZIPs, the nearest healthier one overall is ZIP 27017, 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.
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 87%
14%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 70%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 50%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 42%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 56%
11%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 27%
21%
Mental Health
healthier than 14%
8%
Disability
healthier than 26%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 38%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 75%
14%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 93%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 46%
16%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 38%
21%
Preventive Care
healthier than 23%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 36%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 7%
8%
Disability
healthier than 36%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 24%
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.
Clean environment, heavy chronic burden
Where the environment and chronic illness point in opposite directions
Environmental-hazard standing 86.6; chronic-disease standing 26.5 — 60 points apart, cleaner on the environment than it is on chronic illness.
Ranked #1,719 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.
Nearby
24333
Virginiashares a border
Score 40.74
Closest healthier
27017
North Carolinashares a border
Score 47.83
Similar health profile
28651
North Carolina99% similar profile
Score 45.83
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 | 31.5% | 27.9–35.4 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 39.4% | 34.9–43.9 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 9.4% | 8.5–10.4 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.5% | 10.1–13.0 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 8.4% | 7.4–9.5 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 10.2% | 8.8–11.8 |
| Depression among adults | 28.0% | 23.9–32.3 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 12.8% | 11.0–14.9 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 39.7% | 35.2–44.3 |
| Obesity among adults | 40.2% | 32.2–48.4 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.3% | 3.8–4.8 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 19.0% | 15.3–22.5 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 11.4% | 9.2–14.0 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 77.7% | 74.5–80.6 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 79.3% | 75.7–82.5 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 86.5% | 84.5–88.4 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 64.4% | 58.9–69.2 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 58.0% | 53.9–61.6 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 76.0% | 67.5–82.6 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 14.5% | 11.9–17.5 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 18.4% | 15.4–21.6 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 28.0% | 23.3–33.3 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 32.5% | 25.8–39.1 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 23.1% | 19.8–26.9 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 18.4% | 16.1–20.8 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 15.6% | 13.6–17.9 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 17.6% | 15.3–20.2 |
| Any disability among adults | 38.4% | 33.5–43.9 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 9.6% | 8.5–10.8 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 10.0% | 8.7–11.4 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 17.7% | 15.2–20.6 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 4.8% | 4.2–5.5 |
| Vision disability among adults | 6.0% | 5.3–6.8 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 22.3% | 18.9–26.2 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 15.6% | 13.0–18.7 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 13.0% | 10.7–15.6 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 11.3% | 9.5–13.4 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 8.3% | 7.1–9.6 |
| Loneliness among adults | 32.5% | 27.5–38.1 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 7.4% | 6.4–8.7 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | NC median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 16.3% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 13.0% (4.4–25.0%) n=793 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 15.8% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 14.5% (5.7–24.9%) n=794 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 29.5% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 10.4% (3.1–19.8%) n=798 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 19.8% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 22.8% (10.7–53.4%) n=798 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 4.4% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.2% (0.0–9.1%) n=796 |
| Households without a vehicle | 8.8% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.9% (0.0–10.2%) n=793 |
| Broadband subscription | 81.5% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 87.6% (76.2–96.3%) n=793 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 21.5% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 24.7% (14.1–36.5%) n=793 |
| Homeownership rate | 85.1% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 75.0% (52.7–89.7%) n=793 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 1.3% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.4% (0.0–4.5%) n=793 |
| Foreign-born population | 0.3% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 4.2% (0.0–12.9%) n=799 |
| Single-parent households | 62.9% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 51.8% (39.2–70.1%) n=790 |
| Population 65+ | 31.5% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 19.7% (11.1–31.9%) n=799 |
| Median age | 54.6 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 42.5 yr (33.3–55.7) n=797 |
| Median household income | $62,813 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $65,030 ($44,419–$97,111) n=749 |
| Median home value | $188,600 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $223,850 ($113,970–$452,990) n=758 |
| Median gross rent | $662 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $957 ($715–$1,575) n=687 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | NC median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 75.5 yr ± 1.04 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 77.3 yr (74.6–80.8) n=747 |
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 1.04 years of 75.5, 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