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ZIP code

27332

in Sanford, North CarolinaPopulation 36,947

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

51.28/ 100

Ranked #14,445 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 45%)

Ranked #340 of 793 North Carolina ZIPs (top 43%)

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.

Arsenic in groundwater

1.2%

in the bottom 6.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST10th
US7th
Definition & source ›

The modeled probability that untreated groundwater in this area — the source private wells draw on — exceeds the federal arsenic limit of 10 micrograms per liter.

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 ›

The read

ZIP 27332, one of several in Sanford, North Carolina, overall, ranks in the top 45% healthiest ZIPs nationally (14,445th) and the top 43% of North Carolina (340th).

continue reading

This area's strengths are easy to pick out across the measures: modeled arsenic is in the bottom 6.6% nationally. Distance to a community health center sits at the national minimum, shared with about 23% of ZIPs. Lead in tap water lands in the bottom 11.5% nationally. Distance to a nursing home lies at the national minimum, shared with about 27% of ZIPs. Lithium in drinking water stands in the bottom 15% nationally, and modeled radon rests in the bottom 13.6% nationally. Working the other way, modeled pfas registers in the top 12.1% nationally, and expected annual loss resides in the top 14.4% nationally. Home broadband subscription settles in the bottom 14.9% nationally. Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility is at the national minimum, shared with about 31% of ZIPs.

Defined simply, arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Lead in tap water is the EPA trigger, 15 parts per billion in tap samples, above which a water system must act on lead. 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. ZIP 28326, 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.

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 65%

14%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 88%

5%

About typical

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 54%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 48%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 52%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 55%

11%

Disability

healthier than 46%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 41%

5%

Holding it back

Mental Health

healthier than 35%

8%

Lifting this score

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 68%

21%

Disability

healthier than 62%

7%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 86%

5%

About typical

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 44%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 49%

14%

Mental Health

healthier than 47%

8%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 52%

5%

Holding it back

Preventive Care

healthier than 35%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 34%

11%

“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.

  • Below what income predicts

    The ZIP codes that outlive their incomes

    Estimated life expectancy is 77.5 ± 1.3 years. A median household income of $78,447 predicts 79.1 years — 1.6 years below.

    Ranked #1,999 of the 5,842 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by years above what income predicts, 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 adults28.4%25.7–31.0
High blood pressure among adults37.7%34.3–41.0
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults8.2%7.5–8.8
Current asthma among adults10.9%9.8–11.9
Coronary heart disease among adults6.9%6.3–7.4
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults7.5%6.8–8.2
Depression among adults25.0%22.1–27.9
Diagnosed diabetes among adults12.4%11.0–13.8
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened37.1%33.6–40.5
Obesity among adults36.3%30.3–42.2
Stroke among adults3.8%3.5–4.0
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years15.9%13.3–18.8
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years12.5%11.1–13.9
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure77.0%74.5–79.2
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults79.8%77.0–82.2
Cholesterol screening among adults87.6%86.2–88.9
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years65.8%61.4–69.8
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults61.8%58.6–64.9
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years77.0%70.6–82.4
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults15.5%13.2–17.8
Current cigarette smoking among adults14.6%12.9–16.3
No leisure-time physical activity among adults25.5%22.0–28.8
Short sleep duration among adults36.7%31.4–41.8
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults20.5%18.4–22.6
Frequent mental distress among adults17.2%15.5–18.7
Frequent physical distress among adults13.5%12.2–14.8
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults15.7%14.2–17.2
Any disability among adults33.8%30.3–37.2
Hearing disability among adults7.7%6.9–8.4
Independent living disability among adults8.7%7.9–9.5
Mobility disability among adults15.1%13.5–16.6
Self-care disability among adults4.2%3.9–4.6
Vision disability among adults5.7%5.3–6.1
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults23.4%20.7–26.3
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults16.1%14.5–18.0
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults12.8%11.3–14.5
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults13.2%11.8–14.7
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults8.8%8.0–9.7
Loneliness among adults33.3%29.5–37.5
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults8.4%7.6–9.5
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)NC median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate10.9%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36413.0% (4.4–25.0%) n=793
Uninsured 18–6416.6%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,28614.5% (5.7–24.9%) n=794
No HS diploma (25+)13.8%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,50510.4% (3.1–19.8%) n=798
Bachelor's or higher (25+)24.6%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50522.8% (10.7–53.4%) n=798
Unemployment rate (16+)5.1%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2744.2% (0.0–9.1%) n=796
Households without a vehicle2.9%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3223.9% (0.0–10.2%) n=793
Broadband subscription78.8%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32287.6% (76.2–96.3%) n=793
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)23.5%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32224.7% (14.1–36.5%) n=793
Homeownership rate75.0%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32275.0% (52.7–89.7%) n=793
Crowded housing (>1 per room)1.0%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3221.4% (0.0–4.5%) n=793
Foreign-born population9.0%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5534.2% (0.0–12.9%) n=799
Single-parent households54.0%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08751.8% (39.2–70.1%) n=790
Population 65+16.6%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55319.7% (11.1–31.9%) n=799
Median age39.3 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29242.5 yr (33.3–55.7) n=797
Median household income$78,447$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$65,030 ($44,419–$97,111) n=749
Median home value$255,900$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$223,850 ($113,970–$452,990) n=758
Median gross rent$1,155$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$957 ($715–$1,575) n=687
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)NC median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth77.5 yr ± 0.6878.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,30877.3 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 0.68 years of 77.5, 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