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ZIP code

27581

in Stem, North CarolinaPopulation 3,880

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

53.21/ 100

Ranked #11,768 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 37%)

Ranked #265 of 793 North Carolina ZIPs (top 33%)

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.

Distance to a community health center

12.1 mi

in the top 16% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST96th
US84th
Definition & source ›

The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest federally funded community health center, which serves patients regardless of ability to pay.

Full methodology ›

The read

Overall, Stem, North Carolina (ZIP 27581) places in the top 37% healthiest ZIPs nationally (11,768th) and the top 33% of North Carolina (265th).

continue reading

The clearest bright points in the data come first here: households without a vehicle resides at the national minimum, shared with about 16% of ZIPs. Modeled tree cover is in the top 12.8% nationally, and radon lands in the bottom 13.4% nationally. Homeownership stands in the top 20% nationally, and housing-cost burden registers in the bottom 20% nationally. By contrast, distance to a community health center settles in the top 16% nationally. Recreation sits at the national minimum, shared with about 35% of ZIPs. Physicians lies at the national minimum, shared with about 38% of ZIPs. Childcare rests at the national minimum, shared with about 42% of ZIPs. Distance to a Superfund site resides in the bottom 22% nationally.

Beside the areas that surround it, park land runs far lower than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. For readers new to these terms, radon is a radioactive soil gas the EPA identifies as the top cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. Distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. Distance to a community health center is a federally funded (HRSA) community health center serving everyone regardless of ability to pay. Among nearby ZIPs, the nearest healthier one overall is ZIP 27503, 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

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 62%

21%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 75%

14%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 68%

11%

About typical

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 59%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 60%

13%

Disability

healthier than 59%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 47%

5%

Holding it back

Mental Health

healthier than 28%

8%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 15%

5%

Lifting this score

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 77%

21%

Disability

healthier than 73%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 67%

5%

About typical

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 59%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 60%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 45%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 53%

11%

Holding it back

Mental Health

healthier than 30%

8%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 5%

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 ›

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 adults27.0%23.5–30.5
High blood pressure among adults36.1%31.6–40.7
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults7.8%7.0–8.7
Current asthma among adults11.4%10.0–13.0
Coronary heart disease among adults6.1%5.4–6.8
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults7.2%6.2–8.3
Depression among adults25.7%21.7–30.0
Diagnosed diabetes among adults11.1%9.4–12.8
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened36.1%31.5–40.9
Obesity among adults34.3%26.5–42.8
Stroke among adults3.4%3.1–3.8
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years17.3%14.0–20.9
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years10.0%8.2–12.1
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure75.9%72.2–79.1
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults79.1%75.2–82.7
Cholesterol screening among adults87.6%85.8–89.4
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years65.8%60.5–70.7
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults65.0%61.1–68.7
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years78.4%70.6–84.7
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults15.6%12.6–19.0
Current cigarette smoking among adults15.2%12.7–17.9
No leisure-time physical activity among adults23.5%19.2–28.2
Short sleep duration among adults33.5%26.7–40.4
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults18.7%16.0–21.6
Frequent mental distress among adults17.6%15.3–19.9
Frequent physical distress among adults13.1%11.3–14.9
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults15.4%13.3–17.4
Any disability among adults31.1%26.5–35.8
Hearing disability among adults6.9%6.0–7.8
Independent living disability among adults8.1%7.1–9.3
Mobility disability among adults13.6%11.5–15.7
Self-care disability among adults3.9%3.4–4.4
Vision disability among adults4.9%4.4–5.5
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults22.8%19.3–26.5
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults14.4%12.0–17.2
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults11.3%9.4–13.6
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults12.0%10.2–14.1
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults7.9%6.8–9.1
Loneliness among adults32.6%27.7–38.1
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults7.8%6.7–9.1
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)NC median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate8.3%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36413.0% (4.4–25.0%) n=793
Uninsured 18–6413.6%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,28614.5% (5.7–24.9%) n=794
No HS diploma (25+)7.2%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,50510.4% (3.1–19.8%) n=798
Bachelor's or higher (25+)22.2%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50522.8% (10.7–53.4%) n=798
Unemployment rate (16+)1.8%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2744.2% (0.0–9.1%) n=796
Households without a vehicle0.0%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3223.9% (0.0–10.2%) n=793
Broadband subscription85.7%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32287.6% (76.2–96.3%) n=793
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)15.5%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32224.7% (14.1–36.5%) n=793
Homeownership rate89.2%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32275.0% (52.7–89.7%) n=793
Crowded housing (>1 per room)3.0%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3221.4% (0.0–4.5%) n=793
Foreign-born population4.7%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5534.2% (0.0–12.9%) n=799
Single-parent households53.2%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08751.8% (39.2–70.1%) n=790
Population 65+15.1%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55319.7% (11.1–31.9%) n=799
Median age35.9 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29242.5 yr (33.3–55.7) n=797
Median household income$59,492$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$65,030 ($44,419–$97,111) n=749
Median home value$210,600$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$223,850 ($113,970–$452,990) n=758
Median gross rent$1,096$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 birth77.6 yr ± 1.1778.9 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 1.17 years of 77.6, 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