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ZIP code

27861

in Parmele, North CarolinaPopulation 120

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

40.26/ 100

Ranked #26,575 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 17%)

Ranked #712 of 793 North Carolina ZIPs (bottom 10.3%)

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.

Poverty rate

54.2%

in the top 1.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Energy-cost burden

6.3%

in the top 2.1% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US98th
Definition & source ›

The modeled share of household income spent on home energy bills — electricity, gas, and heating fuels.

A modeled share of household income spent on home energy. Estimates that hit the model’s 100% ceiling are suppressed rather than published, because at that point the figure reflects the model’s limit rather than a measured burden.

Full methodology ›

Binge drinking

10.3%

in the bottom 1.7% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST4th
US2nd
Definition & 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 ›

Stroke

6.1%

in the top 3.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US96th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have had a stroke.

Full methodology ›

Self-care disability

7.3%

in the top 4.7% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US95th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults with difficulty dressing or bathing.

Full methodology ›

Floodplain exposure

0.00%

at the national minimum

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US1st
Definition & 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 ›

Diabetes

19.5%

in the top 4.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST95th
US95th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Full methodology ›

Vision disability

9.6%

in the top 5.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST93rd
US94th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who are blind or have serious difficulty seeing even with glasses.

Full methodology ›

High blood pressure

49.5%

in the top 3.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US96th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Expected annual disaster loss

$0

in the bottom 4.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST2nd
US5th
Definition & source ›

FEMA’s modeled estimate, in dollars per year, of the average harm to people expected from natural hazards — an annualized average, not a forecast for any single year.

Full methodology ›

The read

Parmele, North Carolina (ZIP 27861) ranks in the bottom 17% nationally (26,575th) and the bottom 10.3% of North Carolina (712th).

continue reading

The weightiest signals in the profile are worth naming up front: poverty is in the top 1.3% nationally, and modeled energy burden registers in the top 2.1% nationally. Modeled stroke lies in the top 3.6% nationally, and self-care disability is in the top 4.7% nationally. Modeled diabetes registers in the top 4.6% nationally, vision disability lies in the top 5.8% nationally, and high blood pressure is in the top 3.9% nationally. More positively, modeled binge drinking registers in the bottom 1.7% nationally, floodplain exposure lies at the national minimum, and modeled expected annual loss is in the bottom 4.8% nationally.

For context, expected annual loss is FEMA's modeled estimate, in dollars, of average yearly harm to people from natural hazards. Energy burden is the share of household income that goes to home energy bills. Floodplain exposure is land with about a 1-in-100 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "100-year floodplain". The closest ZIP that ranks healthier overall is ZIP 27871, 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 77%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 67%

13%

About typical

Mental Health

healthier than 60%

8%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 54%

5%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 11%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 1%

16%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 38%

11%

Disability

healthier than 9%

7%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 10%

5%

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 62%

14%

Mental Health

healthier than 83%

8%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 82%

5%

About typical

Preventive Care

healthier than 57%

13%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 15%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

in the bottom 0.9%

16%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 16%

11%

Disability

healthier than 10%

7%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 3%

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 adults32.0%28.2–35.9
High blood pressure among adults49.5%44.8–54.2
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults6.6%5.9–7.4
Current asthma among adults12.4%10.9–14.1
Coronary heart disease among adults8.5%7.3–9.9
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults9.0%7.3–11.0
Depression among adults20.3%17.0–24.0
Diagnosed diabetes among adults19.5%16.7–22.5
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened37.7%33.1–42.4
Obesity among adults43.9%35.0–53.1
Stroke among adults6.1%5.2–7.1
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years23.5%19.3–28.0
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years14.8%11.0–19.8
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure81.2%78.4–83.6
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults83.8%80.4–86.8
Cholesterol screening among adults88.0%85.1–90.3
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years66.9%61.5–72.1
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults52.7%48.8–56.6
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years81.2%74.1–86.9
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults10.3%8.2–12.8
Current cigarette smoking among adults16.5%12.6–20.2
No leisure-time physical activity among adults34.3%27.8–40.9
Short sleep duration among adults41.7%34.4–49.2
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults29.1%23.8–34.5
Frequent mental distress among adults17.7%15.2–20.3
Frequent physical distress among adults15.9%13.4–18.6
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults18.0%14.8–21.3
Any disability among adults42.1%35.9–48.3
Hearing disability among adults7.6%6.5–8.8
Independent living disability among adults12.3%10.2–14.8
Mobility disability among adults23.2%19.4–27.1
Self-care disability among adults7.3%6.0–8.7
Vision disability among adults9.6%8.0–11.4
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults30.3%25.4–35.3
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults29.5%23.6–35.8
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults25.9%20.4–31.7
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults22.2%18.1–26.4
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults14.7%12.1–17.5
Loneliness among adults37.8%32.1–43.9
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults15.5%12.7–18.2
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)NC median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate54.2%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36413.0% (4.4–25.0%) n=793
Uninsured 18–6411.1%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,28614.5% (5.7–24.9%) n=794
No HS diploma (25+)13.9%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,50510.4% (3.1–19.8%) n=798
Bachelor's or higher (25+)0.0%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50522.8% (10.7–53.4%) n=798
Unemployment rate (16+)0.0%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 subscription67.3%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32287.6% (76.2–96.3%) n=793
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)40.0%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32224.7% (14.1–36.5%) n=793
Homeownership rate83.6%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32275.0% (52.7–89.7%) n=793
Crowded housing (>1 per room)0.0%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3221.4% (0.0–4.5%) n=793
Foreign-born population0.0%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5534.2% (0.0–12.9%) n=799
Single-parent households20.0%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08751.8% (39.2–70.1%) n=790
Population 65+31.7%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55319.7% (11.1–31.9%) n=799
Median age62.1 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29242.5 yr (33.3–55.7) n=797
Median household income$28,681$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$65,030 ($44,419–$97,111) n=749
Median home value$75,000$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$223,850 ($113,970–$452,990) n=758
Median gross rent—$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 birth79.7 yr ± 1.5178.9 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 1.51 years of 79.7, 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