ZIP code
27920
in Buxton, North CarolinaPopulation 1,267
56.20/ 100
Ranked #8,064 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 25%)
Ranked #185 of 793 North Carolina ZIPs (top 23%)
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.
Child-care access
1.7 per 1,000 residents
in the top 0.5% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The number of child day-care services inside this ZIP’s boundary, per 1,000 residents.
Counted from establishments located inside this ZIP’s boundary, so one just across the line is not counted. Where a ZIP has too few residents for the density to be reliable, no value is published rather than an unreliable one.
Full methodology ›Grocery access
0.85 per 1,000 residents
in the top 0.6% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The number of full supermarkets inside this ZIP’s boundary, per 1,000 residents.
Counted from establishments located inside this ZIP’s boundary, so one just across the line is not counted. Where a ZIP has too few residents for the density to be reliable, no value is published rather than an unreliable one. ZipVitals’s food-access signal is derived from these in-ZIP densities — it is not USDA’s food-desert designation, which measures distance to the nearest supermarket. Where a leg is missing, a ZIP reads “not determinable,” never “not a food desert.”
Full methodology ›Distance to a nursing home
48.8 mi
in the top 0.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing home.
Full methodology ›Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility
51 mi
in the top 0.8% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest facility that handles enough hazardous chemicals to require an EPA risk-management plan for accidental releases.
Full methodology ›Distance to an emergency room
46.1 mi
in the top 0.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare-certified hospital with an emergency room.
Full methodology ›Fatal road crashes
0 per 100,000 residents per year
at the national minimum
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & source ›
The annual rate of fatal road crashes per 100,000 residents, pooled over a ten-year window.
A rate per resident population. Where a ZIP has too few residents for the rate to be reliable — about 30% of US ZIPs — no value is published rather than an unstable one; those ZIPs are absent from this comparison, not counted as crash-free.
Full methodology ›Outer-floodplain exposure
17.9%
in the top 2.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS98thDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area inside FEMA’s 0.2%-annual-chance flood band — the “500-year” zone, a lower but real 1-in-500 yearly chance.
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 ›Short sleep
26.8%
in the bottom 1.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST2ndUS1stDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who usually sleep less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.
Full methodology ›Floodplain exposure
52.6%
in the top 3.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS96thDefinition & 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 ›Lead in tap water
0 ppb
at the national minimum
Lower is healthier
US1stDefinition & source ›
The lead level at the 90th percentile of tap-water samples reported by the public water systems serving this ZIP, in parts per billion — the EPA requires action above 15 ppb.
Measured from EPA records for the public water systems that serve this ZIP. Households on private wells — roughly 30% of the US population — are not covered by this measure, and this figure says nothing about their water.
Full methodology ›The read
Buxton, North Carolina (ZIP 27920), overall, ranks in the top 25% healthiest ZIPs nationally (8,064th) and the top 23% of North Carolina (185th).
This area's measures are easy to read as a mixed set: childcare rests in the top 0.5% nationally, grocery registers in the top 0.6% nationally, and distance to a hazardous-chemical facility resides in the top 0.8% nationally. Fatal road crashes settles at the national minimum, modeled short sleep is in the bottom 1.4% nationally, and lead in tap water sits at the national minimum. Set against that, distance to a nursing home lands in the top 0.7% nationally, and distance to an emergency room lies in the top 0.9% nationally. Outer-floodplain exposure stands in the top 2.2% nationally, and floodplain exposure rests in the top 3.6% nationally.
Measured against the nearby ZIPs, childcare runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Defined simply, distance to a hazardous-chemical facility is a plant handling large amounts of hazardous chemicals that must file an EPA risk-management plan for accidental releases. Lead in tap water is the EPA trigger, 15 parts per billion in tap samples, above which a water system must act on lead. Outer-floodplain exposure is land with a lower but real 1-in-500 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "500-year floodplain". ZIP 27943, about 5.4 miles away, 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.
Lifting this score
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 68%
16%
Environmental Hazard
in the top 0.4%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 92%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 94%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 65%
8%
Disability
healthier than 67%
7%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 49%
21%
Holding it back
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 11%
5%
Healthcare Access
in the bottom 0.2%
5%
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 64%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 68%
16%
Environmental Hazard
in the top 0.2%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 92%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 91%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 87%
8%
Disability
healthier than 82%
7%
Holding it back
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 9%
5%
Healthcare Access
in the bottom 0.00%
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 99.7 (top 1%); chronic-disease standing 49.2 — 51 points apart, cleaner on the environment than it is on chronic illness.
Ranked #2,454 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
27915
North Carolinashares a border
Score 54.84
Closest healthier
27943
North Carolinaabout 5.4 mi away
Score 58.06
Similar health profile
27939
North Carolina93% similar profile
Score 52.14
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 | 31.6% | 27.5–35.5 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 39.7% | 34.9–44.4 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 11.0% | 9.8–12.3 |
| Current asthma among adults | 10.2% | 8.9–11.6 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 7.7% | 6.5–8.9 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 7.7% | 6.1–9.6 |
| Depression among adults | 24.1% | 20.4–28.1 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 12.1% | 10.1–14.2 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 40.4% | 35.8–45.1 |
| Obesity among adults | 32.6% | 24.8–40.6 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.7% | 3.2–4.3 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 9.9% | 7.9–12.3 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 7.8% | 5.8–10.1 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 80.7% | 77.4–83.6 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 81.9% | 78.4–85.0 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 91.0% | 89.3–92.5 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 71.2% | 66.5–75.9 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 71.3% | 68.0–74.6 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 78.8% | 71.5–85.2 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 14.2% | 11.5–17.1 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 12.9% | 9.8–16.5 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 21.6% | 16.9–26.6 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 26.8% | 21.3–33.1 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 16.9% | 13.6–20.6 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 14.4% | 12.4–16.7 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 12.9% | 10.8–15.2 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 12.5% | 10.3–14.9 |
| Any disability among adults | 30.3% | 25.2–35.7 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 8.6% | 7.4–10.0 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 6.9% | 5.7–8.3 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 14.1% | 11.4–17.1 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.5% | 2.9–4.3 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.3% | 3.6–5.1 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 19.2% | 15.6–23.2 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 9.4% | 6.9–12.3 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 6.9% | 4.9–9.4 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 7.5% | 5.8–9.4 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 5.4% | 4.3–6.6 |
| Loneliness among adults | 28.7% | 23.7–34.1 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 4.9% | 3.9–6.0 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | NC median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 6.7% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 13.0% (4.4–25.0%) n=793 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 13.7% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 14.5% (5.7–24.9%) n=794 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 6.3% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 10.4% (3.1–19.8%) n=798 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 25.5% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 22.8% (10.7–53.4%) n=798 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 2.8% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.2% (0.0–9.1%) n=796 |
| Households without a vehicle | 6.3% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.9% (0.0–10.2%) n=793 |
| Broadband subscription | 91.3% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 87.6% (76.2–96.3%) n=793 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 30.4% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 24.7% (14.1–36.5%) n=793 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.1% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 75.0% (52.7–89.7%) n=793 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 7.5% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.4% (0.0–4.5%) n=793 |
| Foreign-born population | 0.4% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 4.2% (0.0–12.9%) n=799 |
| Single-parent households | 41.4% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 51.8% (39.2–70.1%) n=790 |
| Population 65+ | 20.1% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 19.7% (11.1–31.9%) n=799 |
| Median age | 46.2 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 42.5 yr (33.3–55.7) n=797 |
| Median household income | — | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $65,030 ($44,419–$97,111) n=749 |
| Median home value | $409,900 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $223,850 ($113,970–$452,990) n=758 |
| Median gross rent | $909 | $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 | 79.2 yr ± 1.29 | 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 1.29 years of 79.2, 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