ZIP code
28622
in Elk Park, North CarolinaPopulation 2,565
47.94/ 100
Ranked #18,990 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 41%)
Ranked #466 of 793 North Carolina ZIPs (bottom 41%)
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.
Tree cover
81.1%
in the top 4.5% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST93rdUS96thDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.
Full methodology ›Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility
17.8 mi
in the top 6.0% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST96thUS94thDefinition & 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 ›Poverty rate
25.3%
in the top 10.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST90thUS89thDefinition & source ›
The share of residents whose income is below the federal poverty line, from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Full methodology ›Hearing disability
10.8%
in the top 10.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST92ndUS89thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing.
Full methodology ›Fatal road crashes
3.9 per 100,000 residents per year
in the bottom 14.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST7thUS14thDefinition & 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 ›Median household income
$44,028
in the bottom 8.4% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST9thUS8thDefinition & source ›
The middle household income in this ZIP — half of households earn more, half earn less — in dollars per year.
Full methodology ›Humid extreme heat
26.1 days/year
in the bottom 23% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS23rdDefinition & source ›
The average number of days per year when modeled heat stress — temperature, humidity, sun, and wind combined — reaches levels hard on the body outdoors.
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
Elk Park, North Carolina (ZIP 28622), overall, ranks in the bottom 41% nationally (18,990th) and the bottom 41% of North Carolina (466th).
Reading the numbers as a whole, the picture lands somewhere in between: modeled tree cover rests in the top 4.5% nationally, and distance to a hazardous-chemical facility registers in the top 6.0% nationally. Modeled extreme heat resides at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Modeled short sleep settles in the bottom 14.0% nationally, and fatal road crashes is in the bottom 14.5% nationally. On the other side, poverty sits in the top 10.6% nationally, and modeled hearing disability lands in the top 10.9% nationally. Home broadband subscription lies in the bottom 11.7% nationally, and distance to an emergency room stands in the top 14.4% nationally. Household income rests in the bottom 8.4% nationally.
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. Extreme heat is a modeled count of days a year reaching a dangerously high temperature, a leading weather hazard. ZIP 28604, 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.
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 83%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 73%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 72%
11%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 91%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 50%
16%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 47%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 16%
21%
Mental Health
healthier than 28%
8%
Disability
healthier than 21%
7%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 70%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 64%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 61%
11%
Climate / Disaster Risk
in the top 0.7%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 47%
16%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 21%
21%
Mental Health
healthier than 32%
8%
Disability
healthier than 29%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 35%
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 83.1; chronic-disease standing 15.5 — 68 points apart, cleaner on the environment than it is on chronic illness.
Ranked #1,211 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
28604
North Carolinashares a border
Score 55.75
Closest healthier
28657
North Carolinashares a border
Score 52.20
Similar health profile
28629
North Carolina98% similar profile
Score 47.11
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 | 35.8% | 32.0–39.7 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 42.7% | 38.3–47.3 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 11.2% | 10.1–12.3 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.2% | 9.9–12.7 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 9.5% | 8.5–10.6 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 11.0% | 9.7–12.5 |
| Depression among adults | 26.4% | 22.5–30.5 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 14.3% | 12.4–16.4 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 41.2% | 36.5–45.9 |
| Obesity among adults | 38.0% | 29.7–46.9 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.9% | 4.4–5.4 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 18.5% | 15.1–22.2 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 10.4% | 8.7–12.5 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 80.7% | 77.8–83.4 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 81.3% | 77.8–84.4 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 88.2% | 86.4–89.9 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 69.7% | 64.4–74.5 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 63.2% | 59.3–66.7 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 75.9% | 67.8–82.7 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 13.6% | 11.1–16.6 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 16.9% | 14.4–19.6 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 27.6% | 23.0–32.3 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 30.9% | 24.4–38.0 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 22.9% | 19.9–26.0 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 17.0% | 15.0–19.1 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 16.0% | 14.1–18.0 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 16.4% | 14.4–18.5 |
| Any disability among adults | 38.4% | 33.7–43.2 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 10.8% | 9.6–12.1 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 10.3% | 9.0–11.6 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 19.4% | 16.9–22.0 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 5.1% | 4.6–5.7 |
| Vision disability among adults | 6.4% | 5.7–7.1 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 20.3% | 17.1–23.9 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 14.5% | 12.1–17.2 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 12.7% | 10.6–15.2 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 10.3% | 8.7–12.1 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 7.9% | 6.9–9.1 |
| Loneliness among adults | 30.1% | 25.2–35.5 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 7.2% | 6.2–8.4 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | NC median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 25.3% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 13.0% (4.4–25.0%) n=793 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 33.2% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 14.5% (5.7–24.9%) n=794 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 25.9% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 10.4% (3.1–19.8%) n=798 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 13.6% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 22.8% (10.7–53.4%) n=798 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 5.0% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.2% (0.0–9.1%) n=796 |
| Households without a vehicle | 10.0% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.9% (0.0–10.2%) n=793 |
| Broadband subscription | 76.5% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 87.6% (76.2–96.3%) n=793 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 23.9% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 24.7% (14.1–36.5%) n=793 |
| Homeownership rate | 73.3% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 75.0% (52.7–89.7%) n=793 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 1.6% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.4% (0.0–4.5%) n=793 |
| Foreign-born population | 0.8% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 4.2% (0.0–12.9%) n=799 |
| Single-parent households | 55.4% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 51.8% (39.2–70.1%) n=790 |
| Population 65+ | 27.0% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 19.7% (11.1–31.9%) n=799 |
| Median age | 46.1 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 42.5 yr (33.3–55.7) n=797 |
| Median household income | $44,028 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $65,030 ($44,419–$97,111) n=749 |
| Median home value | $169,900 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $223,850 ($113,970–$452,990) n=758 |
| Median gross rent | $709 | $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 | 78.8 yr ± 1.03 | 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 1.03 years of 78.8, 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