ZIP code
28626
in Fleetwood, North CarolinaPopulation 3,173
56.91/ 100
Ranked #7,360 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 23%)
Ranked #167 of 793 North Carolina ZIPs (top 21%)
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.
Fiber broadband
99.9%
in the top 2.0% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS98thDefinition & source ›
The share of homes where fiber-optic internet service is available.
Full methodology ›Arsenic in groundwater
1.0%
in the bottom 2.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST3rdUS3rdDefinition & 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 ›Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility
16.9 mi
in the top 6.7% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST95thUS93rdDefinition & 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 ›Fatal road crashes
3.2 per 100,000 residents per year
in the bottom 11.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST5thUS11thDefinition & 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 ›Homeownership rate
92.2%
in the top 13.2% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST93rdUS87thDefinition & source ›
The share of occupied homes that are owned, rather than rented, by the people living in them.
Full methodology ›Humid extreme heat
27.1 days/year
in the bottom 24% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS24thDefinition & 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
In its overall standing, Fleetwood, North Carolina (ZIP 28626) lands in the top 23% healthiest ZIPs nationally (7,360th) and the top 21% of North Carolina (167th).
Taken together, the data gives a genuinely mixed reading: fiber broadband is in the top 2.0% nationally, modeled arsenic sits in the bottom 2.8% nationally, and distance to a hazardous-chemical facility lands in the top 6.7% nationally. Households without a vehicle lies at the national minimum, shared with about 16% of ZIPs. Modeled extreme heat stands at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Modeled tree cover rests in the top 10.3% nationally, and fatal road crashes registers in the bottom 11.2% nationally. Modeled short sleep resides in the bottom 13.0% nationally, and homeownership settles in the top 13.2% nationally. Recreation is in the top 13.8% nationally.
Put simply, arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. 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. On the overall standing, ZIP 28618, just across the boundary, ranks healthier.
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 73%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 77%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 84%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 86%
11%
Disability
healthier than 64%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 83%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 50%
21%
Mental Health
healthier than 46%
8%
Holding it back
Healthcare Access
healthier than 35%
5%
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 65%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 74%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 62%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 80%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 82%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 68%
8%
Disability
healthier than 79%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 96%
5%
Holding it back
Healthcare Access
healthier than 20%
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.
Nearby
28618
North Carolinashares a border
Score 57.41
Closest healthier
28684
North Carolinashares a border
Score 57.64
Similar health profile
24578
Virginia99% similar profile
Score 54.67
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 | 31.1% | 27.4–35.0 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 38.2% | 33.6–42.9 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 10.4% | 9.3–11.5 |
| Current asthma among adults | 10.6% | 9.2–12.0 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 7.2% | 6.2–8.1 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 7.7% | 6.4–9.1 |
| Depression among adults | 25.3% | 21.4–29.3 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 11.4% | 9.7–13.4 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 39.5% | 34.8–44.2 |
| Obesity among adults | 34.4% | 26.3–43.0 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.6% | 3.2–4.0 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 13.7% | 11.0–16.9 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 8.1% | 6.3–10.1 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 79.2% | 75.9–82.2 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 80.9% | 77.3–84.1 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 89.7% | 87.9–91.3 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 68.9% | 63.9–73.7 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 69.0% | 65.6–72.4 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 78.2% | 70.7–84.5 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 14.9% | 12.0–18.0 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 13.2% | 10.6–16.1 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 21.5% | 17.3–26.1 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 30.7% | 24.5–37.3 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 17.3% | 14.5–20.5 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 15.6% | 13.5–17.7 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 13.0% | 11.1–15.0 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 13.5% | 11.5–15.7 |
| Any disability among adults | 31.0% | 26.3–35.9 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 8.2% | 7.2–9.4 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 7.4% | 6.3–8.6 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 13.9% | 11.6–16.4 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.5% | 3.0–4.2 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.4% | 3.8–5.1 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 19.2% | 15.9–22.9 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 10.0% | 7.8–12.5 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 7.7% | 6.0–9.9 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 8.0% | 6.5–9.8 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 5.8% | 4.9–6.9 |
| Loneliness among adults | 29.8% | 24.9–35.3 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 5.3% | 4.4–6.4 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | NC median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 10.2% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 13.0% (4.4–25.0%) n=793 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 17.3% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 14.5% (5.7–24.9%) n=794 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 12.0% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 10.4% (3.1–19.8%) n=798 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 43.1% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 22.8% (10.7–53.4%) n=798 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 2.9% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.2% (0.0–9.1%) n=796 |
| Households without a vehicle | 0.0% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.9% (0.0–10.2%) n=793 |
| Broadband subscription | 85.8% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 87.6% (76.2–96.3%) n=793 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 18.3% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 24.7% (14.1–36.5%) n=793 |
| Homeownership rate | 92.2% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 75.0% (52.7–89.7%) n=793 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 0.0% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.4% (0.0–4.5%) n=793 |
| Foreign-born population | 3.7% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 4.2% (0.0–12.9%) n=799 |
| Single-parent households | 65.2% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 51.8% (39.2–70.1%) n=790 |
| Population 65+ | 25.2% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 19.7% (11.1–31.9%) n=799 |
| Median age | 48.7 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 42.5 yr (33.3–55.7) n=797 |
| Median household income | $73,675 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $65,030 ($44,419–$97,111) n=749 |
| Median home value | $291,900 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $223,850 ($113,970–$452,990) n=758 |
| Median gross rent | $1,270 | $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 | 82.0 yr ± 1.61 | 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 1.61 years of 82.0, 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