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ZipVitals

ZIP code

28663

in Piney Creek, North CarolinaPopulation 802

47.49/ 100

Ranked #19,560 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 39%)

Ranked #485 of 793 North Carolina ZIPs (bottom 39%)

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.

Fiber broadband

100%

at the national maximum

Higher is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The share of homes where fiber-optic internet service is available.

Full methodology ›

Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility

19.8 mi

in the top 4.9% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST96th
US95th
Definition & 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 ›

Home broadband subscription

68.7%

in the bottom 5.5% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST5th
US5th
Definition & source ›

The share of households with a broadband internet subscription.

Full methodology ›

Hearing disability

11.6%

in the top 6.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST97th
US94th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing.

Full methodology ›

Coronary heart disease

10.6%

in the top 6.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US94th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have coronary heart disease or angina.

Full methodology ›

Binge drinking

12.5%

in the bottom 9.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST19th
US10th
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 ›

High cholesterol

43.4%

in the top 9.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST96th
US91st
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults with high cholesterol, among those who have ever been screened for it.

Full methodology ›

PFAS in drinking water

12.4%

in the bottom 14.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST6th
US15th
Definition & source ›

The modeled probability that PFAS “forever chemicals” would be detected in untreated groundwater in this area, the source private wells draw on.

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 ›

Transportation noise

0.52%

in the bottom 16% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST7th
US16th
Definition & source ›

The modeled share of residents exposed to average road, rail, and aviation noise at or above 55 decibels — a noticeable background presence.

Full methodology ›

Floodplain exposure

1.7%

in the bottom 16% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST9th
US16th
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 ›

The read

On the composite measure, Piney Creek, North Carolina (ZIP 28663) stands in the bottom 39% nationally (19,560th) and the bottom 39% of North Carolina (485th).

continue reading

Several signals sit on each side of the ledger here: fiber broadband lands at the national maximum, and distance to a hazardous-chemical facility settles in the top 4.9% nationally. Unemployment rests at the national minimum, shared with about 15% of ZIPs. Households without a vehicle lands at the national minimum, shared with about 16% of ZIPs. Modeled extreme heat settles at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Modeled loud transportation noise rests at the national minimum, shared with about 22% of ZIPs. Modeled binge drinking lands in the bottom 9.9% nationally. Working the other way, home broadband subscription settles in the bottom 5.5% nationally, and modeled hearing disability rests in the top 6.0% nationally. Modeled coronary heart disease lands in the top 6.0% nationally.

For clarity, 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. Loud transportation noise is the modeled share of an area exposed to road, rail, and air noise at or above 65 decibels, near conversation volume. ZIP 28640, about 3.9 miles away, ranks better overall among the ZIPs nearby.

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 95%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 71%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 77%

11%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 90%

5%

About typical

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 43%

16%

Mental Health

healthier than 43%

8%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 11%

21%

Disability

healthier than 18%

7%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 27%

5%

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 86%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 61%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 69%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 62%

8%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 99%

5%

About typical

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 40%

16%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 14%

21%

Disability

healthier than 24%

7%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 13%

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 adults37.1%33.3–40.7
High blood pressure among adults45.3%41.1–49.5
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults11.8%10.6–13.1
Current asthma among adults10.9%9.6–12.3
Coronary heart disease among adults10.6%9.1–12.3
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults11.5%9.1–14.3
Depression among adults25.4%22.0–28.9
Diagnosed diabetes among adults16.1%13.8–18.5
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened43.4%39.0–47.7
Obesity among adults35.8%28.8–43.2
Stroke among adults5.2%4.4–6.2
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years17.1%13.8–20.9
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years10.3%7.5–13.5
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure82.7%80.2–84.9
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults82.6%79.7–85.2
Cholesterol screening among adults89.3%87.3–91.0
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years64.4%58.7–69.9
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults59.4%55.4–63.3
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years76.6%68.7–83.4
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults12.5%10.4–14.7
Current cigarette smoking among adults16.3%12.7–20.1
No leisure-time physical activity among adults28.1%22.7–33.5
Short sleep duration among adults31.3%24.8–38.4
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults23.7%19.3–28.1
Frequent mental distress among adults15.9%13.6–18.1
Frequent physical distress among adults16.4%13.9–18.9
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults15.7%13.0–18.4
Any disability among adults38.7%33.1–44.1
Hearing disability among adults11.6%10.0–13.2
Independent living disability among adults10.2%8.2–12.2
Mobility disability among adults20.5%16.9–24.3
Self-care disability among adults5.5%4.5–6.7
Vision disability among adults6.8%5.6–8.2
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults19.4%15.7–23.4
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults14.3%10.8–18.5
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults12.6%9.3–16.6
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults9.6%7.6–12.1
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults7.6%6.1–9.3
Loneliness among adults29.3%24.1–34.8
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults6.8%5.5–8.4
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)NC median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate9.5%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36413.0% (4.4–25.0%) n=793
Uninsured 18–644.4%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,28614.5% (5.7–24.9%) n=794
No HS diploma (25+)15.9%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,50510.4% (3.1–19.8%) n=798
Bachelor's or higher (25+)28.6%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 subscription68.7%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32287.6% (76.2–96.3%) n=793
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)16.9%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32224.7% (14.1–36.5%) n=793
Homeownership rate84.2%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 population5.7%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5534.2% (0.0–12.9%) n=799
Single-parent households43.4%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08751.8% (39.2–70.1%) n=790
Population 65+29.2%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55319.7% (11.1–31.9%) n=799
Median age38.6 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29242.5 yr (33.3–55.7) n=797
Median household income$80,457$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$65,030 ($44,419–$97,111) n=749
Median home value$232,900$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$223,850 ($113,970–$452,990) n=758
Median gross rent$578$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 birth80.8 yr ± 2.0478.9 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 2.04 years of 80.8, 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