ZIP code
28668
in Roaring Gap, North CarolinaPopulation 40
46.31/ 100
Ranked #20,977 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 35%)
Ranked #527 of 793 North Carolina ZIPs (bottom 34%)
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.
Hearing disability
15.3%
in the top 0.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing.
Full methodology ›Coronary heart disease
14.0%
in the top 0.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have coronary heart disease or angina.
Full methodology ›Stroke
6.6%
in the top 2.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST96thUS98thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have had a stroke.
Full methodology ›High blood pressure
51.9%
in the top 2.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS98thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have high blood pressure.
Full methodology ›Housing-cost burden
0.00%
at the national minimum
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & source ›
The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
Full methodology ›Homeownership rate
100%
at the national maximum
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The share of occupied homes that are owned, rather than rented, by the people living in them.
Full methodology ›Home broadband subscription
100%
at the national maximum
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The share of households with a broadband internet subscription.
Full methodology ›High cholesterol
46.6%
in the top 1.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS98thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with high cholesterol, among those who have ever been screened for it.
Full methodology ›Floodplain exposure
0.00%
at the national minimum
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & 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 ›Tree cover
82.5%
in the top 4.0% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST95thUS96thDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.
Full methodology ›The read
Roaring Gap, North Carolina (ZIP 28668), by its overall standing, sits in the bottom 35% nationally (20,977th) and the bottom 34% of North Carolina (527th).
The profile opens on the burdens that define it most: modeled hearing disability sits in the top 0.4% nationally, coronary heart disease settles in the top 0.3% nationally, and stroke registers in the top 2.0% nationally. Modeled high blood pressure stands in the top 2.0% nationally, and high cholesterol lands in the top 1.9% nationally. More positively, housing-cost burden is at the national minimum, and homeownership resides at the national maximum. Home broadband subscription rests at the national maximum, and floodplain exposure lies at the national minimum. Modeled tree cover sits in the top 4.0% nationally.
Defined in plain terms, floodplain exposure is land with about a 1-in-100 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "100-year floodplain". The nearest ZIP ranking healthier overall is ZIP 27017, 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.
Lifting this score
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 87%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 86%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 83%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 78%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 72%
8%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 90%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 2%
21%
Disability
healthier than 8%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 19%
5%
Lifting this score
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 86%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 74%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 78%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 71%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 92%
8%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 99%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 3%
21%
Disability
healthier than 9%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 6%
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
27017
North Carolinashares a border
Score 47.83
Closest healthier
28627
North Carolinashares a border
Score 46.72
Similar health profile
24457
Virginia97% similar profile
Score 46.80
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 | 41.7% | 37.6–45.7 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 51.9% | 47.4–56.3 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 14.2% | 12.8–15.7 |
| Current asthma among adults | 10.2% | 9.0–11.4 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 14.0% | 11.8–16.0 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 13.7% | 10.7–16.4 |
| Depression among adults | 22.9% | 19.9–26.4 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 18.4% | 15.6–21.2 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 46.6% | 42.2–51.1 |
| Obesity among adults | 35.7% | 28.7–43.3 |
| Stroke among adults | 6.6% | 5.4–7.7 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 17.9% | 14.6–21.5 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 9.9% | 7.1–13.3 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 85.0% | 82.7–87.2 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 84.3% | 81.7–86.7 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 90.8% | 89.1–92.3 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 67.9% | 63.1–72.7 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 59.6% | 55.8–63.4 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 74.7% | 66.8–82.0 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 11.1% | 9.2–13.1 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 17.6% | 13.6–21.6 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 30.6% | 24.5–37.0 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 30.2% | 24.1–37.1 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 25.9% | 20.9–31.0 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 14.4% | 12.4–16.4 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 17.5% | 14.7–20.3 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 15.2% | 12.5–17.9 |
| Any disability among adults | 42.7% | 36.5–48.6 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 15.3% | 13.1–17.4 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 10.8% | 8.8–12.9 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 23.8% | 19.4–28.1 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 6.1% | 4.9–7.3 |
| Vision disability among adults | 7.6% | 6.1–9.1 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 19.8% | 16.2–24.0 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 13.8% | 10.4–17.8 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 12.6% | 9.3–16.2 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 8.7% | 6.8–10.7 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 7.3% | 5.9–8.8 |
| Loneliness among adults | 28.3% | 23.2–33.7 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 6.5% | 5.3–7.9 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | NC median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 2.5% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 13.0% (4.4–25.0%) n=793 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 3.1% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 14.5% (5.7–24.9%) n=794 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 0.0% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 10.4% (3.1–19.8%) n=798 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 97.4% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 22.8% (10.7–53.4%) n=798 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 0.0% | 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 | 100.0% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 87.6% (76.2–96.3%) n=793 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 0.0% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 24.7% (14.1–36.5%) n=793 |
| Homeownership rate | 100.0% | 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 | 0.0% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 4.2% (0.0–12.9%) n=799 |
| Single-parent households | 100.0% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 51.8% (39.2–70.1%) n=790 |
| Population 65+ | 20.0% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 19.7% (11.1–31.9%) n=799 |
| Median age | 55.8 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 | — | $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
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | NC median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.2 yr ± 1.84 | 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 1.84 years of 82.2, 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