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ZIP code

28720

in Chimney Rock Village, North CarolinaPopulation 138

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

56.92/ 100

Ranked #7,354 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 23%)

Ranked #166 of 793 North Carolina ZIPs (top 21%)

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.

Tree cover

93.3%

in the top 0.5% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.

Full methodology ›

Short sleep

27.6%

in the bottom 2.4% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST4th
US2nd
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who usually sleep less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.

Full methodology ›

Loneliness

27.6%

in the bottom 5.4% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST3rd
US5th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who report feeling lonely.

Full methodology ›

Home broadband subscription

98.6%

in the top 6.4% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST96th
US94th
Definition & source ›

The share of households with a broadband internet subscription.

Full methodology ›

Lead in tap water

5.3 ppb

in the top 9.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

US91st
Definition & 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 ›

Housing insecurity

7.4%

in the bottom 10.4% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST10th
US10th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who experienced housing insecurity in the past 12 months.

Full methodology ›

Floodplain exposure

0.88%

in the bottom 11.7% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST5th
US12th
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 ›

Colon-cancer screening

72.3%

in the top 9.5% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST92nd
US91st
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults aged 45–75 who are up to date on colorectal-cancer screening.

Full methodology ›

Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility

10.8 mi

in the top 12.8% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST90th
US87th
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 ›

Distance to a nursing home

8.8 mi

in the top 13.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US86th
Definition & source ›

The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing home.

Full methodology ›

The read

Chimney Rock Village, North Carolina (ZIP 28720) ranks in the top 23% healthiest ZIPs nationally (7,354th) and the top 21% of North Carolina (166th).

continue reading

Several signals sit on each side of the ledger here: modeled tree cover registers in the top 0.5% nationally, and short sleep lies in the bottom 2.4% nationally. Modeled loneliness is in the bottom 5.4% nationally, and home broadband subscription registers in the top 6.4% nationally. Unemployment lies at the national minimum, shared with about 15% of ZIPs. Households without a vehicle is at the national minimum, shared with about 16% of ZIPs. Modeled housing insecurity registers in the bottom 10.4% nationally. Modeled loud transportation noise lies at the national minimum, shared with about 22% of ZIPs. Floodplain exposure is in the bottom 11.7% nationally. Working the other way, lead in tap water registers in the top 9.3% nationally.

For context, lead in tap water is the EPA trigger, 15 parts per billion in tap samples, above which a water system must act on lead. 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. Floodplain exposure is land with about a 1-in-100 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "100-year floodplain". The closest ZIP that ranks healthier overall is ZIP 28711, 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.

Compare within

Lifting this score

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 93%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 66%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 96%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 94%

11%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 66%

5%

About typical

Mental Health

healthier than 52%

8%

Disability

healthier than 47%

7%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 42%

5%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 25%

21%

Lifting this score

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 92%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 96%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 93%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 75%

8%

Disability

healthier than 65%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 91%

5%

About typical

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 50%

14%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 37%

21%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 28%

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 adults36.0%31.7–40.2
High blood pressure among adults42.4%37.4–47.2
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults12.5%11.3–13.9
Current asthma among adults11.1%9.7–12.6
Coronary heart disease among adults8.7%7.6–9.8
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults9.0%7.5–10.6
Depression among adults25.8%21.9–29.9
Diagnosed diabetes among adults13.3%11.3–15.5
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened41.7%37.0–46.8
Obesity among adults35.1%27.2–43.4
Stroke among adults4.4%3.9–5.0
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years10.7%8.4–13.0
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years5.9%4.6–7.5
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure82.1%79.0–85.0
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults83.4%80.2–86.3
Cholesterol screening among adults91.9%90.6–93.2
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years72.3%66.8–76.8
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults72.8%69.2–75.8
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years77.9%69.6–84.2
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults12.9%10.5–15.7
Current cigarette smoking among adults12.8%10.0–15.9
No leisure-time physical activity among adults22.7%17.9–27.4
Short sleep duration among adults27.6%21.7–33.5
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults18.1%15.1–21.2
Frequent mental distress among adults14.6%12.6–16.7
Frequent physical distress among adults14.0%12.0–16.2
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults12.8%10.8–14.9
Any disability among adults33.6%28.4–38.5
Hearing disability among adults9.7%8.5–11.1
Independent living disability among adults8.0%6.8–9.4
Mobility disability among adults16.7%13.9–19.5
Self-care disability among adults4.2%3.6–4.9
Vision disability among adults5.0%4.3–5.8
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults17.7%14.6–21.2
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults9.4%7.4–11.8
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults8.1%6.2–10.3
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults7.4%5.9–9.1
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults5.8%4.8–6.8
Loneliness among adults27.6%22.8–32.9
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults5.6%4.6–6.7
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)NC median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate7.2%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36413.0% (4.4–25.0%) n=793
Uninsured 18–640.0%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,28614.5% (5.7–24.9%) n=794
No HS diploma (25+)2.3%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,50510.4% (3.1–19.8%) n=798
Bachelor's or higher (25+)29.5%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 subscription98.6%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32287.6% (76.2–96.3%) n=793
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)34.2%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32224.7% (14.1–36.5%) n=793
Homeownership rate65.8%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 population0.7%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5534.2% (0.0–12.9%) n=799
Single-parent households41.3%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08751.8% (39.2–70.1%) n=790
Population 65+23.9%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55319.7% (11.1–31.9%) n=799
Median age58.1 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29242.5 yr (33.3–55.7) n=797
Median household income$63,438$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$65,030 ($44,419–$97,111) n=749
Median home value$445,500$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$223,850 ($113,970–$452,990) n=758
Median gross rent$1,717$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 birth80.7 yr ± 1.5678.9 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 1.56 years of 80.7, 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