ZIP code
28745
in Lake Junaluska, North CarolinaPopulation 670
58.57/ 100
Ranked #5,926 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 18%)
Ranked #124 of 793 North Carolina ZIPs (top 16%)
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.
Housing insecurity
5.8%
in the bottom 2.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST2ndUS2ndDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who experienced housing insecurity in the past 12 months.
Full methodology ›Short sleep
27.1%
in the bottom 1.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST3rdUS2ndDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who usually sleep less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.
Full methodology ›Dental provider access
1.4 per 1,000 residents
in the top 2.8% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST97thUS97thDefinition & source ›
The number of dental offices located inside this ZIP’s boundary, per 1,000 residents.
Counted from establishments located inside this ZIP’s boundary, so one just across the line is not counted. Where a ZIP has too few residents for the density to be reliable, no value is published rather than an unreliable one.
Full methodology ›Utility shut-off threat
4.0%
in the bottom 3.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST3rdUS4thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults whose household was threatened with a utility shut-off in the past 12 months.
Full methodology ›Lack of transportation
4.6%
in the bottom 4.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST3rdUS4thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who lacked reliable transportation in the past 12 months.
Full methodology ›Colon-cancer screening
75.1%
in the top 2.9% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST97thUS97thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 45–75 who are up to date on colorectal-cancer screening.
Full methodology ›Hearing disability
11.7%
in the top 5.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS94thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing.
Full methodology ›Poverty rate
1.2%
in the bottom 5.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST3rdUS5thDefinition & source ›
The share of residents whose income is below the federal poverty line, from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Full methodology ›Floodplain exposure
38.9%
in the top 6.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST91stUS93rdDefinition & 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 ›Homeownership rate
96.8%
in the top 6.6% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST96thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The share of occupied homes that are owned, rather than rented, by the people living in them.
Full methodology ›The read
On the composite measure, Lake Junaluska, North Carolina (ZIP 28745) stands in the top 18% healthiest ZIPs nationally (5,926th) and the top 16% of North Carolina (124th).
Several signals sit on each side of the ledger here: modeled housing insecurity registers in the bottom 2.1% nationally, and short sleep lies in the bottom 1.7% nationally. Dental providers is in the top 2.8% nationally, and modeled utility shutoff registers in the bottom 3.8% nationally. Modeled transportation lies in the bottom 4.4% nationally, modeled colon screening is in the top 2.9% nationally, and poverty registers in the bottom 5.5% nationally. Homeownership lies in the top 6.6% nationally. Working the other way, modeled hearing disability is in the top 5.6% nationally, and floodplain exposure registers in the top 6.6% nationally.
Set beside the wider area around it, walkability runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. For clarity, floodplain exposure is land with about a 1-in-100 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "100-year floodplain". ZIP 28707, about 7.8 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.
Lifting this score
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 86%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 91%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 98%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 98%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 82%
8%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 75%
5%
About typical
Disability
healthier than 49%
7%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 24%
21%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 18%
5%
Lifting this score
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 84%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 81%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 98%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 98%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 96%
8%
Disability
healthier than 67%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 72%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 35%
21%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 14%
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
28785
North Carolinashares a border
Score 53.46
Closest healthier
28707
North Carolinaabout 7.8 mi away
Score 59.79
Similar health profile
28461
North Carolina99% similar profile
Score 60.04
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 | 36.6% | 32.3–40.9 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 44.1% | 39.1–48.9 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 14.4% | 12.9–16.1 |
| Current asthma among adults | 9.8% | 8.6–11.3 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 9.8% | 8.2–11.6 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 8.4% | 6.3–10.8 |
| Depression among adults | 23.3% | 19.7–27.2 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 12.8% | 10.5–15.2 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 43.1% | 38.3–48.2 |
| Obesity among adults | 29.4% | 22.3–37.0 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.5% | 3.7–5.5 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 14.8% | 11.9–17.9 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 6.8% | 4.7–9.5 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 84.7% | 82.0–87.0 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 84.3% | 81.4–86.9 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 92.4% | 90.8–93.8 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 75.1% | 70.4–79.1 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 71.1% | 67.6–74.3 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 79.8% | 72.7–85.6 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 11.8% | 9.6–14.2 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 10.2% | 7.4–13.1 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 22.3% | 16.8–28.3 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 27.1% | 21.3–33.3 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 17.2% | 13.3–21.5 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 12.6% | 10.6–14.9 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 13.0% | 10.5–15.6 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 11.5% | 9.2–14.0 |
| Any disability among adults | 35.0% | 28.9–41.1 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 11.7% | 9.8–13.6 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 7.4% | 5.8–9.4 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 16.6% | 13.0–20.7 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.6% | 2.8–4.5 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.7% | 3.7–5.9 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 17.3% | 14.0–21.3 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 7.9% | 5.6–10.7 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 6.1% | 4.1–8.6 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 5.8% | 4.4–7.7 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 4.6% | 3.7–5.8 |
| Loneliness among adults | 28.1% | 23.1–33.6 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 4.0% | 3.1–5.1 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | NC median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 1.2% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 13.0% (4.4–25.0%) n=793 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 1.7% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 14.5% (5.7–24.9%) n=794 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 1.6% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 10.4% (3.1–19.8%) n=798 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 80.0% | 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 | 96.8% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 87.6% (76.2–96.3%) n=793 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 14.9% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 24.7% (14.1–36.5%) n=793 |
| Homeownership rate | 96.8% | 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 | 1.2% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 4.2% (0.0–12.9%) n=799 |
| Single-parent households | 55.1% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 51.8% (39.2–70.1%) n=790 |
| Population 65+ | 34.8% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 19.7% (11.1–31.9%) n=799 |
| Median age | 50.5 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 42.5 yr (33.3–55.7) n=797 |
| Median household income | $117,824 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $65,030 ($44,419–$97,111) n=749 |
| Median home value | $356,600 | $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 | 80.1 yr ± 1.52 | 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 1.52 years of 80.1, 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