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ZIP code

28766

in Penrose, North CarolinaPopulation 1,259

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

59.25/ 100

Ranked #5,406 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 17%)

Ranked #114 of 793 North Carolina ZIPs (top 14.4%)

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.

Arsenic in groundwater

0.88%

in the bottom 0.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US1st
Definition & 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 ›

Housing insecurity

7.1%

in the bottom 8.1% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST8th
US8th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Short sleep

29.6%

in the bottom 7.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST9th
US8th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Food insecurity

8.7%

in the bottom 11.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST8th
US11th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Utility shut-off threat

4.9%

in the bottom 12.2% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST9th
US12th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults whose household was threatened with a utility shut-off in the past 12 months.

Full methodology ›

Loneliness

28.8%

in the bottom 12.4% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST9th
US12th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who report feeling lonely.

Full methodology ›

Air-toxics cancer risk

20 per million

in the bottom 25% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US25th
Definition & 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 ›

Uninsured (under 65)

7.0%

in the bottom 27% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST9th
US27th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults aged 18–64 with no current health-insurance coverage.

Full methodology ›

Radon

2.3 pCi/L

in the top 25% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST98th
US75th
Definition & source ›

The modeled typical indoor radon level for this area, in picocuries per liter — the EPA recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or above.

Modeled from indoor-radon measurements. In Alaska and Hawaii, where those measurements are not published, a US Geological Survey geologic radon-potential category stands in — a coarser input, disclosed rather than hidden.

Full methodology ›

Humid extreme heat

76.7 days/year

in the top 36% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST10th
US64th
Definition & 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 ›

The read

In its overall standing, Penrose, North Carolina (ZIP 28766) lands in the top 17% healthiest ZIPs nationally (5,406th) and the top 14.4% of North Carolina (114th).

continue reading

Taken together, the data gives a genuinely mixed reading: modeled arsenic lands in the bottom 0.8% nationally. Unemployment lies at the national minimum, shared with about 15% of ZIPs. Modeled housing insecurity stands in the bottom 8.1% nationally, and short sleep rests in the bottom 7.9% nationally. Modeled extreme heat registers at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Modeled loud transportation noise resides at the national minimum, shared with about 22% of ZIPs. Modeled food insecurity settles in the bottom 11.0% nationally, and utility shutoff is in the bottom 12.2% nationally. Modeled loneliness sits in the bottom 12.4% nationally, and transportation lands in the bottom 13.7% nationally.

Put simply, arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. 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. On the overall standing, ZIP 28759, about 2.5 miles away, 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.

Compare within

Lifting this score

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 61%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 80%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 81%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 87%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 91%

11%

Disability

healthier than 71%

7%

About typical

Mental Health

healthier than 55%

8%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 45%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 49%

5%

Nothing measured is holding this score back.

Lifting this score

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 77%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 79%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 67%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 84%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 88%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 79%

8%

Disability

healthier than 85%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 61%

5%

Holding it back

Healthcare Access

healthier than 36%

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 adults29.7%26.4–33.2
High blood pressure among adults37.2%33.3–41.3
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults10.6%9.5–11.7
Current asthma among adults10.1%9.0–11.4
Coronary heart disease among adults7.2%6.2–8.3
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults7.0%5.7–8.5
Depression among adults24.9%21.4–28.7
Diagnosed diabetes among adults10.7%9.0–12.5
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened37.8%33.7–42.0
Obesity among adults32.3%25.3–39.9
Stroke among adults3.5%3.0–4.0
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years11.3%9.1–13.9
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years7.0%5.3–9.2
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure78.4%75.5–81.0
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults80.9%77.6–83.8
Cholesterol screening among adults89.1%87.2–90.7
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years70.9%66.3–75.3
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults70.7%67.4–73.7
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years78.1%71.1–84.0
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults15.6%12.9–18.5
Current cigarette smoking among adults11.5%8.9–14.4
No leisure-time physical activity among adults19.3%15.4–23.8
Short sleep duration among adults29.6%23.9–35.8
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults15.6%12.8–18.6
Frequent mental distress among adults14.9%12.8–17.1
Frequent physical distress among adults12.0%10.1–13.9
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults12.7%10.7–14.9
Any disability among adults29.7%25.2–34.5
Hearing disability among adults8.5%7.3–9.7
Independent living disability among adults6.9%5.8–8.2
Mobility disability among adults12.9%10.6–15.4
Self-care disability among adults3.2%2.7–3.8
Vision disability among adults4.1%3.4–4.8
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults18.2%14.9–21.7
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults8.7%6.5–11.1
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults6.8%4.8–8.8
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults7.1%5.5–8.7
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults5.5%4.4–6.5
Loneliness among adults28.8%24.0–33.7
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults4.9%3.9–5.9
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)NC median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate13.3%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36413.0% (4.4–25.0%) n=793
Uninsured 18–6421.5%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,28614.5% (5.7–24.9%) n=794
No HS diploma (25+)9.4%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,50510.4% (3.1–19.8%) n=798
Bachelor's or higher (25+)20.4%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 vehicle2.4%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3223.9% (0.0–10.2%) n=793
Broadband subscription88.9%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32287.6% (76.2–96.3%) n=793
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)18.1%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32224.7% (14.1–36.5%) n=793
Homeownership rate83.9%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 population1.0%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5534.2% (0.0–12.9%) n=799
Single-parent households51.8%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08751.8% (39.2–70.1%) n=790
Population 65+23.2%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55319.7% (11.1–31.9%) n=799
Median age53.1 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29242.5 yr (33.3–55.7) n=797
Median household income$57,708$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$65,030 ($44,419–$97,111) n=749
Median home value$307,000$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$223,850 ($113,970–$452,990) n=758
Median gross rent$1,217$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 birth83.1 yr ± 1.7678.9 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 1.76 years of 83.1, 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