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ZipVitals

ZIP code

30601

in Athens, GeorgiaPopulation 25,899

40.88/ 100

Ranked #26,127 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 19%)

Ranked #544 of 711 Georgia ZIPs (bottom 23%)

Ranked #19 of 19 Athens-Clarke County, GA ZIPs (bottom 5.3%)

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

1.0%

in the bottom 2.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST9th
US2nd
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 ›

Loneliness

41.2%

in the top 2.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST91st
US97th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who report feeling lonely.

Full methodology ›

Homeownership rate

32.1%

in the bottom 3.6% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST3rd
US4th
Definition & source ›

The share of occupied homes that are owned, rather than rented, by the people living in them.

Full methodology ›

Housing-cost burden

48.3%

in the top 3.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US96th
Definition & source ›

The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.

Full methodology ›

Subsidized affordable housing

552 units

in the top 3.9% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST97th
US96th
Definition & source ›

The number of affordable rental units in this ZIP supported by the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.

Full methodology ›

Poverty rate

36.7%

in the top 3.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST97th
US96th
Definition & source ›

The share of residents whose income is below the federal poverty line, from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

Full methodology ›

Lack of transportation

17.1%

in the top 4.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST95th
US96th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who lacked reliable transportation in the past 12 months.

Full methodology ›

Transit access

5.7 per 1,000 residents

in the top 4.0% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST96th
US96th
Definition & source ›

The number of public-transit stops 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 ›

Cognitive disability

21.3%

in the top 5.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST97th
US95th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults with serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.

Full methodology ›

Independent-living disability

13.3%

in the top 5.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST90th
US94th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have difficulty doing errands alone, such as visiting a doctor’s office, because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition.

Full methodology ›

The read

By its overall health score, ZIP 30601, one of several in Athens, Georgia lands in the bottom 19% nationally (26,127th) and the bottom 23% of Georgia (544th).

continue reading

Strengths and concerns sit side by side across the measures here: modeled arsenic rests in the bottom 2.3% nationally, and subsidized affordable housing is in the top 3.9% nationally. Transit stands in the top 4.0% nationally. On the other hand, modeled loneliness settles in the top 2.6% nationally, homeownership lies in the bottom 3.6% nationally, and housing-cost burden resides in the top 3.8% nationally. Poverty lands in the top 3.9% nationally, modeled transportation registers in the top 4.0% nationally, and modeled cognitive disability sits in the top 5.3% nationally. Modeled independent living disability rests in the top 5.8% nationally.

Weighed against the ZIPs nearby, industrial-pollution burden runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. To translate a couple of terms, arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Subsidized affordable housing is the main federal tax-credit program (HUD) funding affordable rental housing, counted as local units it supports. Overall, the nearest healthier neighbor is ZIP 30565, 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. Compare it against the US, this state and the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area.

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 74%

21%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 88%

5%

Holding it back

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 8%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 7%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 6%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 32%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 9%

8%

Disability

healthier than 19%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 35%

5%

Lifting this score

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 80%

21%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 61%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 88%

5%

About typical

Risk Behavior

healthier than 44%

11%

Holding it back

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 16%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 1%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 4%

13%

Mental Health

healthier than 2%

8%

Disability

healthier than 31%

7%

Lifting this score

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 61%

21%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 94%

5%

Holding it back

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 11%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 6%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 11%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 17%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 11%

8%

Disability

healthier than 11%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 17%

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 ›

Findings that name this ZIP

3 of our published findings list this ZIP code. Each finding compares one published measure against a stated benchmark, and names only the ZIP codes whose estimates are reliable enough to rank. See all surprising findings.

  • Below what income predicts

    The ZIP codes that outlive their incomes

    Estimated life expectancy is 74.5 ± 1.7 years. A median household income of $39,219 predicts 76.4 years — 1.9 years below.

    Ranked #2,363 of the 5,842 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by years above what income predicts, highest first.

  • Heavy environment, light chronic burden

    Where the environment and chronic illness point in opposite directions

    Environmental-hazard standing 6.8 (bottom 10%); chronic-disease standing 73.8 — 67 points apart, heavier on the environment than it is on chronic illness.

    Ranked #16,109 of the 18,187 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by the gap from cleanest environment to heaviest chronic burden, highest first.

  • Highest-risk tenth

    Air toxics and the years between the two ends of the risk scale

    Modeled air-toxics cancer risk is 37.7 cases per million — among the tenth of compared ZIP codes with the most. Estimated life expectancy is 74.5 ± 1.7 years.

    Ranked #1,772 of the 4,173 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by modeled air-toxics risk, highest first.

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 adults19.7%17.4–22.0
High blood pressure among adults32.7%29.3–36.1
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults4.1%3.7–4.5
Current asthma among adults11.5%10.2–12.9
Coronary heart disease among adults5.3%4.8–5.9
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults7.2%6.5–8.1
Depression among adults23.9%20.6–27.5
Diagnosed diabetes among adults12.6%11.1–14.1
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened30.4%27.1–34.0
Obesity among adults34.6%28.2–41.2
Stroke among adults3.6%3.3–3.8
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years25.4%21.8–29.4
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years16.9%14.7–19.2
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure70.3%68.1–72.4
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults74.1%70.3–77.6
Cholesterol screening among adults76.8%73.9–79.2
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years58.5%53.6–63.2
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults48.6%45.1–52.2
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years73.1%65.8–79.9
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults15.7%13.0–18.7
Current cigarette smoking among adults16.3%14.1–18.7
No leisure-time physical activity among adults30.9%26.7–35.4
Short sleep duration among adults36.9%31.4–42.8
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults25.6%22.8–28.6
Frequent mental distress among adults22.8%20.3–25.4
Frequent physical distress among adults14.9%13.2–16.7
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults21.3%19.1–23.7
Any disability among adults35.8%31.6–40.3
Hearing disability among adults5.6%5.0–6.3
Independent living disability among adults13.3%11.9–14.8
Mobility disability among adults14.3%12.7–16.0
Self-care disability among adults5.6%5.2–6.2
Vision disability among adults8.5%7.8–9.3
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults25.5%21.8–29.2
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults29.2%25.6–33.0
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults27.6%24.4–31.0
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults21.6%18.9–24.5
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults17.1%15.1–19.1
Loneliness among adults41.2%35.9–46.4
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults15.9%14.0–18.0
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)GA median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate36.7%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36413.8% (5.6–27.5%) n=709
Uninsured 18–6415.8%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,28618.3% (8.4–29.7%) n=713
No HS diploma (25+)15.8%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,50512.1% (3.9–22.9%) n=720
Bachelor's or higher (25+)35.9%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50521.3% (9.1–49.2%) n=720
Unemployment rate (16+)7.2%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2744.1% (0.6–9.6%) n=714
Households without a vehicle8.6%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3224.4% (0.3–12.3%) n=707
Broadband subscription89.6%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32287.3% (72.5–96.4%) n=707
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)48.3%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32225.1% (13.6–38.3%) n=707
Homeownership rate32.1%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32273.7% (48.8–89.0%) n=707
Crowded housing (>1 per room)1.9%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3221.7% (0.0–5.0%) n=707
Foreign-born population9.7%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5533.8% (0.0–15.8%) n=720
Single-parent households31.8%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08748.8% (36.1–66.7%) n=705
Population 65+8.1%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55317.0% (10.0–28.3%) n=720
Median age28.1 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29239.8 yr (33.1–51.4) n=715
Median household income$39,219$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$65,254 ($44,032–$106,158) n=677
Median home value$215,400$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$215,200 ($91,000–$413,150) n=666
Median gross rent$1,232$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$993 ($694–$1,769) n=627
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)GA median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth74.5 yr ± 0.8678.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,30876.1 yr (73.3–79.7) n=668

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 0.86 years of 74.5, 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