ZIP code
32420
in Alford, FloridaPopulation 2,159
43.75/ 100
Ranked #23,654 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 26%)
Ranked #783 of 974 Florida ZIPs (bottom 20%)
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.
Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility
27 mi
in the top 2.6% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS97thDefinition & 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 ›Fatal road crashes
55.6 per 100,000 residents per year
in the top 2.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST98thUS97thDefinition & source ›
The annual rate of fatal road crashes per 100,000 residents, pooled over a ten-year window.
A rate per resident population. Where a ZIP has too few residents for the rate to be reliable — about 30% of US ZIPs — no value is published rather than an unstable one; those ZIPs are absent from this comparison, not counted as crash-free.
Full methodology ›Humid extreme heat
151.6 days/year
in the top 4.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST8thUS96thDefinition & 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 ›Arsenic in groundwater
1.2%
in the bottom 6.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST36thUS7thDefinition & 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 ›Distance to a Superfund site
1.6 mi
in the bottom 9.6% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST15thUS10thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Superfund site — an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has listed for cleanup.
Full methodology ›Housing-cost burden
13.2%
in the bottom 14.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST4thUS15thDefinition & source ›
The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
Full methodology ›Homeownership rate
91.1%
in the top 15% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST91stUS85thDefinition & source ›
The share of occupied homes that are owned, rather than rented, by the people living in them.
Full methodology ›Distance to a nursing home
7.9 mi
in the top 17% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS83rdDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing home.
Full methodology ›Distance to a community health center
6.9 mi
in the top 30% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS70thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest federally funded community health center, which serves patients regardless of ability to pay.
Full methodology ›The read
Alford, Florida (ZIP 32420), overall, ranks in the bottom 26% nationally (23,654th) and the bottom 20% of Florida (783rd).
This area's measures are easy to read as a mixed set: distance to a hazardous-chemical facility is in the top 2.6% nationally, modeled arsenic sits in the bottom 6.7% nationally, and housing-cost burden lands in the bottom 14.6% nationally. Homeownership lies in the top 15% nationally. Set against that, fatal road crashes stands in the top 2.9% nationally, and modeled humid heat rests in the top 4.3% nationally. Distance to a Superfund site registers in the bottom 9.6% nationally, and slow internet speeds resides in the top 16% nationally. Modeled coronary heart disease settles in the top 14.3% nationally, and distance to a nursing home is in the top 17% nationally.
Defined simply, distance to a hazardous-chemical facility is a plant handling large amounts of hazardous chemicals that must file an EPA risk-management plan for accidental releases. Arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. ZIP 32446, about 4.0 miles away, comes out healthier overall.
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
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 86%
14%
About typical
Mental Health
healthier than 45%
8%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 21%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 35%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 30%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 36%
11%
Disability
healthier than 23%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 18%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 24%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 81%
14%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 73%
5%
About typical
Preventive Care
healthier than 43%
13%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 21%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 13%
16%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 29%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 11%
8%
Disability
healthier than 24%
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 ›
Findings that name this ZIP
One of our published findings lists 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.
Clean environment, heavy chronic burden
Where the environment and chronic illness point in opposite directions
Environmental-hazard standing 85.7; chronic-disease standing 21.2 — 65 points apart, cleaner on the environment than it is on chronic illness.
Ranked #1,421 of the 18,187 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by the gap from cleanest environment to heaviest chronic burden, highest first.
Nearby & similar ZIPs
Editorially selected — see how this ZIP compares to nearby and similar places.
Nearby
32428
Floridashares a border
Score 41.14
Closest healthier
32446
Floridaabout 4.0 mi away
Score 50.61
Similar health profile
75929
Texas98% similar profile
Score 36.39
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 | 32.8% | 29.6–36.3 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 40.7% | 36.9–44.7 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 11.2% | 10.1–12.3 |
| Current asthma among adults | 10.5% | 9.3–11.8 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 9.5% | 8.4–10.7 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 11.1% | 9.4–12.8 |
| Depression among adults | 21.3% | 18.3–24.6 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 14.7% | 12.7–16.7 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 41.4% | 37.5–45.4 |
| Obesity among adults | 35.6% | 29.9–41.6 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.7% | 4.2–5.3 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 17.5% | 14.7–20.9 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 13.1% | 10.9–15.6 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 79.4% | 76.6–81.9 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 78.1% | 74.9–81.2 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 85.8% | 83.8–87.6 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 67.4% | 62.8–71.7 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 51.3% | 48.0–54.9 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 72.1% | 65.1–78.5 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 14.6% | 12.1–17.3 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 18.2% | 15.4–21.2 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 29.5% | 25.0–34.1 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 36.5% | 31.5–41.8 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 23.6% | 20.3–27.2 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 18.6% | 16.5–20.8 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 17.6% | 15.4–19.9 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 16.6% | 14.5–18.9 |
| Any disability among adults | 37.6% | 33.0–42.3 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 9.5% | 8.4–10.7 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 10.4% | 9.0–11.8 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 19.5% | 16.7–22.3 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 5.0% | 4.3–5.8 |
| Vision disability among adults | 6.5% | 5.7–7.4 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | FL median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 16.4% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 11.4% (5.3–23.2%) n=972 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 21.4% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 15.9% (7.1–27.2%) n=968 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 17.8% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 8.7% (2.9–20.6%) n=977 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 10.1% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 29.1% (12.7–56.0%) n=977 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 3.0% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.4% (1.8–7.7%) n=968 |
| Households without a vehicle | 5.9% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 4.3% (1.2–11.0%) n=972 |
| Broadband subscription | 85.6% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 91.9% (83.2–96.9%) n=972 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 13.2% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 33.2% (20.1–47.6%) n=972 |
| Homeownership rate | 91.1% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 74.9% (47.3–90.5%) n=972 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 0.8% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 2.2% (0.2–6.7%) n=972 |
| Foreign-born population | 1.9% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 11.5% (2.3–39.9%) n=977 |
| Single-parent households | 83.8% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 52.8% (38.7–75.3%) n=968 |
| Population 65+ | 36.0% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 20.4% (11.9–40.6%) n=977 |
| Median age | 57.4 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 43.0 yr (35.1–59.8) n=972 |
| Median household income | $48,446 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $72,857 ($48,246–$112,420) n=946 |
| Median home value | $119,600 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $334,600 ($168,120–$631,410) n=932 |
| Median gross rent | $773 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $1,604 ($968–$2,218) n=901 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | FL median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 75.8 yr ± 1.55 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 78.2 yr (74.6–82.2) n=894 |
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 1.55 years of 75.8, 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