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ZipVitals

ZIP code

37688

in Shady Valley, TennesseePopulation 1,138

51.88/ 100

Ranked #13,616 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 42%)

Ranked #82 of 616 Tennessee ZIPs (top 13.4%)

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.

Park land

66.8%

in the top 1.3% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The share of this ZIP’s land area that is public parkland.

Full methodology ›

Tree cover

85.4%

in the top 2.9% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST95th
US97th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Fiber broadband

99.5%

in the top 3.5% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST80th
US97th
Definition & source ›

The share of homes where fiber-optic internet service is available.

Full methodology ›

Civic-institution access

1 per 1,000 residents

in the top 3.8% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST98th
US96th
Definition & source ›

The number of civic and social organizations 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 ›

High cholesterol

45.4%

in the top 3.7% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST95th
US96th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults with high cholesterol, among those who have ever been screened for it.

Full methodology ›

Transportation noise

0.14%

in the bottom 9.2% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST6th
US9th
Definition & source ›

The modeled share of residents exposed to average road, rail, and aviation noise at or above 55 decibels — a noticeable background presence.

Full methodology ›

Housing-cost burden

10.0%

in the bottom 9.5% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST6th
US9th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Fatal road crashes

35.1 per 100,000 residents per year

in the top 9.5% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST88th
US91st
Definition & 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 ›

Arsenic in groundwater

1.3%

in the bottom 9.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST19th
US10th
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 ›

Binge drinking

12.3%

in the bottom 8.5% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST12th
US8th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who report binge drinking — five or more drinks on one occasion for men, four or more for women.

Full methodology ›

The read

Overall, Shady Valley, Tennessee (ZIP 37688) lands in the top 42% healthiest ZIPs nationally (13,616th) and the top 13.4% of Tennessee (82nd).

continue reading

The picture here is genuinely mixed, with readings on both sides: park land lands in the top 1.3% nationally, and modeled tree cover sits in the top 2.9% nationally. Fiber broadband is in the top 3.5% nationally, and civic settles in the top 3.8% nationally. Modeled transportation noise resides in the bottom 9.2% nationally, and housing-cost burden registers in the bottom 9.5% nationally. Modeled extreme heat rests at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Modeled arsenic stands in the bottom 9.8% nationally. On the other side, modeled high cholesterol lies in the top 3.7% nationally, and fatal road crashes lands in the top 9.5% nationally.

Set beside the nearby areas, park land runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. A note on the terms: arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Transportation noise is the modeled share of an area exposed to average road, rail, and air noise at or above 55 decibels. Extreme heat is a modeled count of days a year reaching a dangerously high temperature, a leading weather hazard. For a healthier nearby comparison, ZIP 24211, about 1.0 miles away, ranks better 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.

Compare within

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 83%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 91%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 81%

11%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 84%

5%

About typical

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 45%

16%

Disability

healthier than 43%

7%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 57%

5%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 20%

21%

Mental Health

healthier than 37%

8%

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 89%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 98%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 96%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 95%

8%

Disability

healthier than 77%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

in the top 0.5%

5%

About typical

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 49%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 41%

16%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 58%

5%

Nothing measured is holding this score back.

“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 82.6; chronic-disease standing 19.7 — 63 points apart, cleaner on the environment than it is on chronic illness.

    Ranked #1,533 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.

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 adults39.6%35.2–44.1
High blood pressure among adults45.6%40.6–50.6
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults13.0%11.6–14.4
Current asthma among adults10.3%9.0–11.8
Coronary heart disease among adults9.1%7.8–10.5
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults9.5%7.6–11.4
Depression among adults26.7%22.6–31.1
Diagnosed diabetes among adults15.0%12.5–17.6
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened45.4%40.3–50.2
Obesity among adults34.0%26.1–42.4
Stroke among adults4.3%3.7–5.0
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years7.6%6.1–9.7
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years7.7%5.7–10.2
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure82.7%79.6–85.3
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults82.7%79.5–85.6
Cholesterol screening among adults91.6%90.1–93.0
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years71.4%67.0–76.6
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults67.6%64.2–71.4
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years75.8%68.3–83.9
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults12.3%9.9–14.9
Current cigarette smoking among adults14.2%10.9–17.8
No leisure-time physical activity among adults25.3%19.7–31.0
Short sleep duration among adults34.0%27.9–42.4
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults20.4%16.6–24.5
Frequent mental distress among adults15.7%13.4–18.1
Frequent physical distress among adults15.3%12.9–17.9
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults13.9%11.5–16.3
Any disability among adults36.1%30.4–41.8
Hearing disability among adults10.3%8.8–11.9
Independent living disability among adults8.1%6.7–9.6
Mobility disability among adults18.0%14.6–21.4
Self-care disability among adults3.7%3.1–4.4
Vision disability among adults4.7%3.9–5.6
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)TN median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate6.6%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36413.8% (5.1–26.1%) n=609
Uninsured 18–6415.3%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,28614.0% (5.9–24.0%) n=615
No HS diploma (25+)5.5%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,50511.6% (4.2–19.5%) n=613
Bachelor's or higher (25+)37.1%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50519.0% (10.0–42.6%) n=613
Unemployment rate (16+)1.8%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2744.0% (0.4–9.6%) n=613
Households without a vehicle1.2%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3223.9% (0.3–10.1%) n=608
Broadband subscription89.8%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32286.7% (76.0–94.9%) n=608
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)10.0%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32221.4% (11.8–33.6%) n=608
Homeownership rate85.9%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32277.7% (53.4–91.5%) n=608
Crowded housing (>1 per room)1.6%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3221.5% (0.0–4.5%) n=608
Foreign-born population0.3%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5531.8% (0.0–8.3%) n=617
Single-parent households63.6%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08752.6% (39.1–68.7%) n=608
Population 65+32.6%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55319.0% (11.5–27.9%) n=617
Median age53.1 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29242.3 yr (33.8–52.5) n=615
Median household income$53,333$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$61,577 ($42,745–$94,822) n=594
Median home value$164,300$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$215,100 ($120,900–$397,120) n=593
Median gross rent$1,137$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$908 ($659–$1,523) n=516
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)TN median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth74.2 yr ± 3.1378.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,30875.1 yr (72.6–78.1) n=587

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 3.13 years of 74.2, 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