ZIP code
38463
in Iron City, TennesseePopulation 2,644
35.21/ 100
Ranked #29,307 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 8.7%)
Ranked #495 of 616 Tennessee 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.
Fatal road crashes
45.4 per 100,000 residents per year
in the top 5.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST93rdUS95thDefinition & 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 ›Cognitive disability
20.9%
in the top 6.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST83rdUS94thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.
Full methodology ›Tooth loss
25%
in the top 7.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST90thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 65 and older who have lost all of their natural teeth.
Full methodology ›Arsenic in groundwater
1.3%
in the bottom 7.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST14thUS8thDefinition & 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 ›Homeownership rate
95.4%
in the top 8.1% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST97thUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The share of occupied homes that are owned, rather than rented, by the people living in them.
Full methodology ›Industrial-pollution burden
in the bottom 31% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST5thUS31stDefinition & source ›
The EPA’s modeled screening score for industrial chemical releases, weighting the amounts released by their toxicity and how many people live nearby — a relative comparison score, not a measured exposure.
Full methodology ›The read
Iron City, Tennessee (ZIP 38463), overall, ranks in the bottom 8.7% nationally (29,307th) and the bottom 20% of Tennessee (495th).
Taken together, the data gives a genuinely mixed reading: modeled arsenic lies in the bottom 7.7% nationally, and homeownership stands in the top 8.1% nationally. Modeled loud transportation noise rests at the national minimum, shared with about 22% of ZIPs. On the other side, fatal road crashes registers in the top 5.2% nationally, and modeled cognitive disability resides in the top 6.3% nationally. Modeled tooth loss settles in the top 7.3% nationally, and independent living disability is in the top 11.9% nationally. Modeled short sleep sits in the top 13.1% nationally, and fair or poor health lands in the top 14.0% nationally. Modeled colon screening lies in the bottom 12.0% nationally.
Defined simply, arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. 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. ZIP 35634, just across the boundary, 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 75%
14%
About typical
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 47%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 14%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 26%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 15%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 9%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 3%
8%
Disability
healthier than 14%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 14%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 78%
14%
About typical
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 59%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 38%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 15%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 12%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 12%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 14%
8%
Disability
healthier than 29%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 8%
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 75.0; chronic-disease standing 14.2 — 61 points apart, cleaner on the environment than it is on chronic illness.
Ranked #1,672 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
35634
Alabamashares a border
Score 54.43
Closest healthier
35645
Alabamashares a border
Score 53.85
Similar health profile
37374
Tennessee100% similar profile
Score 35.39
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 | 35.1% | 32.1–38.1 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 42.0% | 38.3–45.6 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 9.1% | 8.4–9.9 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.4% | 10.2–12.6 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 8.8% | 8.0–9.6 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 12.1% | 10.9–13.5 |
| Depression among adults | 31.0% | 27.6–34.6 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 15.2% | 13.6–17.0 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 41.6% | 37.9–45.3 |
| Obesity among adults | 40.5% | 33.7–47.4 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.5% | 4.2–4.9 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 25.0% | 21.5–28.9 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 13.1% | 11.2–15.1 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 77.4% | 74.9–79.7 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 76.9% | 73.7–79.9 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 84.6% | 82.8–86.4 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 59.2% | 54.6–63.7 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 50.8% | 47.5–54.2 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 70.0% | 63.0–76.4 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 14.4% | 12.1–16.8 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 23.4% | 20.7–26.3 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 31.5% | 27.3–35.7 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 40.9% | 35.0–46.6 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 27.6% | 24.7–30.7 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 21.5% | 19.5–23.6 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 18.4% | 16.5–20.3 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 20.9% | 18.8–23.0 |
| Any disability among adults | 41.2% | 37.0–45.4 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 9.7% | 8.8–10.6 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 11.9% | 10.7–13.1 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 20.3% | 18.2–22.6 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 5.3% | 4.8–5.9 |
| Vision disability among adults | 6.8% | 6.2–7.5 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | TN median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 9.7% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 13.8% (5.1–26.1%) n=609 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 6.9% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 14.0% (5.9–24.0%) n=615 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 16.1% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 11.6% (4.2–19.5%) n=613 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 12.1% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 19.0% (10.0–42.6%) n=613 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 5.0% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.0% (0.4–9.6%) n=613 |
| Households without a vehicle | 0.5% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.9% (0.3–10.1%) n=608 |
| Broadband subscription | 79.7% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 86.7% (76.0–94.9%) n=608 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 21.6% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 21.4% (11.8–33.6%) n=608 |
| Homeownership rate | 95.4% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 77.7% (53.4–91.5%) n=608 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 1.6% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.5% (0.0–4.5%) n=608 |
| Foreign-born population | 1.6% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 1.8% (0.0–8.3%) n=617 |
| Single-parent households | 50.4% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 52.6% (39.1–68.7%) n=608 |
| Population 65+ | 21.6% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 19.0% (11.5–27.9%) n=617 |
| Median age | 41.3 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 42.3 yr (33.8–52.5) n=615 |
| Median household income | $58,059 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $61,577 ($42,745–$94,822) n=594 |
| Median home value | $152,800 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $215,100 ($120,900–$397,120) n=593 |
| Median gross rent | $672 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $908 ($659–$1,523) n=516 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | TN median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 74.9 yr ± 0.89 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 75.1 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 0.89 years of 74.9, 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