ZIP code
38485
in Waynesboro, TennesseePopulation 6,165
36.84/ 100
Ranked #28,609 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 10.8%)
Ranked #452 of 616 Tennessee ZIPs (bottom 27%)
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 Superfund site
In this ZIP
at the national minimum
Higher is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & 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 ›Grocery access
0.32 per 1,000 residents
in the top 3.4% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST97thUS97thDefinition & source ›
The number of full supermarkets 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. ZipVitals’s food-access signal is derived from these in-ZIP densities — it is not USDA’s food-desert designation, which measures distance to the nearest supermarket. Where a leg is missing, a ZIP reads “not determinable,” never “not a food desert.”
Full methodology ›Tooth loss
25.3%
in the top 6.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST91stUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 65 and older who have lost all of their natural teeth.
Full methodology ›Tree cover
74.8%
in the top 7.0% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST88thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.
Full methodology ›Cognitive disability
20%
in the top 9.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST70thUS91stDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.
Full methodology ›Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility
13.6 mi
in the top 9.2% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST95thUS91stDefinition & 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 ›Elder-services access
0.16 per 1,000 residents
in the top 9.4% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST93rdUS91stDefinition & source ›
The number of services for older adults and people with disabilities 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 ›Industrial-pollution burden
in the bottom 12.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS13thDefinition & 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 ›Civic-institution access
0.48 per 1,000 residents
in the top 13.4% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST91stUS87thDefinition & 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 ›The read
Waynesboro, Tennessee (ZIP 38485), in overall standing, comes out in the bottom 10.8% nationally (28,609th) and the bottom 27% of Tennessee (452nd).
A few readings account for most of this area's strain: distance to a Superfund site sits at the national minimum, modeled tooth loss stands in the top 6.9% nationally, and modeled cognitive disability resides in the top 9.4% nationally. Modeled mobility disability sits in the top 11.0% nationally, and independent living disability stands in the top 10.8% nationally. On the better side, grocery resides in the top 3.4% nationally. Distance to an emergency room sits at the national minimum, shared with about 11% of ZIPs. Modeled tree cover stands in the top 7.0% nationally, and distance to a hazardous-chemical facility resides in the top 9.2% nationally. Elder services sits in the top 9.4% nationally.
Defined simply, for reference, distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. 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. The closest healthier ZIP overall is ZIP 38462, 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.
Compared with the ZIP codes measured across all nine scoring domains — not with all US ZIP codes.
Lifting this score
Healthcare Access
in the top 0.00%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 53%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 58%
14%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 48%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 9%
21%
Preventive Care
healthier than 20%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 14%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 5%
8%
Disability
healthier than 11%
7%
Lifting this score
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 61%
5%
Healthcare Access
in the top 0.00%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 54%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 53%
14%
Mental Health
healthier than 41%
8%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 23%
21%
Preventive Care
healthier than 23%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 23%
11%
Disability
healthier than 23%
7%
“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.
Below what income predicts
The ZIP codes that outlive their incomes
Estimated life expectancy is 73.0 ± 1.5 years. A median household income of $52,933 predicts 77.6 years — 4.6 years below.
Ranked #5,364 of the 5,842 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by years above what income predicts, highest first.
Nearby & similar ZIPs
Editorially selected — see how this ZIP compares to nearby and similar places.
Nearby
37096
Tennesseeshares a border
Score 36.28
Closest healthier
38462
Tennesseeshares a border
Score 38.87
Similar health profile
37766
Tennessee99% similar profile
Score 32.50
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 | 37.3% | 33.4–41.2 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 43.7% | 39.0–48.2 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 10.3% | 9.3–11.3 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.3% | 10.0–12.8 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 9.7% | 8.6–10.8 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 12.7% | 11.1–14.5 |
| Depression among adults | 29.9% | 25.6–34.3 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 16.1% | 13.9–18.4 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 43.1% | 38.4–47.8 |
| Obesity among adults | 39.2% | 31.0–48.3 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.9% | 4.4–5.5 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 25.3% | 21.0–30.1 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 12.8% | 10.5–15.3 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 79.5% | 76.6–82.1 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 78.4% | 74.7–81.8 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 86.0% | 84.0–87.9 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 60.1% | 54.6–65.5 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 49.2% | 45.3–53.2 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 70.7% | 62.0–78.6 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 13.3% | 10.7–16.2 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 22.2% | 19.3–25.7 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 31.7% | 26.6–37.2 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 40.7% | 33.7–48.3 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 27.9% | 24.4–31.7 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 20.4% | 18.1–22.9 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 18.5% | 16.3–21.0 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 20.0% | 17.8–22.7 |
| Any disability among adults | 42.2% | 37.2–47.5 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 10.7% | 9.4–11.9 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 12.1% | 10.6–13.7 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 21.6% | 18.8–24.6 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 5.5% | 4.9–6.2 |
| Vision disability among adults | 7.0% | 6.3–7.9 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | TN median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 20.4% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 13.8% (5.1–26.1%) n=609 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 20.1% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 14.0% (5.9–24.0%) n=615 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 15.7% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 11.6% (4.2–19.5%) n=613 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 20.5% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 19.0% (10.0–42.6%) n=613 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 4.6% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.0% (0.4–9.6%) n=613 |
| Households without a vehicle | 10.0% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.9% (0.3–10.1%) n=608 |
| Broadband subscription | 87.4% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 86.7% (76.0–94.9%) n=608 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 23.0% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 21.4% (11.8–33.6%) n=608 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.3% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 77.7% (53.4–91.5%) n=608 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 0.0% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.5% (0.0–4.5%) n=608 |
| Foreign-born population | 1.3% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 1.8% (0.0–8.3%) n=617 |
| Single-parent households | 53.9% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 52.6% (39.1–68.7%) n=608 |
| Population 65+ | 22.1% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 19.0% (11.5–27.9%) n=617 |
| Median age | 48.8 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 42.3 yr (33.8–52.5) n=615 |
| Median household income | $52,933 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $61,577 ($42,745–$94,822) n=594 |
| Median home value | $126,400 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $215,100 ($120,900–$397,120) n=593 |
| Median gross rent | $357 | $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 | 73.0 yr ± 0.74 | 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 0.74 years of 73.0, 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