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ZipVitals

ZIP code

38547

in South Carthage, TennesseePopulation 2,088

44.45/ 100

Ranked #22,975 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 28%)

Ranked #200 of 616 Tennessee ZIPs (top 32%)

Ranked #70 of 110 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN ZIPs (bottom 36%)

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.

Fiber broadband

100%

at the national maximum

Higher is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Fatal road crashes

0 per 100,000 residents per year

at the national minimum

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US1st
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 ›

Homeownership rate

98.3%

in the top 5.5% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST98th
US95th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Distance to a Superfund site

61.6 mi

in the top 8.4% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST98th
US92nd
Definition & 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 ›

Crowded housing

6.0%

in the top 10.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US89th
Definition & source ›

The share of occupied homes with more than one person per room, the Census definition of crowded housing.

Full methodology ›

Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility

11.5 mi

in the top 11.8% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST92nd
US88th
Definition & 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 ›

The read

On balance, and by the composite measure, South Carthage, Tennessee (ZIP 38547) ranks in the bottom 28% nationally (22,975th) and the top 32% of Tennessee (200th).

continue reading

Where this area bears down hardest, the measures speak first: crowded housing settles in the top 10.8% nationally, and modeled cognitive disability lies in the top 16% nationally. Modeled humid heat resides in the top 17% nationally. Recreation lands at the national minimum, shared with about 35% of ZIPs. On the encouraging side, fiber broadband registers at the national maximum, fatal road crashes sits at the national minimum, and homeownership rests in the top 5.5% nationally. Distance to a Superfund site is in the top 8.4% nationally, distance to a hazardous-chemical facility stands in the top 11.8% nationally, and modeled disaster risk settles in the bottom 12.8% nationally.

In plainer terms, 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. Disaster risk is the area's national rank on its highest non-flood peril in FEMA's modeled Risk Index, like wildfire or quake. For a healthier nearby ZIP overall, look to ZIP 37184, 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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area.

Compared with the ZIP codes measured across all nine scoring domains — not with all US ZIP codes.

Compare within

Nothing measured is lifting this score.

About typical

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 45%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 52%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 58%

14%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 50%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 59%

5%

Holding it back

Preventive Care

healthier than 24%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 25%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 4%

8%

Disability

healthier than 40%

7%

Lifting this score

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 79%

21%

Disability

healthier than 74%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 68%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 61%

5%

About typical

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 53%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 53%

14%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 50%

11%

Holding it back

Preventive Care

healthier than 34%

13%

Mental Health

healthier than 26%

8%

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 69%

14%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 71%

5%

About typical

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 42%

21%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 56%

5%

Holding it back

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 16%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 31%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 26%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 14%

8%

Disability

healthier than 36%

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 ›

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 adults31.1%27.6–34.8
High blood pressure among adults36.8%32.6–41.3
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults8.5%7.7–9.4
Current asthma among adults11.2%9.8–12.7
Coronary heart disease among adults6.8%6.0–7.7
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults9.1%7.7–10.6
Depression among adults30.9%26.7–35.5
Diagnosed diabetes among adults12.3%10.5–14.3
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened38.0%33.7–42.6
Obesity among adults38.2%30.1–47.4
Stroke among adults3.5%3.1–3.9
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years17.1%14.1–20.5
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years10.8%8.7–13.2
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure75.4%72.4–78.3
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults76.0%72.1–79.8
Cholesterol screening among adults85.4%83.0–87.5
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years65.3%60.1–70.1
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults54.7%50.7–58.7
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years71.8%63.4–79.2
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults15.9%13.1–19.2
Current cigarette smoking among adults19.1%15.9–22.5
No leisure-time physical activity among adults26.2%21.5–31.4
Short sleep duration among adults38.9%32.2–46.1
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults21.9%18.6–25.5
Frequent mental distress among adults20.6%18.2–23.3
Frequent physical distress among adults15.5%13.4–17.8
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults18.6%16.1–21.3
Any disability among adults36.1%31.1–41.5
Hearing disability among adults7.7%6.8–8.8
Independent living disability among adults9.6%8.2–11.0
Mobility disability among adults15.7%13.2–18.3
Self-care disability among adults3.9%3.4–4.5
Vision disability among adults5.0%4.4–5.8
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)TN median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate17.6%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36413.8% (5.1–26.1%) n=609
Uninsured 18–6412.2%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,28614.0% (5.9–24.0%) n=615
No HS diploma (25+)12.8%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,50511.6% (4.2–19.5%) n=613
Bachelor's or higher (25+)18.2%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50519.0% (10.0–42.6%) n=613
Unemployment rate (16+)3.1%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2744.0% (0.4–9.6%) n=613
Households without a vehicle1.7%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3223.9% (0.3–10.1%) n=608
Broadband subscription93.2%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32286.7% (76.0–94.9%) n=608
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)22.1%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32221.4% (11.8–33.6%) n=608
Homeownership rate98.3%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32277.7% (53.4–91.5%) n=608
Crowded housing (>1 per room)6.0%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3221.5% (0.0–4.5%) n=608
Foreign-born population0.9%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5531.8% (0.0–8.3%) n=617
Single-parent households67.1%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08752.6% (39.1–68.7%) n=608
Population 65+16.7%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55319.0% (11.5–27.9%) n=617
Median age40.2 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29242.3 yr (33.8–52.5) n=615
Median household income$80,843$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$61,577 ($42,745–$94,822) n=594
Median home value$244,100$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$215,100 ($120,900–$397,120) n=593
Median gross rent$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 birth75.3 yr ± 0.9378.9 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 0.93 years of 75.3, 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