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ZIP code

38720

in Alligator, MississippiPopulation 574

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

37.94/ 100

Ranked #28,040 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 12.6%)

Ranked #259 of 406 Mississippi 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.

Outer-floodplain exposure

37.8%

in the top 1.2% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST96th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The share of this ZIP’s land area inside FEMA’s 0.2%-annual-chance flood band — the “500-year” zone, a lower but real 1-in-500 yearly chance.

Measured from FEMA’s mapped flood panels. Where a panel has not been mapped, no value is published for that ZIP — those ZIPs are absent from this comparison rather than counted as unexposed.

Full methodology ›

High blood pressure

50.9%

in the top 2.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST69th
US97th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have high blood pressure.

Full methodology ›

Home broadband subscription

57.4%

in the bottom 2.5% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST7th
US2nd
Definition & source ›

The share of households with a broadband internet subscription.

Full methodology ›

Self-care disability

7.2%

in the top 5.1% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST67th
US95th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults with difficulty dressing or bathing.

Full methodology ›

Stroke

6.0%

in the top 4.1% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST71st
US96th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have had a stroke.

Full methodology ›

Diabetes

19.5%

in the top 4.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST70th
US95th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Full methodology ›

Mobility disability

23.5%

in the top 5.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST66th
US94th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults with serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.

Full methodology ›

Floodplain exposure

39.8%

in the top 6.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST83rd
US94th
Definition & source ›

The share of this ZIP’s land area inside FEMA’s 1%-annual-chance floodplain — the “100-year” flood zone, where flooding has about a 1-in-100 chance in any given year.

Measured from FEMA’s mapped flood panels. Where a panel has not been mapped, no value is published for that ZIP — those ZIPs are absent from this comparison rather than counted as unexposed.

Full methodology ›

Vision disability

9.0%

in the top 7.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST65th
US92nd
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who are blind or have serious difficulty seeing even with glasses.

Full methodology ›

Binge drinking

11.8%

in the bottom 5.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST35th
US6th
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

In overall standing, Alligator, Mississippi (ZIP 38720) comes out in the bottom 12.6% nationally (28,040th) and the bottom 36% of Mississippi (259th).

continue reading

The data is direct about where this area carries real strain: outer-floodplain exposure rests in the top 1.2% nationally, modeled high blood pressure lies in the top 2.6% nationally, and home broadband subscription sits in the bottom 2.5% nationally. Modeled self-care disability settles in the top 5.1% nationally, stroke registers in the top 4.1% nationally, and diabetes stands in the top 4.6% nationally. Modeled mobility disability lands in the top 5.8% nationally, and floodplain exposure is in the top 6.3% nationally. Modeled vision disability resides in the top 7.6% nationally. More encouragingly, modeled binge drinking rests in the bottom 5.8% nationally.

Relative to the ZIPs around it, outer-floodplain exposure runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. In plain terms, outer-floodplain exposure is land with a lower but real 1-in-500 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "500-year floodplain". Floodplain exposure is land with about a 1-in-100 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "100-year floodplain". The nearest healthier ZIP overall is ZIP 72166, about 11 miles away.

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 64%

14%

Mental Health

healthier than 77%

8%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 7%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 5%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 39%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 37%

11%

Disability

healthier than 8%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 5%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 39%

5%

Lifting this score

Preventive Care

healthier than 92%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 76%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 82%

8%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 27%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 26%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 28%

14%

Disability

healthier than 37%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 14%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 31%

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 ›

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 adults36.9%33.9–39.9
High blood pressure among adults50.9%47.4–54.4
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults9.6%8.7–10.4
Current asthma among adults10.4%9.3–11.5
Coronary heart disease among adults9.9%9.0–10.8
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults11.1%9.8–12.3
Depression among adults19.1%16.6–21.7
Diagnosed diabetes among adults19.5%17.7–21.4
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened44.7%40.9–48.3
Obesity among adults40.5%34.9–46.4
Stroke among adults6.0%5.5–6.5
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years21.1%18.3–24.0
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years10.8%8.8–13.0
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure83.9%82.0–85.7
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults84.5%82.0–86.7
Cholesterol screening among adults88.5%86.9–89.9
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years64.2%59.8–68.2
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults9.9%8.5–11.5
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years73.9%67.0–79.6
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults11.8%9.9–13.9
Current cigarette smoking among adults17.6%15.3–19.9
No leisure-time physical activity among adults36.4%32.5–40.5
Short sleep duration among adults36.8%31.8–41.9
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults27.8%25.0–30.4
Frequent mental distress among adults16.5%14.8–18.1
Frequent physical distress among adults16.9%15.2–18.6
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults17.4%15.5–19.2
Any disability among adults40.6%36.9–44.4
Hearing disability among adults9.9%9.0–10.9
Independent living disability among adults11.8%10.6–13.0
Mobility disability among adults23.5%21.2–25.8
Self-care disability among adults7.2%6.5–7.9
Vision disability among adults9.0%8.1–9.9
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults27.1%23.8–30.2
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults23.9%21.3–26.8
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults17.6%15.4–20.1
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults17.1%15.2–19.2
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults12.9%11.6–14.4
Loneliness among adults33.8%29.7–37.8
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults12.6%11.3–14.2
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)MS median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate18.3%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36419.9% (8.3–37.0%) n=406
Uninsured 18–6420.5%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,28616.8% (8.1–29.3%) n=410
No HS diploma (25+)7.3%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,50514.4% (5.9–25.0%) n=411
Bachelor's or higher (25+)22.9%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50518.0% (7.1–33.6%) n=411
Unemployment rate (16+)7.5%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2744.8% (0.0–14.2%) n=411
Households without a vehicle8.1%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3225.5% (0.0–13.9%) n=405
Broadband subscription57.4%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32279.7% (62.7–93.0%) n=405
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)25.0%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32222.7% (9.7–36.0%) n=405
Homeownership rate90.4%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32277.2% (49.8–91.7%) n=405
Crowded housing (>1 per room)0.0%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3221.4% (0.0–5.0%) n=405
Foreign-born population0.0%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5530.6% (0.0–4.4%) n=412
Single-parent households58.4%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08746.9% (29.2–61.4%) n=404
Population 65+20.9%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55317.8% (11.7–26.2%) n=412
Median age29.9 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29239.5 yr (30.5–49.6) n=411
Median household income$62,639$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$50,353 ($32,100–$72,379) n=377
Median home value$92,500$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$118,100 ($72,660–$219,420) n=374
Median gross rent—$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$827 ($532–$1,130) n=319
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)MS median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth75.9 yr ± 1.1978.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,30875.4 yr (72.7–79.0) n=405

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 1.19 years of 75.9, 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