ZIP code
39662
in Ruth, MississippiPopulation 1,446
42.96/ 100
Ranked #24,412 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 24%)
Ranked #155 of 406 Mississippi ZIPs (top 38%)
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.
Humid extreme heat
140.6 days/year
in the top 7.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST84thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The average number of days per year when modeled heat stress — temperature, humidity, sun, and wind combined — reaches levels hard on the body outdoors.
Full methodology ›Lithium in drinking water
10 µg/L
in the bottom 7.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST16thUS7thDefinition & source ›
The average detected level of lithium — a natural trace metal with no federal drinking-water limit yet — across the public water systems serving this ZIP, in micrograms per liter.
Measured from EPA records for the public water systems that serve this ZIP. Households on private wells — roughly 30% of the US population — are not covered by this measure, and this figure says nothing about their water.
Full methodology ›Transportation noise
0.06%
in the bottom 7.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST8thUS7thDefinition & 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 ›Crowded housing
7.6%
in the top 7.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST96thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The share of occupied homes with more than one person per room, the Census definition of crowded housing.
Full methodology ›Home broadband subscription
73%
in the bottom 8.1% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST26thUS8thDefinition & source ›
The share of households with a broadband internet subscription.
Full methodology ›Radon
0.8 pCi/L
in the bottom 8.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST25thUS8thDefinition & source ›
The modeled typical indoor radon level for this area, in picocuries per liter — the EPA recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or above.
Modeled from indoor-radon measurements. In Alaska and Hawaii, where those measurements are not published, a US Geological Survey geologic radon-potential category stands in — a coarser input, disclosed rather than hidden.
Full methodology ›The read
In its overall standing, Ruth, Mississippi (ZIP 39662) lands in the bottom 24% nationally (24,412th) and the top 38% of Mississippi (155th).
Taken together, the data gives a genuinely mixed reading: lithium in drinking water rests in the bottom 7.3% nationally, and modeled transportation noise registers in the bottom 7.4% nationally. Modeled loud transportation noise resides at the national minimum, shared with about 22% of ZIPs. Modeled radon settles in the bottom 8.2% nationally. On the other side, modeled humid heat is in the top 7.2% nationally, and crowded housing sits in the top 7.5% nationally. Home broadband subscription lands in the bottom 8.1% nationally. Fiber broadband lies at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Unemployment stands in the top 10.4% nationally, and modeled tooth loss rests in the top 11.5% nationally.
Put simply, lithium in drinking water is a natural metal that dissolves into some groundwater and has no federal drinking-water limit yet. Radon is a radioactive soil gas the EPA identifies as the top cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. Humid heat is a modeled heat-stress measure combining temperature, humidity, sun, and wind to gauge heat on the body outdoors. On the overall standing, ZIP 39629, just across the boundary, ranks healthier.
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 95%
14%
About typical
Mental Health
healthier than 49%
8%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 31%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 20%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 12%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 21%
11%
Disability
healthier than 20%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 29%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 29%
5%
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 72%
21%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 94%
14%
Disability
healthier than 64%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 83%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 58%
16%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 48%
11%
Holding it back
Preventive Care
healthier than 13%
13%
Mental Health
healthier than 18%
8%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 20%
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 94.7 (top 10%); chronic-disease standing 31.0 — 64 points apart, cleaner on the environment than it is on chronic illness.
Ranked #1,467 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
39601
Mississippishares a border
Score 42.39
Closest healthier
39629
Mississippishares a border
Score 46.29
Similar health profile
38665
Mississippi98% similar profile
Score 41.83
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 | 30.0% | 27.3–32.7 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 43.2% | 39.9–46.7 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 8.2% | 7.5–8.9 |
| Current asthma among adults | 9.7% | 8.7–10.8 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 8.0% | 7.2–8.8 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 9.7% | 8.5–11.0 |
| Depression among adults | 21.2% | 18.6–24.2 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 14.5% | 12.9–16.1 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 39.5% | 36.2–42.9 |
| Obesity among adults | 39.9% | 34.4–45.6 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.4% | 4.1–4.9 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 22.4% | 19.2–25.9 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 11.9% | 9.8–14.3 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 78.7% | 76.5–80.8 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 79.2% | 76.1–82.0 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 84.7% | 82.6–86.7 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 61.7% | 57.5–65.6 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 8.4% | 7.2–9.6 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 69.7% | 63.1–75.5 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 14.6% | 12.4–17.0 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 19.7% | 17.2–22.6 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 34.8% | 30.6–39.2 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 35.9% | 31.3–40.7 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 24.7% | 21.8–27.6 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 18.3% | 16.5–20.2 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 15.8% | 14.2–17.6 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 19.0% | 16.9–21.3 |
| Any disability among adults | 38.9% | 34.9–42.9 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 9.2% | 8.3–10.2 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 10.8% | 9.5–12.0 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 18.9% | 16.8–21.0 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 5.2% | 4.7–5.8 |
| Vision disability among adults | 6.8% | 6.1–7.5 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 27.2% | 24.0–30.5 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 20.3% | 17.4–23.3 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 12.1% | 10.1–14.2 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 14.9% | 12.9–16.9 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 10.8% | 9.5–12.1 |
| Loneliness among adults | 35.9% | 31.8–40.1 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 9.7% | 8.5–10.9 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | MS median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 16.3% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 19.9% (8.3–37.0%) n=406 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 24.0% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 16.8% (8.1–29.3%) n=410 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 20.0% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 14.4% (5.9–25.0%) n=411 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 4.5% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 18.0% (7.1–33.6%) n=411 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 9.6% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.8% (0.0–14.2%) n=411 |
| Households without a vehicle | 7.7% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 5.5% (0.0–13.9%) n=405 |
| Broadband subscription | 73.0% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 79.7% (62.7–93.0%) n=405 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 14.8% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 22.7% (9.7–36.0%) n=405 |
| Homeownership rate | 86.7% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 77.2% (49.8–91.7%) n=405 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 7.6% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.4% (0.0–5.0%) n=405 |
| Foreign-born population | 0.8% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 0.6% (0.0–4.4%) n=412 |
| Single-parent households | 29.5% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 46.9% (29.2–61.4%) n=404 |
| Population 65+ | 21.9% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 17.8% (11.7–26.2%) n=412 |
| Median age | 39.8 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 39.5 yr (30.5–49.6) n=411 |
| Median household income | — | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $50,353 ($32,100–$72,379) n=377 |
| Median home value | $76,600 | $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
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | MS median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 75.5 yr ± 0.93 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 75.4 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 0.93 years of 75.5, 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