Skip to main content
ZipVitals

ZIP code

41553

in Phelps, KentuckyPopulation 2,269

15.34/ 100

Ranked #32,022 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 0.2%)

Ranked #716 of 742 Kentucky ZIPs (bottom 3.6%)

Ranks are modeled estimates — ZIPs a few hundred places apart are effectively tied.

Some domains have limited local data — read this Score as directional

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.

Tooth loss

41.8%

in the top 0.4% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults aged 65 and older who have lost all of their natural teeth.

Full methodology ›

Short sleep

46.6%

in the top 1.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST96th
US98th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who usually sleep less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.

Full methodology ›

Energy-cost burden

6.5%

in the top 1.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US98th
Definition & source ›

The modeled share of household income spent on home energy bills — electricity, gas, and heating fuels.

A modeled share of household income spent on home energy. Estimates that hit the model’s 100% ceiling are suppressed rather than published, because at that point the figure reflects the model’s limit rather than a measured burden.

Full methodology ›

Lead in tap water

0 ppb

at the national minimum

Lower is healthier

US1st
Definition & source ›

The lead level at the 90th percentile of tap-water samples reported by the public water systems serving this ZIP, in parts per billion — the EPA requires action above 15 ppb.

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 ›

Tree cover

79.6%

in the top 5.1% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST71st
US95th
Definition & source ›

The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.

Full methodology ›

Housing-cost burden

5.3%

in the bottom 5.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST9th
US5th
Definition & source ›

The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.

Full methodology ›

Pharmacy access

0.45 per 1,000 residents

in the top 6.3% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST90th
US94th
Definition & source ›

The number of pharmacies located 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 ›

Crowded housing

6.9%

in the top 8.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST95th
US91st
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Outpatient-care access

0.45 per 1,000 residents

in the top 9.4% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST91st
US91st
Definition & source ›

The number of outpatient clinics located 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 ›

Colon-cancer screening

58.3%

in the bottom 9.9% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST11th
US10th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults aged 45–75 who are up to date on colorectal-cancer screening.

Full methodology ›

The read

Given how limited the coverage is here, Phelps, Kentucky (ZIP 41553) lands in the bottom 0.2% nationally (32,022nd) and the bottom 3.6% of Kentucky (716th), based on limited data; treat as directional.

continue reading

From the measures that are available, a few readings can be named: lead in tap water stands at the national minimum, and modeled tree cover lies in the top 5.1% nationally. Housing-cost burden lands in the bottom 5.3% nationally, and pharmacy sits in the top 6.3% nationally. Outpatient is in the top 9.4% nationally. On the other side, modeled tooth loss settles in the top 0.4% nationally, short sleep resides in the top 1.6% nationally, and energy burden registers in the top 1.8% nationally. Crowded housing rests in the top 8.6% nationally. Fiber broadband stands at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs.

A note on the terms: lead in tap water is the EPA trigger, 15 parts per billion in tap samples, above which a water system must act on lead. Energy burden is the share of household income that goes to home energy bills. For a healthier nearby comparison, ZIP 24620, just across the boundary, ranks better 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.

Compare within

Lifting this score

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 67%

6%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 70%

6%

About typical

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 44%

16%

Holding it back

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 4%

19%

Preventive CarePartial

healthier than 4%

15%

Not placed: Chronic Disease Burden and Risk Behavior — too little of each is measured here to compare reliably. They still count toward the score (together 38% of it); we just will not publish a standing we cannot stand behind.

No data: Mental Health and Disability — not measured in this ZIP, so it is left out of the score entirely rather than estimated.

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

in the top 1.0%

16%

Climate / Disaster Risk

in the top 0.00%

6%

Holding it back

Social Need / SDOH

in the bottom 0.00%

19%

Preventive CarePartial

in the bottom 0.00%

15%

Healthcare Access

in the bottom 0.00%

6%

Not placed: Chronic Disease Burden and Risk Behavior — too little of each is measured here to compare reliably. They still count toward the score (together 38% of it); we just will not publish a standing we cannot stand behind.

No data: Mental Health and Disability — not measured in this ZIP, so it is left out of the score entirely rather than estimated.

“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 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years41.8%36.1–47.4
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years58.3%52.7–63.6
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults43.4%39.5–47.3
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years68.9%59.9–77.2
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Short sleep duration among adults46.6%40.2–53.2
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)KY median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate13.4%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36417.1% (4.6–39.2%) n=747
Uninsured 18–643.3%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2866.9% (0.0–16.5%) n=741
No HS diploma (25+)28.9%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,50513.7% (3.8–29.1%) n=748
Bachelor's or higher (25+)22.8%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50514.8% (1.5–33.6%) n=748
Unemployment rate (16+)2.7%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2743.8% (0.0–11.2%) n=733
Households without a vehicle8.8%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3224.6% (0.0–15.0%) n=745
Broadband subscription82.7%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32286.7% (71.5–97.1%) n=745
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)5.3%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32220.9% (6.2–34.7%) n=745
Homeownership rate86.3%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32278.0% (58.2–96.7%) n=745
Crowded housing (>1 per room)6.9%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.7% (0.0–4.8%) n=745
Foreign-born population0.0%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5530.3% (0.0–5.4%) n=749
Single-parent households46.2%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08752.0% (34.7–75.0%) n=738
Population 65+25.9%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55318.2% (9.6–29.6%) n=749
Median age43.6 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29241.8 yr (32.3–53.9) n=738
Median household income$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$57,097 ($34,611–$87,693) n=645
Median home value$106,500$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$144,600 ($66,860–$265,120) n=643
Median gross rent$254$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$821 ($592–$1,170) n=466
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)KY median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth69.3 yr ± 1.4478.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,30874.8 yr (71.5–78.1) n=739

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 1.44 years of 69.3, 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