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ZipVitals

ZIP code

42273

in Rochester, KentuckyPopulation 519

41.70/ 100

Ranked #25,480 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 21%)

Ranked #206 of 742 Kentucky ZIPs (top 28%)

Ranked #8 of 17 Bowling Green, KY ZIPs (top 47%)

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.

Housing-cost burden

1.7%

in the bottom 3.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST6th
US4th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Natural-disaster risk

in the bottom 6.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST10th
US6th
Definition & source ›

This area’s national rank on its single highest non-flood natural hazard — such as wildfire, tornado, or earthquake — in FEMA’s modeled National Risk Index; flooding is shown separately.

Full methodology ›

Fiber broadband

98.2%

in the top 6.3% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST87th
US94th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Homeownership rate

96.7%

in the top 6.7% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST90th
US93rd
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Floodplain exposure

28.3%

in the top 11.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST92nd
US89th
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 ›

Distance to a community health center

15.3 mi

in the top 11.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US88th
Definition & source ›

The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest federally funded community health center, which serves patients regardless of ability to pay.

Full methodology ›

Distance to an emergency room

14.1 mi

in the top 12.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST95th
US87th
Definition & source ›

The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare-certified hospital with an emergency room.

Full methodology ›

Poverty rate

4.0%

in the bottom 14.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST9th
US14th
Definition & source ›

The share of residents whose income is below the federal poverty line, from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

Full methodology ›

Humid extreme heat

101.3 days/year

in the top 22% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST97th
US78th
Definition & 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 ›

Arsenic in groundwater

5.3%

in the top 36% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US64th
Definition & source ›

The modeled probability that untreated groundwater in this area — the source private wells draw on — exceeds the federal arsenic limit of 10 micrograms per liter.

A modeled likelihood for untreated groundwater, the source drawn on by private wells, which are federally unregulated. It is not a measurement of treated water delivered by a public system, and it is not a test of any individual well.

Full methodology ›

The read

On the data available so far, Rochester, Kentucky (ZIP 42273) lands in the bottom 21% nationally (25,480th) and the top 28% of Kentucky (206th), based on limited data; treat as directional.

continue reading

The readings that are available are worth naming, coverage aside: housing-cost burden registers in the bottom 3.9% nationally, and modeled disaster risk lies in the bottom 6.0% nationally. Fiber broadband is in the top 6.3% nationally, and homeownership registers in the top 6.7% nationally. Households without a vehicle lies at the national minimum, shared with about 16% of ZIPs. Modeled loud transportation noise is at the national minimum, shared with about 22% of ZIPs. Poverty registers in the bottom 14.3% nationally. On the other hand, floodplain exposure lies in the top 11.0% nationally, distance to a community health center is in the top 11.9% nationally, and distance to an emergency room registers in the top 12.8% nationally.

For context, disaster risk is the area's national rank on its highest non-flood peril in FEMA's modeled Risk Index, like wildfire or quake. Loud transportation noise is the modeled share of an area exposed to road, rail, and air noise at or above 65 decibels, near conversation volume. Floodplain exposure is land with about a 1-in-100 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "100-year floodplain". The closest ZIP that ranks healthier overall is ZIP 42339, about 0.9 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 72%

16%

About typical

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 48%

19%

Preventive CarePartial

healthier than 45%

15%

Holding it back

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 19%

6%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 10%

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.

Lifting this score

Social Need / SDOH

in the top 0.00%

19%

Environmental Hazard

in the top 0.00%

16%

Preventive CarePartial

in the top 0.00%

15%

Holding it back

Climate / Disaster Risk

in the bottom 0.00%

6%

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 years19.0%15.6–22.8
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years68.5%63.5–73.4
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults58.1%54.1–62.2
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years74.3%66.1–81.5
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Short sleep duration among adults40.3%33.2–47.7
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)KY median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate4.0%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36417.1% (4.6–39.2%) n=747
Uninsured 18–642.1%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2866.9% (0.0–16.5%) n=741
No HS diploma (25+)17.8%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,50513.7% (3.8–29.1%) n=748
Bachelor's or higher (25+)11.7%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50514.8% (1.5–33.6%) n=748
Unemployment rate (16+)3.9%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2743.8% (0.0–11.2%) n=733
Households without a vehicle0.0%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3224.6% (0.0–15.0%) n=745
Broadband subscription90.5%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32286.7% (71.5–97.1%) n=745
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)1.7%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32220.9% (6.2–34.7%) n=745
Homeownership rate96.7%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32278.0% (58.2–96.7%) n=745
Crowded housing (>1 per room)0.0%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.7% (0.0–4.8%) n=745
Foreign-born population2.5%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5530.3% (0.0–5.4%) n=749
Single-parent households78.5%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08752.0% (34.7–75.0%) n=738
Population 65+39.1%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55318.2% (9.6–29.6%) n=749
Median age55.6 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29241.8 yr (32.3–53.9) n=738
Median household income$59,745$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$57,097 ($34,611–$87,693) n=645
Median home value$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$144,600 ($66,860–$265,120) n=643
Median gross rent$943$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 birth77.4 yr ± 2.4878.9 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 2.48 years of 77.4, 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