ZIP code
42343
in Fordsville, KentuckyPopulation 1,267
42.17/ 100
Ranked #25,070 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 22%)
Ranked #196 of 742 Kentucky ZIPs (top 26%)
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.
Fatal road crashes
47.4 per 100,000 residents per year
in the top 4.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST96thUS95thDefinition & 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 ›Outpatient-care access
0.56 per 1,000 residents
in the top 6.3% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST94thUS94thDefinition & 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 ›Home broadband subscription
72.6%
in the bottom 7.8% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST11thUS8thDefinition & source ›
The share of households with a broadband internet subscription.
Full methodology ›Tree cover
72.8%
in the top 7.9% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST65thUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.
Full methodology ›Distance to a community health center
18.2 mi
in the top 9.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS91stDefinition & 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 ›PFOA in drinking water
83.3%
in the top 11.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST90thUS89thDefinition & source ›
The share of residents served by public water systems where PFOA, one of the man-made “forever chemicals,” was detected in EPA testing.
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 ›The read
With only part of the picture in hand, Fordsville, Kentucky (ZIP 42343) lands in the bottom 22% nationally (25,070th) and the top 26% of Kentucky (196th), based on limited data; treat as directional.
Where the data does reach, it says a few things here: outpatient sits in the top 6.3% nationally, and modeled tree cover registers in the top 7.9% nationally. Distance to a nursing home lands at the national minimum, shared with about 27% of ZIPs. Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility resides in the top 14.0% nationally, and housing-cost burden lies in the bottom 17% nationally. Set against that, fatal road crashes settles in the top 4.6% nationally, and home broadband subscription stands in the bottom 7.8% nationally. Distance to a community health center is in the top 9.3% nationally, and PFOA in drinking water rests in the top 11.0% nationally. Recreation sits at the national minimum, shared with about 35% of ZIPs.
In plain language, PFOA in drinking water is one of the man-made "forever chemicals" that build up in the body and environment instead of breaking down. 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. Distance to a community health center is a federally funded (HRSA) community health center serving everyone regardless of ability to pay. ZIP 42348, just across the boundary, ranks healthier 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.
Nothing measured is lifting this score.
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 25%
19%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 35%
16%
Preventive CarePartial
healthier than 33%
15%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 38%
6%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 11%
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
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 76%
16%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 52%
19%
Holding it back
Preventive CarePartial
healthier than 14%
15%
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.
Nearby
40111
Kentuckyshares a border
Score 38.09
Closest healthier
42348
Kentuckyshares a border
Score 42.58
Similar health profile
63474
Missouri97% similar profile
Score 43.32
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
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 17.7% | 14.7–21.2 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 67.8% | 62.8–72.5 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 57.2% | 53.5–60.9 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 72.5% | 64.1–79.5 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Short sleep duration among adults | 39.2% | 32.6–46.0 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | KY median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 20.2% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 17.1% (4.6–39.2%) n=747 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 4.2% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 6.9% (0.0–16.5%) n=741 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 15.2% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 13.7% (3.8–29.1%) n=748 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 7.3% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 14.8% (1.5–33.6%) n=748 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 2.5% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 3.8% (0.0–11.2%) n=733 |
| Households without a vehicle | 3.4% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 4.6% (0.0–15.0%) n=745 |
| Broadband subscription | 72.6% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 86.7% (71.5–97.1%) n=745 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 14.3% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 20.9% (6.2–34.7%) n=745 |
| Homeownership rate | 73.8% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 78.0% (58.2–96.7%) n=745 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 3.0% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 0.7% (0.0–4.8%) n=745 |
| Foreign-born population | 0.0% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 0.3% (0.0–5.4%) n=749 |
| Single-parent households | 59.6% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 52.0% (34.7–75.0%) n=738 |
| Population 65+ | 22.7% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 18.2% (9.6–29.6%) n=749 |
| Median age | 48.1 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.8 yr (32.3–53.9) n=738 |
| Median household income | $52,679 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $57,097 ($34,611–$87,693) n=645 |
| Median home value | $86,700 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $144,600 ($66,860–$265,120) n=643 |
| Median gross rent | $901 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $821 ($592–$1,170) n=466 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | KY median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 74.0 yr ± 1.63 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 74.8 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 1.63 years of 74.0, 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