ZIP code
46746
in Howe, IndianaPopulation 4,697
49.82/ 100
Ranked #16,503 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 49%)
Ranked #273 of 757 Indiana ZIPs (top 36%)
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.
Unemployment rate
9.3%
in the top 11.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS89thDefinition & source ›
The share of the civilian labor force that is unemployed.
Full methodology ›Air-toxics cancer risk
20 per million
in the bottom 25% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS25thDefinition & source ›
The EPA’s modeled estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air toxics, in cases per million people exposed over a lifetime.
Full methodology ›The read
By its overall health score, Howe, Indiana (ZIP 46746) lands in the bottom 49% nationally (16,503rd) and the top 36% of Indiana (273rd).
Neither strongly one way nor the other, the measures sit mixed: outer-floodplain exposure is at the national minimum, shared with about 36% of ZIPs. Against that, unemployment stands in the top 11.3% nationally, and modeled industrial-pollution burden settles in the top 11.8% nationally. Distance to a Superfund site lies in the bottom 15% nationally, modeled arsenic resides in the top 17% nationally, and modeled radon lands in the top 19% nationally. Physicians registers at the national minimum, shared with about 38% of ZIPs. Households without a vehicle sits in the top 19% nationally. Childcare rests at the national minimum, shared with about 42% of ZIPs. Fatal road crashes is in the top 22% nationally.
To translate a couple of terms, industrial-pollution burden is the EPA's modeled screening score weighting industrial chemical releases by their toxicity and how many people live nearby. Distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. Arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Overall, the nearest healthier neighbor is ZIP 46703, less than a tenth of a mile 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.
Lifting this score
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 73%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 67%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 49%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 41%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 44%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 42%
11%
Disability
healthier than 56%
7%
Holding it back
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 39%
14%
Mental Health
healthier than 29%
8%
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 73%
21%
Mental Health
healthier than 62%
8%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 80%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 68%
5%
About typical
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 54%
14%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 56%
11%
Disability
healthier than 57%
7%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 34%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 27%
13%
“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
46565
Indianashares a border
Score 39.79
Closest healthier
46703
Indianaless than 0.1 mi away
Score 49.90
Similar health profile
44883
Ohio96% similar profile
Score 50.41
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 | 28.7% | 25.4–32.1 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 36.7% | 32.5–40.9 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 8.6% | 7.8–9.6 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.3% | 9.9–12.7 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 6.9% | 6.0–7.8 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 8.4% | 7.0–9.8 |
| Depression among adults | 25.3% | 21.7–29.2 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 12.4% | 10.6–14.2 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 39.0% | 34.6–43.4 |
| Obesity among adults | 39.6% | 31.6–47.8 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.4% | 3.0–3.9 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 13.7% | 11.3–16.5 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 10.6% | 8.5–12.9 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 77.4% | 74.3–80.1 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 78.1% | 74.4–81.6 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 85.7% | 83.5–87.8 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 67.9% | 63.1–72.5 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 60.0% | 56.3–63.6 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 74.6% | 66.4–81.6 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 16.9% | 13.9–20.3 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 16.6% | 13.5–19.6 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 26.4% | 21.8–31.4 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 34.9% | 28.4–41.7 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 21.1% | 17.7–24.6 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 17.7% | 15.5–20.0 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 14.6% | 12.6–16.7 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 15.9% | 13.6–18.2 |
| Any disability among adults | 32.7% | 27.9–37.6 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 7.4% | 6.4–8.4 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 8.1% | 6.8–9.3 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 14.5% | 12.1–17.0 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.6% | 3.0–4.1 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.7% | 4.0–5.3 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 24.5% | 20.7–28.6 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 13.6% | 11.1–16.5 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 6.8% | 5.4–8.5 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 10.7% | 8.9–12.6 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 7.0% | 5.9–8.1 |
| Loneliness among adults | 34.1% | 29.0–39.6 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 6.9% | 5.9–8.0 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | IN median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 6.4% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 9.8% (3.3–23.6%) n=764 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 31.6% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 8.3% (2.5–19.0%) n=761 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 20.3% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 8.8% (3.0–19.3%) n=766 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 19.4% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 19.4% (8.1–38.5%) n=766 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 9.3% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 3.4% (0.0–8.2%) n=760 |
| Households without a vehicle | 8.5% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.6% (0.0–11.5%) n=764 |
| Broadband subscription | 88.1% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 88.8% (76.7–95.9%) n=764 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 21.4% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 20.0% (9.8–33.1%) n=764 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.6% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 81.7% (58.9–94.5%) n=764 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 1.3% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.1% (0.0–4.2%) n=764 |
| Foreign-born population | 3.3% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 1.3% (0.0–8.8%) n=767 |
| Single-parent households | 37.8% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 53.2% (40.5–69.1%) n=756 |
| Population 65+ | 11.9% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 18.2% (11.0–26.5%) n=767 |
| Median age | 31.4 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 40.5 yr (32.5–49.6) n=756 |
| Median household income | $73,244 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $71,016 ($50,417–$99,531) n=721 |
| Median home value | $160,800 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $178,250 ($109,430–$287,310) n=724 |
| Median gross rent | $866 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $925 ($704–$1,261) n=640 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | IN median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 77.7 yr ± 1.16 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 78.5 yr (75.1–81.5) n=754 |
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 1.16 years of 77.7, 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