ZIP code
49405
in Custer, MichiganPopulation 1,635
47.08/ 100
Ranked #20,067 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 37%)
Ranked #682 of 973 Michigan ZIPs (bottom 30%)
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.
Park land
23%
in the top 6.0% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST91stUS94thDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area that is public parkland.
Full methodology ›Slow internet speeds
1.6%
in the top 7.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The share of homes whose fastest available download speed is under 10 Mbps.
Full methodology ›Nitrate in drinking water
0.29%
in the top 7.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The modeled share of this area’s domestic-well groundwater at or above the federal nitrate limit of 10 milligrams 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 ›Homeownership rate
95%
in the top 8.7% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST91stUS91stDefinition & source ›
The share of occupied homes that are owned, rather than rented, by the people living in them.
Full methodology ›Distance to an emergency room
15.7 mi
in the top 10.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST93rdUS90thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare-certified hospital with an emergency room.
Full methodology ›Distance to a nursing home
9.4 mi
in the top 12.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST90thUS88thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing home.
Full methodology ›Fatal road crashes
30.6 per 100,000 residents per year
in the top 12.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST93rdUS87thDefinition & 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 ›Transportation noise
0.61%
in the bottom 17% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST9thUS17thDefinition & 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 ›The read
Custer, Michigan (ZIP 49405), by its overall standing, sits in the bottom 37% nationally (20,067th) and the bottom 30% of Michigan (682nd).
The profile opens balanced, with readings on either hand: park land resides in the top 6.0% nationally, homeownership rests in the top 8.7% nationally, and floodplain exposure lies in the bottom 12.7% nationally. By contrast, slow internet speeds sits in the top 7.1% nationally, and modeled nitrate settles in the top 7.7% nationally. Fiber broadband registers at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Distance to an emergency room stands in the top 10.1% nationally, and unemployment lands in the top 12.0% nationally. Distance to a nursing home is in the top 12.2% nationally, and fatal road crashes resides in the top 12.8% nationally.
Held up against its neighbors, park land runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Defined in plain terms, nitrate is a groundwater compound from fertilizer, manure, and sewage, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Floodplain exposure is land with about a 1-in-100 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "100-year floodplain". The nearest ZIP ranking healthier overall is ZIP 49420, just across the boundary.
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%
Preventive Care
healthier than 65%
13%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 96%
5%
About typical
Risk Behavior
healthier than 43%
11%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 26%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 23%
16%
Mental Health
healthier than 14%
8%
Disability
healthier than 35%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 31%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 93%
14%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 91%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 24%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 23%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 31%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 32%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 33%
8%
Disability
healthier than 29%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 26%
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 95.2 (top 10%); chronic-disease standing 25.6 — 70 points apart, cleaner on the environment than it is on chronic illness.
Ranked #1,098 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
49402
Michiganshares a border
Score 43.49
Closest healthier
49420
Michiganshares a border
Score 47.51
Similar health profile
48818
Michigan99% similar profile
Score 47.19
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 | 33.8% | 30.4–37.5 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 39.1% | 34.8–43.3 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 10.1% | 9.2–11.1 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.8% | 10.4–13.2 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 8.5% | 7.5–9.4 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 10.1% | 8.8–11.5 |
| Depression among adults | 27.7% | 23.9–31.8 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 13.3% | 11.5–15.2 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 37.2% | 32.8–41.5 |
| Obesity among adults | 41.5% | 33.6–49.8 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.2% | 3.8–4.7 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 16.6% | 13.6–20.1 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 7.3% | 5.9–8.9 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 78.7% | 75.7–81.3 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 80.0% | 76.4–83.2 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 86.9% | 85.1–88.6 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 68.6% | 63.7–73.1 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 63.7% | 60.0–67.4 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 74.6% | 66.7–81.5 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 16.0% | 13.1–19.1 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 17.8% | 15.0–20.7 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 26.0% | 21.5–30.7 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 35.3% | 29.0–42.0 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 21.5% | 18.6–24.6 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 18.6% | 16.4–20.9 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 16.0% | 14.1–18.1 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 16.1% | 14.1–18.1 |
| Any disability among adults | 35.4% | 30.7–39.9 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 9.0% | 8.0–10.1 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 9.8% | 8.6–11.0 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 16.4% | 14.2–18.7 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 4.4% | 3.9–5.0 |
| Vision disability among adults | 5.5% | 4.9–6.1 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 22.8% | 19.4–26.9 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 15.6% | 13.0–18.6 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 15.4% | 12.8–18.3 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 11.4% | 9.6–13.5 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 8.3% | 7.2–9.6 |
| Loneliness among adults | 31.8% | 27.0–37.5 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 8.6% | 7.4–10.1 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | MI median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 11.5% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 10.7% (4.3–22.3%) n=974 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 10.5% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 6.8% (2.5–13.5%) n=975 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 5.8% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 6.7% (2.5–14.2%) n=974 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 18.2% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 22.1% (11.4–48.3%) n=974 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 9.0% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.6% (1.3–10.0%) n=974 |
| Households without a vehicle | 1.3% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 4.5% (0.9–10.8%) n=973 |
| Broadband subscription | 83.2% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 88.8% (79.5–95.5%) n=973 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 20.1% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 22.5% (14.8–32.9%) n=973 |
| Homeownership rate | 95.0% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 85.3% (62.2–94.6%) n=973 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 0.8% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.1% (0.0–3.6%) n=973 |
| Foreign-born population | 0.2% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 1.8% (0.3–10.0%) n=975 |
| Single-parent households | 46.2% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 56.5% (43.6–74.2%) n=970 |
| Population 65+ | 20.4% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 20.5% (13.7–35.2%) n=975 |
| Median age | 42.8 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 43.6 yr (35.2–58.2) n=974 |
| Median household income | $70,139 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $68,216 ($47,282–$105,129) n=962 |
| Median home value | $170,200 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $192,350 ($116,360–$355,650) n=952 |
| Median gross rent | $788 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $972 ($719–$1,368) n=849 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | MI median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 76.6 yr ± 0.85 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 78.6 yr (75.7–81.6) n=940 |
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 0.85 years of 76.6, 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