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ZIP code

49838

in Gould City, MichiganPopulation 426

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

47.83/ 100

Ranked #19,142 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 40%)

Ranked #642 of 973 Michigan ZIPs (bottom 34%)

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

Robust across all 9 health domains

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.

Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility

52.6 mi

in the top 0.8% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest facility that handles enough hazardous chemicals to require an EPA risk-management plan for accidental releases.

Full methodology ›

Arsenic in groundwater

0.90%

in the bottom 1.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US1st
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 ›

Unemployment rate

24.1%

in the top 1.4% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The share of the civilian labor force that is unemployed.

Full methodology ›

Distance to a community health center

44.9 mi

in the top 1.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US98th
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 ›

Air-toxics cancer risk

10 per million

in the bottom 2.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US3rd
Definition & 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 ›

Coronary heart disease

11.3%

in the top 3.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST95th
US97th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have coronary heart disease or angina.

Full methodology ›

Humid extreme heat

7.2 days/year

in the bottom 4.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST3rd
US5th
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 ›

Park land

29%

in the top 4.9% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST93rd
US95th
Definition & source ›

The share of this ZIP’s land area that is public parkland.

Full methodology ›

Hearing disability

11.7%

in the top 5.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST96th
US94th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing.

Full methodology ›

Walkability

1.7 intersections/sq mi

in the bottom 5.6% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST2nd
US6th
Definition & source ›

The number of street intersections per square mile — a standard street-connectivity measure; denser networks correlate with more walkable neighborhoods.

Full methodology ›

The read

On balance, and by the composite measure, Gould City, Michigan (ZIP 49838) ranks in the bottom 40% nationally (19,142nd) and the bottom 34% of Michigan (642nd).

continue reading

The measures that press hardest set the tone here: unemployment lies in the top 1.4% nationally, and distance to a community health center resides in the top 1.6% nationally. Modeled coronary heart disease lands in the top 3.3% nationally, and hearing disability registers in the top 5.6% nationally. Walkability sits in the bottom 5.6% nationally. On the stronger side, distance to a hazardous-chemical facility rests in the top 0.8% nationally, modeled arsenic is in the bottom 1.0% nationally, and modeled air-toxics cancer risk stands in the bottom 2.8% nationally. Modeled humid heat settles in the bottom 4.6% nationally, and park land lies in the top 4.9% nationally.

Compared with the ZIPs it borders, park land runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. In plainer terms, 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. Arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Air-toxics cancer risk is a modeled EPA estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air, per million people. For a healthier nearby ZIP overall, look to ZIP 49820, 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.

Compare within

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

in the top 0.3%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 96%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 73%

11%

Climate / Disaster Risk

in the top 1.0%

5%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 7%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 35%

16%

Mental Health

healthier than 39%

8%

Disability

healthier than 24%

7%

Healthcare Access

in the bottom 0.5%

5%

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

in the top 0.7%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 93%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 74%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 80%

8%

Climate / Disaster Risk

in the top 0.9%

5%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 5%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 39%

16%

Disability

healthier than 14%

7%

Healthcare Access

in the bottom 0.00%

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 ›

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 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Arthritis among adults40.3%35.7–44.7
High blood pressure among adults44.8%39.7–49.8
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults13.0%11.6–14.6
Current asthma among adults11.5%10.0–13.0
Coronary heart disease among adults11.3%9.8–12.9
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults12.1%10.0–14.4
Depression among adults25.8%21.8–30.0
Diagnosed diabetes among adults16.3%13.8–18.9
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened42.7%37.4–47.9
Obesity among adults40.2%31.3–49.3
Stroke among adults5.3%4.6–6.1
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years11.7%9.4–14.4
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years6.2%4.7–8.1
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure83.4%80.1–86.2
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults83.8%80.4–86.8
Cholesterol screening among adults90.7%89.0–92.2
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years74.7%70.2–79.0
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults70.9%67.6–74.1
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years76.4%68.9–83.1
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults13.0%10.3–15.9
Current cigarette smoking among adults17.0%13.6–20.4
No leisure-time physical activity among adults28.1%22.7–33.8
Short sleep duration among adults31.2%25.2–38.1
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults22.9%19.0–27.1
Frequent mental distress among adults16.1%13.8–18.3
Frequent physical distress among adults17.3%14.7–20.0
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults14.1%11.9–16.4
Any disability among adults37.6%32.0–43.2
Hearing disability among adults11.7%10.1–13.3
Independent living disability among adults9.7%8.1–11.3
Mobility disability among adults19.6%16.2–23.1
Self-care disability among adults4.9%4.1–5.8
Vision disability among adults6.0%5.1–7.0
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults21.4%17.6–25.4
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults13.9%10.8–17.5
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults13.8%10.6–17.4
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults9.5%7.7–11.6
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults7.3%6.1–8.7
Loneliness among adults29.0%23.9–34.2
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults7.5%6.2–8.9
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)MI median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate16.0%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36410.7% (4.3–22.3%) n=974
Uninsured 18–6413.4%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2866.8% (2.5–13.5%) n=975
No HS diploma (25+)7.5%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5056.7% (2.5–14.2%) n=974
Bachelor's or higher (25+)9.0%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50522.1% (11.4–48.3%) n=974
Unemployment rate (16+)24.1%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2744.6% (1.3–10.0%) n=974
Households without a vehicle2.9%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3224.5% (0.9–10.8%) n=973
Broadband subscription78.9%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32288.8% (79.5–95.5%) n=973
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)33.9%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32222.5% (14.8–32.9%) n=973
Homeownership rate93.4%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32285.3% (62.2–94.6%) n=973
Crowded housing (>1 per room)0.0%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3221.1% (0.0–3.6%) n=973
Foreign-born population2.8%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5531.8% (0.3–10.0%) n=975
Single-parent households78.1%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08756.5% (43.6–74.2%) n=970
Population 65+41.1%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55320.5% (13.7–35.2%) n=975
Median age62.0 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29243.6 yr (35.2–58.2) n=974
Median household income$40,000$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$68,216 ($47,282–$105,129) n=962
Median home value$180,400$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$192,350 ($116,360–$355,650) n=952
Median gross rent—$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$972 ($719–$1,368) n=849
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)MI median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth83.8 yr ± 2.4878.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,30878.6 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 2.48 years of 83.8, 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