ZIP code
49915
in Caspian, MichiganPopulation 570
48.25/ 100
Ranked #18,612 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 42%)
Ranked #614 of 973 Michigan ZIPs (bottom 37%)
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.
Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility
35.9 mi
in the top 1.4% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST98thUS99thDefinition & 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 ›Natural-disaster risk
in the bottom 4.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST8thUS4thDefinition & 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 ›Poverty rate
34%
in the top 4.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS95thDefinition & 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
7.9 days/year
in the bottom 5.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST5thUS5thDefinition & 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 ›Air-toxics cancer risk
10.2 per million
in the bottom 5.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST12thUS5thDefinition & 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 ›Distance to a Superfund site
76.5 mi
in the top 5.6% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST97thUS94thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Superfund site — an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has listed for cleanup.
Full methodology ›Median household income
$35,000
in the bottom 3.3% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST2ndUS3rdDefinition & source ›
The middle household income in this ZIP — half of households earn more, half earn less — in dollars per year.
Full methodology ›Fine-particle (PM2.5) exceedance
0.82%
in the top 11.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS88thDefinition & source ›
The share of days in the year when modeled fine-particle (PM2.5) pollution was above the EPA’s daily limit of 35 micrograms per cubic meter.
Full methodology ›The read
Overall, Caspian, Michigan (ZIP 49915) lands in the bottom 42% nationally (18,612th) and the bottom 37% of Michigan (614th), based on limited data; treat as directional.
The signals balance out across the profile, strengths against concerns: distance to a hazardous-chemical facility sits in the top 1.4% nationally, and modeled disaster risk is in the bottom 4.5% nationally. Modeled humid heat settles in the bottom 5.1% nationally, and air-toxics cancer risk resides in the bottom 5.3% nationally. Distance to a Superfund site registers in the top 5.6% nationally. Modeled loud transportation noise rests at the national minimum, shared with about 22% of ZIPs. Walkability stands in the top 11.3% nationally. Set against that, poverty lies in the top 4.8% nationally, and household income lands in the bottom 3.3% nationally. Fiber broadband sits at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs.
Set beside the nearby areas, walkability runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. A note on the 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. Disaster risk is the area's national rank on its highest non-flood peril in FEMA's modeled Risk Index, like wildfire or quake. 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 comparison, ZIP 49935, just across the boundary, ranks better 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.
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 99%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 88%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 64%
11%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
in the top 0.00%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 63%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 13%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 26%
16%
Mental Health
healthier than 23%
8%
Disability
healthier than 24%
7%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 97%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 72%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 63%
11%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
in the top 0.00%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 66%
5%
About typical
Mental Health
healthier than 59%
8%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 9%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 27%
16%
Disability
healthier than 14%
7%
“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
49927
Michiganshares a border
Score 48.24
Closest healthier
49935
Michiganshares a border
Score 48.27
Similar health profile
49776
Michigan99% similar profile
Score 47.78
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 | 37.6% | 33.6–41.6 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 44.4% | 39.6–48.8 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 11.8% | 10.6–13.1 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.8% | 10.4–13.3 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 9.9% | 8.6–11.3 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 11.8% | 9.8–14.2 |
| Depression among adults | 26.7% | 22.8–30.8 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 15.3% | 13.1–17.7 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 40.8% | 36.2–45.5 |
| Obesity among adults | 40.4% | 31.7–48.8 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.9% | 4.3–5.7 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 10.3% | 8.3–12.7 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 6.5% | 4.9–8.5 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 81.8% | 79.0–84.2 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 81.7% | 78.5–84.6 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 88.6% | 86.8–90.3 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 70.9% | 65.6–75.8 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 70.1% | 66.7–73.1 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 76.5% | 68.2–83.1 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 14.0% | 11.5–16.7 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 18.1% | 14.8–21.9 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 28.9% | 23.4–34.7 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 30.8% | 24.4–37.5 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 23.2% | 19.4–27.5 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 17.6% | 15.2–20.0 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 17.2% | 14.7–19.9 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 15.4% | 13.1–18.0 |
| Any disability among adults | 37.9% | 32.4–43.6 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 10.5% | 9.2–11.8 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 10.4% | 8.7–12.3 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 19.2% | 16.1–22.7 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 5.0% | 4.2–6.0 |
| Vision disability among adults | 6.0% | 5.1–7.1 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 21.7% | 17.9–25.5 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 15.4% | 12.2–19.0 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 15.9% | 12.5–19.7 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 10.6% | 8.7–12.8 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 8.1% | 6.8–9.5 |
| Loneliness among adults | 29.9% | 24.7–35.3 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 8.4% | 7.1–10.0 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | MI median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 34.0% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 10.7% (4.3–22.3%) n=974 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 5.8% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 6.8% (2.5–13.5%) n=975 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 11.7% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 6.7% (2.5–14.2%) n=974 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 13.7% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 22.1% (11.4–48.3%) n=974 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 5.0% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.6% (1.3–10.0%) n=974 |
| Households without a vehicle | 3.7% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 4.5% (0.9–10.8%) n=973 |
| Broadband subscription | 85.0% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 88.8% (79.5–95.5%) n=973 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 31.3% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 22.5% (14.8–32.9%) n=973 |
| Homeownership rate | 83.0% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 85.3% (62.2–94.6%) n=973 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 0.0% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.1% (0.0–3.6%) n=973 |
| Foreign-born population | 1.4% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 1.8% (0.3–10.0%) n=975 |
| Single-parent households | 48.1% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 56.5% (43.6–74.2%) n=970 |
| Population 65+ | 27.2% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 20.5% (13.7–35.2%) n=975 |
| Median age | 47.4 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 43.6 yr (35.2–58.2) n=974 |
| Median household income | $35,000 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $68,216 ($47,282–$105,129) n=962 |
| Median home value | $79,100 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $192,350 ($116,360–$355,650) n=952 |
| Median gross rent | $780 | $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 | 82.9 yr ± 2.07 | 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 2.07 years of 82.9, 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