ZIP code
50071
in Dows, IowaPopulation 847
52.16/ 100
Ranked #13,228 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 41%)
Ranked #481 of 922 Iowa ZIPs (bottom 48%)
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.
Civic-institution access
2.2 per 1,000 residents
in the top 0.9% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The number of civic and social organizations 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 ›Radon
3.6 pCi/L
in the top 4.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST58thUS96thDefinition & source ›
The modeled typical indoor radon level for this area, in picocuries per liter — the EPA recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or above.
Modeled from indoor-radon measurements. In Alaska and Hawaii, where those measurements are not published, a US Geological Survey geologic radon-potential category stands in — a coarser input, disclosed rather than hidden.
Full methodology ›Energy-cost burden
5.5%
in the top 5.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST89thUS95thDefinition & source ›
The modeled share of household income spent on home energy bills — electricity, gas, and heating fuels.
A modeled share of household income spent on home energy. Estimates that hit the model’s 100% ceiling are suppressed rather than published, because at that point the figure reflects the model’s limit rather than a measured burden.
Full methodology ›Housing-cost burden
8.6%
in the bottom 7.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST9thUS8thDefinition & source ›
The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
Full methodology ›Binge drinking
19.5%
in the top 8.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST44thUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who report binge drinking — five or more drinks on one occasion for men, four or more for women.
Full methodology ›Natural-disaster risk
in the top 12.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS88thDefinition & 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 ›Fiber broadband
0.20%
in the bottom 21% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST9thUS21stDefinition & source ›
The share of homes where fiber-optic internet service is available.
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, Dows, Iowa (ZIP 50071) lands in the top 41% healthiest ZIPs nationally (13,228th) and the bottom 48% of Iowa (481st).
Neither strongly one way nor the other, the measures sit mixed: civic registers in the top 0.9% nationally, and housing-cost burden sits in the bottom 7.9% nationally. Modeled mammography rests in the top 11.7% nationally, and transportation noise is in the bottom 14.3% nationally. Against that, modeled radon stands in the top 4.3% nationally, energy burden settles in the top 5.3% nationally, and binge drinking lies in the top 8.3% nationally. Modeled arsenic resides in the top 12.4% nationally, and disaster risk lands in the top 12.5% nationally. Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility registers at the national minimum, shared with about 31% of ZIPs.
Weighed against the ZIPs nearby, civic runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. To translate a couple of terms, radon is a radioactive soil gas the EPA identifies as the top cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. Arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Disaster risk is the area's national rank on its highest non-flood peril in FEMA's modeled Risk Index, like wildfire or quake. Overall, the nearest healthier neighbor is ZIP 50034, 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
Preventive Care
healthier than 74%
13%
Mental Health
healthier than 84%
8%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 47%
21%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 41%
11%
Disability
healthier than 56%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 59%
5%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 19%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 30%
14%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 30%
5%
Lifting this score
Mental Health
healthier than 88%
8%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 62%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 65%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 43%
21%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 45%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 48%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 55%
11%
Disability
healthier than 41%
7%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 15%
16%
“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
50006
Iowashares a border
Score 51.23
Closest healthier
50034
Iowashares a border
Score 54.39
Similar health profile
50461
Iowa97% similar profile
Score 53.00
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 | 29.8% | 27.1–32.5 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 37.5% | 34.3–40.9 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 10.3% | 9.5–11.2 |
| Current asthma among adults | 9.7% | 8.7–10.8 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 8.2% | 7.5–9.1 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 8.0% | 7.0–8.9 |
| Depression among adults | 19.3% | 16.8–21.9 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 13.0% | 11.5–14.5 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 38.3% | 34.9–42.0 |
| Obesity among adults | 39.1% | 33.0–45.3 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.9% | 3.6–4.3 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 12.0% | 10.2–14.0 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 8.7% | 7.4–10.3 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 80.8% | 78.7–82.8 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 78.6% | 76.0–81.2 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 85.7% | 84.3–87.2 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 70.4% | 66.3–74.2 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 64.2% | 61.2–67.2 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 79.9% | 74.2–84.8 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 19.5% | 17.1–22.3 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 14.9% | 12.9–16.9 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 26.3% | 22.7–30.0 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 32.7% | 27.8–37.8 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 19.2% | 16.9–21.5 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 15.2% | 13.7–16.8 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 13.7% | 12.3–15.2 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 13.4% | 12.0–14.9 |
| Any disability among adults | 30.4% | 27.0–33.8 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 9.2% | 8.3–10.1 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 7.6% | 6.8–8.4 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 14.5% | 12.8–16.3 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.7% | 3.4–4.2 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.7% | 4.2–5.1 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 23.3% | 20.4–26.2 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 11.9% | 10.2–13.7 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 9.3% | 7.8–11.0 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 9.1% | 7.8–10.4 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 6.6% | 5.8–7.4 |
| Loneliness among adults | 31.0% | 27.1–34.8 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 6.0% | 5.3–6.8 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | IA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 6.2% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 8.5% (2.7–19.1%) n=931 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 9.2% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 5.4% (0.7–14.7%) n=931 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 1.3% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 5.1% (1.6–12.9%) n=932 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 20.9% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 20.9% (9.8–36.8%) n=932 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 1.3% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 2.2% (0.0–6.7%) n=932 |
| Households without a vehicle | 2.9% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 2.4% (0.0–7.9%) n=931 |
| Broadband subscription | 83.3% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 88.5% (77.9–95.1%) n=931 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 8.6% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 18.2% (9.0–28.8%) n=931 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.7% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 82.1% (66.8–93.5%) n=931 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 1.4% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 0.4% (0.0–3.3%) n=931 |
| Foreign-born population | 1.2% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 1.0% (0.0–7.2%) n=932 |
| Single-parent households | 69.8% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 56.8% (43.7–75.5%) n=928 |
| Population 65+ | 25.6% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 20.2% (12.7–31.0%) n=932 |
| Median age | 43.8 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 42.7 yr (34.1–54.7) n=931 |
| Median household income | $83,036 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $73,848 ($55,055–$102,762) n=911 |
| Median home value | $74,100 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $161,100 ($93,820–$278,170) n=892 |
| Median gross rent | $695 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $825 ($614–$1,113) n=771 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | IA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.9 yr ± 1.71 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 80.0 yr (77.2–83.4) n=917 |
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 1.71 years of 80.9, 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