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ZIP code

50075

in Ellsworth, IowaPopulation 807

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

56.54/ 100

Ranked #7,716 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 24%)

Ranked #163 of 922 Iowa ZIPs (top 18%)

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.

PFAS in drinking water

6.0%

in the bottom 2.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST5th
US2nd
Definition & source ›

The modeled probability that PFAS “forever chemicals” would be detected in untreated groundwater in this area, the source private wells draw on.

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 ›

Binge drinking

21.1%

in the top 3.1% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST82nd
US97th
Definition & 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 ›

Radon

3.4 pCi/L

in the top 5.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST51st
US95th
Definition & 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 ›

Fiber broadband

99.5%

in the top 3.5% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST87th
US97th
Definition & source ›

The share of homes where fiber-optic internet service is available.

Full methodology ›

Poverty rate

1.6%

in the bottom 6.1% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST5th
US6th
Definition & source ›

The share of residents whose income is below the federal poverty line, from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

Full methodology ›

High cholesterol

34.1%

in the bottom 14.2% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST8th
US14th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults with high cholesterol, among those who have ever been screened for it.

Full methodology ›

Households without a vehicle

8.0%

in the top 21% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST90th
US79th
Definition & source ›

The share of households with no vehicle available.

Full methodology ›

Homeownership rate

65.4%

in the bottom 22% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST7th
US22nd
Definition & source ›

The share of occupied homes that are owned, rather than rented, by the people living in them.

Full methodology ›

Air-toxics cancer risk

20 per million

in the bottom 25% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US25th
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 ›

Hearing disability

6.7%

in the bottom 27% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST9th
US27th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

The read

On balance, and by the composite measure, Ellsworth, Iowa (ZIP 50075) ranks in the top 24% healthiest ZIPs nationally (7,716th) and the top 18% of Iowa (163rd).

continue reading

Neither strongly one way nor the other, the measures sit mixed: modeled pfas rests in the bottom 2.0% nationally, and fiber broadband is in the top 3.5% nationally. Poverty stands in the bottom 6.1% nationally, and distance to a Superfund site settles in the top 13.9% nationally. Modeled short sleep lies in the bottom 14.5% nationally. Crowded housing resides at the national minimum, shared with about 29% of ZIPs. Against that, modeled binge drinking lands in the top 3.1% nationally, modeled radon registers in the top 5.3% nationally, and distance to a community health center sits in the top 10.2% nationally. Modeled arsenic rests in the top 15.0% nationally.

In plainer terms, pfas is the man-made "forever chemicals" that build up in the body and environment instead of breaking down; here a modeled estimate of the chance a private well contains them. Radon is a radioactive soil gas the EPA identifies as the top cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. Distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. For a healthier nearby ZIP overall, look to ZIP 50130, 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

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 73%

21%

Preventive Care

healthier than 77%

13%

Mental Health

healthier than 71%

8%

Disability

healthier than 81%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 66%

5%

About typical

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 53%

14%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 49%

11%

Holding it back

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 37%

16%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 9%

5%

Lifting this score

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 87%

21%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 77%

14%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 72%

11%

Disability

healthier than 86%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 80%

5%

About typical

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 44%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 57%

13%

Mental Health

healthier than 41%

8%

Holding it back

Healthcare Access

healthier than 25%

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 adults26.9%23.4–30.1
High blood pressure among adults33.6%29.3–37.8
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults9.0%8.1–10.0
Current asthma among adults10.3%9.0–11.7
Coronary heart disease among adults5.9%5.2–6.7
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults6.5%5.5–7.5
Depression among adults21.0%17.6–24.6
Diagnosed diabetes among adults10.5%8.9–12.2
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened34.1%29.8–38.3
Obesity among adults36.9%29.1–44.9
Stroke among adults3.1%2.7–3.4
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years10.0%8.1–12.3
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years6.3%5.0–7.7
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure77.7%74.5–80.4
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults78.4%74.7–81.7
Cholesterol screening among adults86.0%84.0–87.8
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years69.6%64.5–74.3
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults71.7%68.4–74.9
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years78.3%71.0–84.8
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults21.1%17.5–24.8
Current cigarette smoking among adults14.4%11.8–17.3
No leisure-time physical activity among adults22.6%18.2–27.1
Short sleep duration among adults31.0%24.8–37.6
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults16.0%13.5–18.7
Frequent mental distress among adults15.9%13.9–18.1
Frequent physical distress among adults12.4%10.6–14.2
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults12.8%11.0–14.8
Any disability among adults25.3%21.2–29.6
Hearing disability among adults6.7%5.9–7.6
Independent living disability among adults6.8%5.8–7.8
Mobility disability among adults11.6%9.8–13.6
Self-care disability among adults3.1%2.7–3.6
Vision disability among adults3.7%3.2–4.2
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults22.3%18.9–26.0
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults9.9%8.0–12.1
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults7.9%6.3–9.7
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults8.4%6.9–10.0
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults5.9%5.0–6.9
Loneliness among adults30.9%26.2–36.0
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults5.7%4.8–6.7
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)IA median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate1.6%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3648.5% (2.7–19.1%) n=931
Uninsured 18–6423.0%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2865.4% (0.7–14.7%) n=931
No HS diploma (25+)3.9%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5055.1% (1.6–12.9%) n=932
Bachelor's or higher (25+)19.5%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50520.9% (9.8–36.8%) n=932
Unemployment rate (16+)2.6%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2742.2% (0.0–6.7%) n=932
Households without a vehicle8.0%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3222.4% (0.0–7.9%) n=931
Broadband subscription92.7%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32288.5% (77.9–95.1%) n=931
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)22.0%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32218.2% (9.0–28.8%) n=931
Homeownership rate65.4%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32282.1% (66.8–93.5%) n=931
Crowded housing (>1 per room)0.0%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.4% (0.0–3.3%) n=931
Foreign-born population4.2%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5531.0% (0.0–7.2%) n=932
Single-parent households30.7%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08756.8% (43.7–75.5%) n=928
Population 65+16.5%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55320.2% (12.7–31.0%) n=932
Median age31.3 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29242.7 yr (34.1–54.7) n=931
Median household income$81,250$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$73,848 ($55,055–$102,762) n=911
Median home value$163,300$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$161,100 ($93,820–$278,170) n=892
Median gross rent$800$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$825 ($614–$1,113) n=771
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)IA median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth86.1 yr ± 2.2678.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,30880.0 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 2.26 years of 86.1, 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