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ZIP code

50173

in Montour, IowaPopulation 705

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

44.48/ 100

Ranked #22,926 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 29%)

Ranked #890 of 922 Iowa ZIPs (bottom 3.5%)

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.

Radon

3.5 pCi/L

in the top 4.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST54th
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 ›

Transportation noise

16.9%

in the top 3.4% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST98th
US97th
Definition & 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 ›

Housing-cost burden

5.4%

in the bottom 5.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST3rd
US5th
Definition & source ›

The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.

Full methodology ›

PFAS in drinking water

8.7%

in the bottom 6.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST17th
US6th
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 ›

Loud transportation noise

2.1%

in the top 6.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST96th
US93rd
Definition & source ›

The modeled share of residents exposed to average road, rail, and aviation noise at or above 65 decibels — around the volume of normal conversation.

Full methodology ›

Energy-cost burden

5.2%

in the top 7.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST83rd
US92nd
Definition & 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 ›

Crowded housing

6.0%

in the top 10.7% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST96th
US89th
Definition & source ›

The share of occupied homes with more than one person per room, the Census definition of crowded housing.

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 ›

Lack of transportation

9.1%

in the top 31% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST96th
US69th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who lacked reliable transportation in the past 12 months.

Full methodology ›

Diabetes

14.8%

in the top 26% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST96th
US74th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Full methodology ›

The read

By the composite health measure, Montour, Iowa (ZIP 50173) ranks in the bottom 29% nationally (22,926th) and the bottom 3.5% of Iowa (890th).

continue reading

A number of measures mark where this area is under strain: modeled radon registers in the top 4.8% nationally, and transportation noise rests in the top 3.4% nationally. Modeled loud transportation noise stands in the top 6.9% nationally, and energy burden lies in the top 7.6% nationally. Crowded housing lands in the top 10.7% nationally, modeled arsenic sits in the top 13.8% nationally, and modeled binge drinking is in the top 14.9% nationally. Floodplain exposure settles in the top 18% nationally. On the brighter side, housing-cost burden resides in the bottom 5.3% nationally, and modeled pfas registers in the bottom 6.3% nationally.

To spell things out, radon is a radioactive soil gas the EPA identifies as the top cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. 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. Arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Close by, ZIP 50106, just across the boundary, ranks healthier 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.

Compare within

Lifting this score

Mental Health

healthier than 66%

8%

About typical

Preventive Care

healthier than 43%

13%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 33%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 12%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 18%

14%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 13%

11%

Disability

healthier than 36%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 34%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 27%

5%

Lifting this score

Healthcare Access

healthier than 61%

5%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 16%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 6%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 19%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 7%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 4%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 27%

8%

Disability

healthier than 9%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 13%

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 adults31.1%27.4–34.7
High blood pressure among adults39.0%34.5–43.3
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults9.4%8.5–10.3
Current asthma among adults10.8%9.6–12.2
Coronary heart disease among adults8.3%7.4–9.2
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults9.0%8.0–10.1
Depression among adults20.0%16.8–23.3
Diagnosed diabetes among adults14.8%12.8–16.8
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened37.8%33.4–42.2
Obesity among adults41.5%33.5–49.5
Stroke among adults4.3%3.9–4.7
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years14.6%12.0–17.7
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years8.1%6.8–9.5
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure79.8%76.7–82.3
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults78.2%74.4–81.4
Cholesterol screening among adults84.7%82.8–86.5
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years63.6%58.6–68.6
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults60.4%56.7–64.0
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years74.5%66.8–81.3
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults18.5%15.2–21.9
Current cigarette smoking among adults20.0%17.2–22.8
No leisure-time physical activity among adults29.8%25.0–34.7
Short sleep duration among adults36.1%30.3–42.5
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults22.9%19.9–25.8
Frequent mental distress among adults17.2%15.3–19.3
Frequent physical distress among adults15.7%13.8–17.7
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults15.3%13.5–17.1
Any disability among adults34.3%29.8–38.8
Hearing disability among adults9.4%8.4–10.5
Independent living disability among adults9.0%8.0–10.0
Mobility disability among adults16.8%14.6–19.1
Self-care disability among adults4.4%4.0–4.9
Vision disability among adults5.8%5.3–6.5
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults26.7%23.0–30.7
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults16.6%14.1–19.2
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults13.6%11.5–15.8
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults12.1%10.3–14.0
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults9.1%8.0–10.4
Loneliness among adults32.7%27.8–37.9
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults8.5%7.3–9.8
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)IA median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate5.4%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3648.5% (2.7–19.1%) n=931
Uninsured 18–644.4%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2865.4% (0.7–14.7%) n=931
No HS diploma (25+)6.9%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5055.1% (1.6–12.9%) n=932
Bachelor's or higher (25+)27.5%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50520.9% (9.8–36.8%) n=932
Unemployment rate (16+)5.3%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2742.2% (0.0–6.7%) n=932
Households without a vehicle0.6%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3222.4% (0.0–7.9%) n=931
Broadband subscription89.2%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32288.5% (77.9–95.1%) n=931
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)5.4%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32218.2% (9.0–28.8%) n=931
Homeownership rate80.4%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32282.1% (66.8–93.5%) n=931
Crowded housing (>1 per room)6.0%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.4% (0.0–3.3%) n=931
Foreign-born population2.4%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5531.0% (0.0–7.2%) n=932
Single-parent households56.8%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08756.8% (43.7–75.5%) n=928
Population 65+26.1%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55320.2% (12.7–31.0%) n=932
Median age51.2 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29242.7 yr (34.1–54.7) n=931
Median household income$96,250$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$73,848 ($55,055–$102,762) n=911
Median home value$204,900$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$161,100 ($93,820–$278,170) n=892
Median gross rent$1,099$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 birth77.5 yr ± 0.8178.9 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 0.81 years of 77.5, 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