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ZIP code

50256

in Tracy, IowaPopulation 643

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

50.89/ 100

Ranked #15,015 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 47%)

Ranked #583 of 922 Iowa ZIPs (bottom 37%)

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.

Lithium in drinking water

110 µg/L

in the top 2.1% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST85th
US98th
Definition & source ›

The average detected level of lithium — a natural trace metal with no federal drinking-water limit yet — across the public water systems serving this ZIP, in micrograms per liter.

Measured from EPA records for the public water systems that serve this ZIP. Households on private wells — roughly 30% of the US population — are not covered by this measure, and this figure says nothing about their water.

Full methodology ›

Homeownership rate

100%

at the national maximum

Higher is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Radon

3.3 pCi/L

in the top 6.2% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST46th
US94th
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 ›

Poverty rate

1.2%

in the bottom 5.6% 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 ›

Home broadband subscription

98.7%

in the top 6.3% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST97th
US94th
Definition & source ›

The share of households with a broadband internet subscription.

Full methodology ›

Short sleep

29.6%

in the bottom 7.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST10th
US8th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who usually sleep less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.

Full methodology ›

Binge drinking

19.3%

in the top 9.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST39th
US91st
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 ›

Floodplain exposure

21.5%

in the top 16% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST91st
US84th
Definition & source ›

The share of this ZIP’s land area inside FEMA’s 1%-annual-chance floodplain — the “100-year” flood zone, where flooding has about a 1-in-100 chance in any given year.

Measured from FEMA’s mapped flood panels. Where a panel has not been mapped, no value is published for that ZIP — those ZIPs are absent from this comparison rather than counted as unexposed.

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 ›

The read

Tracy, Iowa (ZIP 50256), in overall standing, comes out in the top 47% healthiest ZIPs nationally (15,015th) and the bottom 37% of Iowa (583rd).

continue reading

A balanced showing across the data, with a few readings each side: homeownership lies at the national maximum, poverty registers in the bottom 5.6% nationally, and home broadband subscription is in the top 6.3% nationally. Unemployment lies at the national minimum, shared with about 15% of ZIPs. Modeled short sleep registers in the bottom 7.9% nationally, and housing-cost burden is in the bottom 10.3% nationally. On the other hand, lithium in drinking water lies in the top 2.1% nationally, and modeled radon registers in the top 6.2% nationally. Fiber broadband is at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Modeled binge drinking lies in the top 9.3% nationally.

Defined simply, for reference, lithium in drinking water is a natural metal that dissolves into some groundwater and has no federal drinking-water limit yet. Radon is a radioactive soil gas the EPA identifies as the top cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. The closest healthier ZIP overall is ZIP 50138, 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

Preventive Care

healthier than 75%

13%

Mental Health

healthier than 66%

8%

About typical

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 44%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 48%

16%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 45%

11%

Disability

healthier than 53%

7%

Holding it back

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 22%

14%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 28%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 28%

5%

Lifting this score

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 60%

16%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 63%

11%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 61%

5%

About typical

Preventive Care

healthier than 53%

13%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 37%

21%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 29%

14%

Mental Health

healthier than 25%

8%

Disability

healthier than 35%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 8%

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 adults31.7%28.4–34.9
High blood pressure among adults38.9%35.1–43.0
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults10.5%9.5–11.5
Current asthma among adults10.0%8.8–11.2
Coronary heart disease among adults7.6%6.8–8.5
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults8.5%7.3–9.8
Depression among adults21.1%18.0–24.4
Diagnosed diabetes among adults12.7%11.0–14.5
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened38.1%34.3–42.0
Obesity among adults41.4%34.9–48.2
Stroke among adults3.9%3.5–4.3
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years9.6%7.9–11.6
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years6.8%5.2–8.9
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure80.2%77.6–82.5
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults78.5%75.3–81.4
Cholesterol screening among adults85.0%83.0–87.1
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years68.7%64.5–72.9
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults67.7%64.6–70.8
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years80.0%73.5–85.6
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults19.3%16.4–22.4
Current cigarette smoking among adults16.6%14.1–19.5
No leisure-time physical activity among adults27.5%23.2–32.2
Short sleep duration among adults29.6%24.7–35.1
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults19.7%17.0–22.6
Frequent mental distress among adults16.5%14.6–18.6
Frequent physical distress among adults14.3%12.6–16.2
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults14.1%12.3–16.1
Any disability among adults32.7%28.6–37.1
Hearing disability among adults8.6%7.7–9.7
Independent living disability among adults8.0%7.0–9.2
Mobility disability among adults15.6%13.5–18.0
Self-care disability among adults3.8%3.3–4.3
Vision disability among adults4.6%4.0–5.3
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults23.8%20.7–27.2
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults11.4%9.3–13.7
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults9.4%7.6–11.4
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults8.3%7.0–9.7
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults6.3%5.4–7.2
Loneliness among adults31.4%27.2–35.7
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults5.7%4.9–6.5
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)IA median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate1.2%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3648.5% (2.7–19.1%) n=931
Uninsured 18–643.6%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2865.4% (0.7–14.7%) n=931
No HS diploma (25+)2.7%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5055.1% (1.6–12.9%) n=932
Bachelor's or higher (25+)11.3%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50520.9% (9.8–36.8%) n=932
Unemployment rate (16+)0.0%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2742.2% (0.0–6.7%) n=932
Households without a vehicle1.3%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3222.4% (0.0–7.9%) n=931
Broadband subscription98.7%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32288.5% (77.9–95.1%) n=931
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)10.7%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32218.2% (9.0–28.8%) n=931
Homeownership rate100.0%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32282.1% (66.8–93.5%) n=931
Crowded housing (>1 per room)1.3%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 households57.2%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08756.8% (43.7–75.5%) n=928
Population 65+21.3%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55320.2% (12.7–31.0%) n=932
Median age43.7 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29242.7 yr (34.1–54.7) n=931
Median household income$83,438$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$73,848 ($55,055–$102,762) n=911
Median home value$146,800$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$161,100 ($93,820–$278,170) n=892
Median gross rent—$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 birth78.4 yr ± 1.0178.9 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 1.01 years of 78.4, 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