ZIP code
50521
in Burnside, IowaPopulation 45
54.52/ 100
Ranked #10,048 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 31%)
Ranked #300 of 922 Iowa ZIPs (top 33%)
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.
PFAS in drinking water
5.2%
in the bottom 1.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST3rdUS1stDefinition & 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 ›Housing-cost burden
0.00%
at the national minimum
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & source ›
The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
Full methodology ›Poverty rate
0.00%
at the national minimum
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & 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
100%
at the national maximum
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The share of households with a broadband internet subscription.
Full methodology ›Binge drinking
20.4%
in the top 4.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST67thUS95thDefinition & 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 ›Expected annual disaster loss
$0
in the bottom 7.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST7thUS7thDefinition & source ›
FEMA’s modeled estimate, in dollars per year, of the average harm to people expected from natural hazards — an annualized average, not a forecast for any single year.
Full methodology ›Transportation noise
0.06%
in the bottom 7.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST12thUS7thDefinition & 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 ›Natural-disaster risk
in the bottom 7.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST7thUS8thDefinition & 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 ›Floodplain exposure
0.21%
in the bottom 8.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST3rdUS8thDefinition & 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 ›Distance to a Superfund site
56 mi
in the top 9.9% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST94thUS90thDefinition & 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 ›The read
Burnside, Iowa (ZIP 50521) ranks in the top 31% healthiest ZIPs nationally (10,048th) and the top 33% of Iowa (300th).
A profile of give and take, with clear readings each way: modeled pfas rests in the bottom 1.2% nationally, and housing-cost burden lands at the national minimum. Poverty settles at the national minimum, and home broadband subscription rests at the national maximum. Modeled expected annual loss lands in the bottom 7.0% nationally. Unemployment settles at the national minimum, shared with about 15% of ZIPs. Modeled transportation noise rests in the bottom 7.4% nationally, and disaster risk lands in the bottom 7.8% nationally. Households without a vehicle settles at the national minimum, shared with about 16% of ZIPs. On the other side, modeled binge drinking rests in the top 4.8% nationally.
For context, 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. Expected annual loss is FEMA's modeled estimate, in dollars, of average yearly harm to people from natural hazards. Disaster risk is the area's national rank on its highest non-flood peril in FEMA's modeled Risk Index, like wildfire or quake. The closest ZIP that ranks healthier overall is ZIP 50595, about 7.4 miles away.
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
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 65%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 96%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 77%
13%
Mental Health
healthier than 87%
8%
Disability
healthier than 64%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 79%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 37%
21%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 19%
11%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 32%
5%
Lifting this score
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 80%
16%
Environmental Hazard
in the top 0.6%
14%
Mental Health
healthier than 95%
8%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 98%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 67%
5%
About typical
Preventive Care
healthier than 59%
13%
Disability
healthier than 57%
7%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 23%
21%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 10%
11%
“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
50557
Iowashares a border
Score 52.42
Closest healthier
50595
Iowaabout 7.4 mi away
Score 54.64
Similar health profile
52249
Iowa96% similar profile
Score 52.12
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 | 30.2% | 26.1–34.2 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 42.8% | 38.0–47.5 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 10.1% | 8.9–11.5 |
| Current asthma among adults | 9.0% | 7.8–10.4 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 9.1% | 7.4–11.3 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 8.4% | 5.9–11.3 |
| Depression among adults | 18.5% | 15.6–21.7 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 14.1% | 11.4–17.1 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 40.0% | 35.7–44.4 |
| Obesity among adults | 42.1% | 35.1–49.4 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.0% | 3.1–5.0 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 12.0% | 9.6–15.1 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 5.5% | 3.6–8.3 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 80.8% | 77.3–83.9 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 79.6% | 75.8–83.0 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 87.5% | 84.7–89.9 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 66.6% | 60.8–71.8 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 71.2% | 67.8–74.5 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 75.3% | 67.0–82.4 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 20.4% | 16.9–24.1 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 18.2% | 12.9–23.7 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 25.8% | 19.8–32.5 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 34.8% | 28.6–41.3 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 18.7% | 14.2–24.4 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 14.9% | 12.4–17.4 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 13.7% | 10.9–16.7 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 12.5% | 9.8–15.6 |
| Any disability among adults | 27.4% | 21.8–33.6 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 9.2% | 7.6–11.1 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 6.8% | 5.2–8.6 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 13.4% | 9.9–17.7 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.9% | 2.8–5.4 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.2% | 3.2–5.5 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 23.2% | 18.5–28.4 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 10.1% | 6.6–14.8 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 8.1% | 5.1–12.1 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 7.5% | 5.3–10.0 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 5.6% | 4.2–7.5 |
| Loneliness among adults | 30.4% | 25.4–35.8 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 5.5% | 4.1–6.9 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | IA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 0.0% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 8.5% (2.7–19.1%) n=931 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 0.0% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 5.4% (0.7–14.7%) n=931 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 6.5% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 5.1% (1.6–12.9%) n=932 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 93.5% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 20.9% (9.8–36.8%) n=932 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 0.0% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 2.2% (0.0–6.7%) n=932 |
| Households without a vehicle | 0.0% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 2.4% (0.0–7.9%) n=931 |
| Broadband subscription | 100.0% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 88.5% (77.9–95.1%) n=931 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 0.0% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 18.2% (9.0–28.8%) n=931 |
| Homeownership rate | 88.9% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 82.1% (66.8–93.5%) n=931 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 0.0% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 0.4% (0.0–3.3%) n=931 |
| Foreign-born population | 0.0% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 1.0% (0.0–7.2%) n=932 |
| Single-parent households | 100.0% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 56.8% (43.7–75.5%) n=928 |
| Population 65+ | 0.0% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 20.2% (12.7–31.0%) n=932 |
| Median age | 29.3 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 42.7 yr (34.1–54.7) n=931 |
| Median household income | — | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $73,848 ($55,055–$102,762) n=911 |
| Median home value | — | $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
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | IA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.6 yr ± 1.52 | 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 1.52 years of 78.6, 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