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ZIP code

50645

in Ionia, IowaPopulation 1,193

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

50.56/ 100

Ranked #15,475 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 48%)

Ranked #616 of 922 Iowa ZIPs (bottom 33%)

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.

Binge drinking

20.7%

in the top 3.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST74th
US96th
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 ›

Home broadband subscription

69%

in the bottom 5.7% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST2nd
US6th
Definition & source ›

The share of households with a broadband internet subscription.

Full methodology ›

Households without a vehicle

16.6%

in the top 6.1% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST98th
US94th
Definition & source ›

The share of households with no vehicle available.

Full methodology ›

Radon

3.1 pCi/L

in the top 9.2% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST31st
US91st
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 ›

PFAS in drinking water

10.2%

in the bottom 9.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST26th
US10th
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 ›

Distance to a Superfund site

5.2 mi

in the bottom 22% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST8th
US22nd
Definition & 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 ›

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 ›

Dry extreme heat

9.2 days/year

in the top 37% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST8th
US63rd
Definition & source ›

The average number of days per year with a modeled daily high of at least 95 °F.

Full methodology ›

The read

Ionia, Iowa (ZIP 50645), on the composite measure, lands in the top 48% healthiest ZIPs nationally (15,475th) and the bottom 33% of Iowa (616th).

continue reading

Where this area does well, the measures make it plain: modeled pfas settles in the bottom 9.6% nationally, housing-cost burden stands in the bottom 12.2% nationally, and unemployment is in the bottom 14.8% nationally. Homeownership rests in the top 17% nationally. Against that, modeled binge drinking sits in the top 3.9% nationally, and home broadband subscription registers in the bottom 5.7% nationally. Households without a vehicle lands in the top 6.1% nationally, and modeled radon resides in the top 9.2% nationally. Distance to a community health center lies in the top 13.1% nationally. Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility settles at the national minimum, shared with about 31% of ZIPs.

In everyday language, 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. Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility is a plant handling large amounts of hazardous chemicals that must file an EPA risk-management plan for accidental releases. A healthier neighbor overall sits at ZIP 50616, 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 64%

13%

Mental Health

healthier than 78%

8%

About typical

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 44%

21%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 55%

14%

Disability

healthier than 57%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 45%

5%

Holding it back

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 26%

16%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 25%

11%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 14%

5%

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 79%

14%

Mental Health

healthier than 68%

8%

About typical

Disability

healthier than 44%

7%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 36%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 26%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 24%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 20%

11%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 28%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 38%

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 adults30.6%27.4–33.9
High blood pressure among adults38.9%35.1–42.9
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults10.0%9.1–11.0
Current asthma among adults9.9%8.8–11.0
Coronary heart disease among adults7.7%6.9–8.5
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults8.3%7.3–9.4
Depression among adults19.5%16.7–22.4
Diagnosed diabetes among adults12.8%11.2–14.5
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened37.1%33.1–41.2
Obesity among adults40.8%33.9–48.1
Stroke among adults3.8%3.5–4.2
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years15.9%13.1–19.0
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years6.7%5.4–8.3
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure79.5%76.6–82.1
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults77.5%73.9–80.6
Cholesterol screening among adults85.8%84.0–87.5
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years68.8%64.1–73.2
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults65.9%62.5–69.2
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years75.7%68.3–82.1
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults20.7%17.5–24.2
Current cigarette smoking among adults17.3%14.9–19.9
No leisure-time physical activity among adults27.3%23.3–31.8
Short sleep duration among adults32.1%26.4–38.1
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults19.5%17.0–22.4
Frequent mental distress among adults16.0%14.3–17.9
Frequent physical distress among adults14.1%12.5–15.9
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults13.7%12.0–15.4
Any disability among adults29.4%25.7–33.4
Hearing disability among adults8.5%7.6–9.4
Independent living disability among adults7.8%6.9–8.8
Mobility disability among adults14.5%12.6–16.5
Self-care disability among adults3.9%3.4–4.3
Vision disability among adults4.5%4.0–5.0
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults23.9%20.5–27.7
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults11.2%9.4–13.5
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults9.7%8.0–11.6
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults8.5%7.2–10.1
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults6.3%5.5–7.3
Loneliness among adults30.4%25.9–35.3
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults6.1%5.2–7.0
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)IA median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate11.7%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3648.5% (2.7–19.1%) n=931
Uninsured 18–645.3%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2865.4% (0.7–14.7%) n=931
No HS diploma (25+)6.7%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5055.1% (1.6–12.9%) n=932
Bachelor's or higher (25+)15.6%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50520.9% (9.8–36.8%) n=932
Unemployment rate (16+)0.2%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2742.2% (0.0–6.7%) n=932
Households without a vehicle16.6%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3222.4% (0.0–7.9%) n=931
Broadband subscription69.0%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32288.5% (77.9–95.1%) n=931
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)11.9%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32218.2% (9.0–28.8%) n=931
Homeownership rate90.2%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32282.1% (66.8–93.5%) n=931
Crowded housing (>1 per room)1.6%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.4% (0.0–3.3%) n=931
Foreign-born population1.2%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5531.0% (0.0–7.2%) n=932
Single-parent households71.0%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08756.8% (43.7–75.5%) n=928
Population 65+27.2%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55320.2% (12.7–31.0%) n=932
Median age53.8 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29242.7 yr (34.1–54.7) n=931
Median household income$64,408$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$73,848 ($55,055–$102,762) n=911
Median home value$114,600$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$161,100 ($93,820–$278,170) n=892
Median gross rent$924$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 birth80.9 yr ± 1.0978.9 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 1.09 years of 80.9, 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