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ZIP code

50862

in Sharpsburg, IowaPopulation 123

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

49.94/ 100

Ranked #16,333 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 49%)

Ranked #670 of 922 Iowa ZIPs (bottom 27%)

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.

Housing-cost burden

0.00%

at the national minimum

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US1st
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Home broadband subscription

61.4%

in the bottom 3.2% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST1st
US3rd
Definition & source ›

The share of households with a broadband internet subscription.

Full methodology ›

Radon

3.3 pCi/L

in the top 6.3% 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 ›

Slow internet speeds

1.7%

in the top 6.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST98th
US93rd
Definition & source ›

The share of homes whose fastest available download speed is under 10 Mbps.

Full methodology ›

Homeownership rate

96.5%

in the top 6.9% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST95th
US93rd
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Transportation noise

0.16%

in the bottom 9.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST18th
US10th
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 ›

Industrial-pollution burden

in the bottom 23% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST6th
US23rd
Definition & source ›

The EPA’s modeled screening score for industrial chemical releases, weighting the amounts released by their toxicity and how many people live nearby — a relative comparison score, not a measured exposure.

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 ›

Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility

3.3 mi

in the top 37% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST93rd
US63rd
Definition & source ›

The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest facility that handles enough hazardous chemicals to require an EPA risk-management plan for accidental releases.

Full methodology ›

The read

In its overall standing, Sharpsburg, Iowa (ZIP 50862) lands in the bottom 49% nationally (16,333rd) and the bottom 27% of Iowa (670th).

continue reading

Taken together, the data gives a genuinely mixed reading: housing-cost burden stands at the national minimum, and homeownership rests in the top 6.9% nationally. Households without a vehicle registers at the national minimum, shared with about 16% of ZIPs. Modeled transportation noise resides in the bottom 9.6% nationally, and poverty settles in the bottom 10.7% nationally. Modeled loud transportation noise is at the national minimum, shared with about 22% of ZIPs. On the other side, home broadband subscription sits in the bottom 3.2% nationally, and modeled radon lands in the top 6.3% nationally. Slow internet speeds lies in the top 6.8% nationally. Fiber broadband stands at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs.

Put simply, radon is a radioactive soil gas the EPA identifies as the top cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. Transportation noise is the modeled share of an area exposed to average road, rail, and air noise at or above 55 decibels. Loud transportation noise is the modeled share of an area exposed to road, rail, and air noise at or above 65 decibels, near conversation volume. On the overall standing, ZIP 50833, just across the boundary, ranks healthier.

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 61%

13%

Mental Health

healthier than 69%

8%

About typical

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 41%

21%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 59%

14%

Disability

healthier than 45%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 60%

5%

Holding it back

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 24%

16%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 29%

11%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 23%

5%

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 84%

14%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 65%

5%

About typical

Healthcare Access

healthier than 57%

5%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 29%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 23%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 20%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 28%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 34%

8%

Disability

healthier than 18%

7%

“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%27.5–34.5
High blood pressure among adults39.6%35.2–43.7
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults10.2%9.2–11.3
Current asthma among adults9.9%8.7–11.1
Coronary heart disease among adults8.1%7.2–9.2
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults8.8%7.4–10.2
Depression among adults20.8%17.5–24.2
Diagnosed diabetes among adults13.1%11.3–15.0
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened38.8%34.2–43.1
Obesity among adults40.0%31.7–48.0
Stroke among adults4.1%3.6–4.7
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years11.3%9.0–13.8
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years8.5%6.6–10.8
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure80.2%77.4–82.7
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults77.9%74.1–81.4
Cholesterol screening among adults84.7%82.5–86.9
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years69.4%63.5–74.4
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults63.2%59.3–66.8
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years77.2%69.0–83.8
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults18.9%15.7–22.3
Current cigarette smoking among adults17.2%14.4–20.2
No leisure-time physical activity among adults29.0%24.1–33.8
Short sleep duration among adults32.6%25.9–39.6
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults20.8%17.7–24.1
Frequent mental distress among adults16.3%14.3–18.3
Frequent physical distress among adults14.8%12.9–16.8
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults14.6%12.6–16.7
Any disability among adults32.8%28.2–37.2
Hearing disability among adults9.3%8.2–10.5
Independent living disability among adults8.5%7.3–9.7
Mobility disability among adults16.1%13.6–18.6
Self-care disability among adults4.0%3.4–4.7
Vision disability among adults5.0%4.3–5.7
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults24.0%20.2–28.0
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults12.8%10.4–15.8
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults11.0%8.8–13.5
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults9.7%8.0–11.6
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults7.0%5.9–8.1
Loneliness among adults32.4%27.2–37.6
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults6.5%5.4–7.6
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)IA median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate3.3%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3648.5% (2.7–19.1%) n=931
Uninsured 18–641.9%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2865.4% (0.7–14.7%) n=931
No HS diploma (25+)1.8%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5055.1% (1.6–12.9%) n=932
Bachelor's or higher (25+)7.1%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50520.9% (9.8–36.8%) n=932
Unemployment rate (16+)4.9%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2742.2% (0.0–6.7%) n=932
Households without a vehicle0.0%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3222.4% (0.0–7.9%) n=931
Broadband subscription61.4%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32288.5% (77.9–95.1%) n=931
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)0.0%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32218.2% (9.0–28.8%) n=931
Homeownership rate96.5%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 population1.6%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5531.0% (0.0–7.2%) n=932
Single-parent households43.8%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08756.8% (43.7–75.5%) n=928
Population 65+8.1%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55320.2% (12.7–31.0%) n=932
Median age56.2 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29242.7 yr (34.1–54.7) n=931
Median household income$61,953$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$73,848 ($55,055–$102,762) n=911
Median home value$108,800$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 birth78.6 yr ± 0.5278.9 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 0.52 years of 78.6, 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