ZIP code
52133
in Castalia, IowaPopulation 673
55.48/ 100
Ranked #8,888 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 28%)
Ranked #230 of 922 Iowa ZIPs (top 25%)
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.
Radon
3.6 pCi/L
in the top 3.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST62ndUS96thDefinition & 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 ›Loud transportation noise
2.9%
in the top 4.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS96thDefinition & 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 ›PFAS in drinking water
7.6%
in the bottom 4.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST12thUS4thDefinition & 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 ›Short sleep
28.4%
in the bottom 4.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST5thUS4thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who usually sleep less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.
Full methodology ›Poverty rate
1.6%
in the bottom 6.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST6thUS6thDefinition & source ›
The share of residents whose income is below the federal poverty line, from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Full methodology ›Distance to a community health center
23.5 mi
in the top 6.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST82ndUS94thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest federally funded community health center, which serves patients regardless of ability to pay.
Full methodology ›Housing-cost burden
39.2%
in the top 11.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST98thUS89thDefinition & source ›
The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
Full methodology ›Loneliness
29.4%
in the bottom 17% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST8thUS17thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who report feeling lonely.
Full methodology ›Slow internet speeds
0.44%
in the top 22% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST90thUS78thDefinition & source ›
The share of homes whose fastest available download speed is under 10 Mbps.
Full methodology ›Air-toxics cancer risk
20 per million
in the bottom 25% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS25thDefinition & 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
By the composite measure, Castalia, Iowa (ZIP 52133) sits in the top 28% healthiest ZIPs nationally (8,888th) and the top 25% of Iowa (230th).
The readings split fairly evenly between strengths and concerns: modeled pfas lies in the bottom 4.3% nationally, modeled short sleep settles in the bottom 4.0% nationally, and poverty stands in the bottom 6.2% nationally. Unemployment is at the national minimum, shared with about 15% of ZIPs. Households without a vehicle rests at the national minimum, shared with about 16% of ZIPs. Homeownership sits in the top 13.1% nationally. Working the other way, modeled radon registers in the top 3.8% nationally, and loud transportation noise lands in the top 4.2% nationally. Distance to a community health center resides in the top 6.4% nationally, and housing-cost burden lies in the top 11.0% nationally.
In plain 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. 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. ZIP 52161, 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.
Lifting this score
Preventive Care
healthier than 86%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 66%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 83%
8%
Disability
healthier than 69%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 77%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 57%
21%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 35%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 24%
14%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 7%
5%
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 63%
21%
Preventive Care
healthier than 85%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 93%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 87%
8%
Disability
healthier than 65%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 96%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 41%
16%
Holding it back
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 33%
14%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 19%
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.
Nearby
52135
Iowashares a border
Score 52.15
Closest healthier
52161
Iowashares a border
Score 56.19
Similar health profile
57218
South Dakota98% similar profile
Score 56.96
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 | 30.1% | 27.2–33.5 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 36.5% | 33.0–40.6 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 10.6% | 9.7–11.6 |
| Current asthma among adults | 9.9% | 8.8–11.1 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 7.3% | 6.5–8.2 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 7.6% | 6.5–8.7 |
| Depression among adults | 19.5% | 16.7–22.6 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 11.7% | 10.3–13.4 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 37.4% | 33.6–41.5 |
| Obesity among adults | 37.1% | 30.5–44.4 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.7% | 3.3–4.1 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 7.8% | 6.5–9.3 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 6.3% | 5.0–7.8 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 80.7% | 78.1–83.2 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 80.0% | 76.7–82.9 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 87.1% | 85.2–88.8 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 71.3% | 67.1–75.3 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 70.9% | 67.9–73.8 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 78.0% | 71.1–83.9 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 18.6% | 15.7–21.8 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 14.6% | 12.1–17.4 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 25.3% | 21.4–29.9 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 28.4% | 23.6–34.0 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 17.3% | 14.9–20.0 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 15.1% | 13.3–17.1 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 13.2% | 11.6–14.9 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 12.5% | 10.8–14.3 |
| Any disability among adults | 27.6% | 23.9–31.5 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 8.2% | 7.3–9.2 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 7.2% | 6.3–8.3 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 13.8% | 11.9–15.9 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.4% | 3.0–3.9 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.1% | 3.6–4.6 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 21.6% | 18.5–25.2 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 9.8% | 7.9–11.9 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 8.4% | 6.6–10.2 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 7.8% | 6.4–9.3 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 5.6% | 4.8–6.5 |
| Loneliness among adults | 29.4% | 25.3–34.3 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 5.4% | 4.5–6.3 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | IA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 1.6% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 8.5% (2.7–19.1%) n=931 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 1.5% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 5.4% (0.7–14.7%) n=931 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 2.6% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 5.1% (1.6–12.9%) n=932 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 11.3% | 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 | 94.3% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 88.5% (77.9–95.1%) n=931 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 39.2% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 18.2% (9.0–28.8%) n=931 |
| Homeownership rate | 92.2% | 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 | 0.3% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 1.0% (0.0–7.2%) n=932 |
| Single-parent households | 60.7% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 56.8% (43.7–75.5%) n=928 |
| Population 65+ | 15.8% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 20.2% (12.7–31.0%) n=932 |
| Median age | 44.3 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 42.7 yr (34.1–54.7) n=931 |
| Median household income | $76,250 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $73,848 ($55,055–$102,762) n=911 |
| Median home value | $246,100 | $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 | 82.1 yr ± 1.08 | 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 1.08 years of 82.1, 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