ZIP code
52169
in Wadena, IowaPopulation 367
48.55/ 100
Ranked #18,242 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 43%)
Ranked #760 of 922 Iowa ZIPs (bottom 18%)
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
5.1%
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 ›Distance to a community health center
25.9 mi
in the top 5.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST86thUS95thDefinition & 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 ›Transportation noise
0.01%
in the bottom 5.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST8thUS6thDefinition & 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 ›Radon
3.1 pCi/L
in the top 8.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST35thUS92ndDefinition & 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 ›Energy-cost burden
5.4%
in the top 5.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST88thUS94thDefinition & source ›
The modeled share of household income spent on home energy bills — electricity, gas, and heating fuels.
A modeled share of household income spent on home energy. Estimates that hit the model’s 100% ceiling are suppressed rather than published, because at that point the figure reflects the model’s limit rather than a measured burden.
Full methodology ›Binge drinking
19.7%
in the top 7.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST49thUS93rdDefinition & 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
77.1%
in the bottom 12.3% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST8thUS12thDefinition & source ›
The share of households with a broadband internet subscription.
Full methodology ›Loneliness
29.5%
in the bottom 18% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST10thUS18thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who report feeling lonely.
Full methodology ›Coronary heart disease
9.2%
in the top 18% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST95thUS82ndDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have coronary heart disease or angina.
Full methodology ›Hearing disability
9.9%
in the top 20% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST91stUS80thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing.
Full methodology ›The read
Wadena, Iowa (ZIP 52169), by its overall standing, sits in the bottom 43% nationally (18,242nd) and the bottom 18% of Iowa (760th).
Both sides of the picture show up plainly in this area's numbers: modeled pfas lands in the bottom 1.2% nationally, and transportation noise is in the bottom 5.8% nationally. Modeled loud transportation noise resides at the national minimum, shared with about 22% of ZIPs. Crowded housing rests at the national minimum, shared with about 29% of ZIPs. Modeled colon screening lies in the top 14.7% nationally. By contrast, distance to a community health center sits in the top 5.4% nationally, and modeled radon settles in the top 8.4% nationally. Modeled energy burden registers in the top 5.6% nationally, and binge drinking stands in the top 7.4% nationally. Home broadband subscription lands in the bottom 12.3% nationally.
Defined in plain terms, 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. Radon is a radioactive soil gas the EPA identifies as the top cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. Distance to a community health center is a federally funded (HRSA) community health center serving everyone regardless of ability to pay. The nearest ZIP ranking healthier overall is ZIP 50606, 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.
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 70%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 73%
13%
Mental Health
healthier than 77%
8%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 70%
5%
About typical
Disability
healthier than 41%
7%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 30%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 15%
16%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 23%
11%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 5%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 92%
14%
Mental Health
healthier than 65%
8%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 88%
5%
About typical
Preventive Care
healthier than 46%
13%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 11%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 9%
16%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 15%
11%
Disability
healthier than 14%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 14%
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
50606
Iowashares a border
Score 48.80
Closest healthier
52077
Iowashares a border
Score 50.16
Similar health profile
18846
Pennsylvania98% similar profile
Score 47.22
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 | 32.0% | 28.4–35.3 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 41.6% | 37.1–45.8 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 10.8% | 9.7–11.9 |
| Current asthma among adults | 9.8% | 8.6–11.0 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 9.2% | 8.1–10.3 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 9.5% | 8.2–10.9 |
| Depression among adults | 19.8% | 16.9–22.9 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 14.4% | 12.4–16.4 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 40.1% | 35.9–44.3 |
| Obesity among adults | 40.1% | 33.1–47.3 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.4% | 3.9–4.9 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 10.9% | 8.9–13.2 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 6.9% | 5.5–8.6 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 81.1% | 78.3–83.5 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 80.0% | 76.6–83.0 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 85.4% | 83.4–87.2 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 71.1% | 66.7–75.4 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 62.7% | 59.1–66.2 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 76.5% | 69.3–82.9 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 19.7% | 16.5–23.1 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 18.1% | 15.3–21.2 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 29.5% | 24.8–34.4 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 32.1% | 26.7–38.1 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 21.2% | 18.3–24.4 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 15.9% | 14.1–17.9 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 15.0% | 13.2–16.9 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 14.0% | 12.3–15.9 |
| Any disability among adults | 31.5% | 27.3–35.8 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 9.9% | 8.7–11.0 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 8.4% | 7.3–9.5 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 16.3% | 14.0–18.8 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 4.4% | 3.8–5.0 |
| Vision disability among adults | 5.2% | 4.6–5.8 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 23.2% | 19.8–26.8 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 12.7% | 10.5–15.3 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 11.5% | 9.4–13.9 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 9.3% | 7.8–11.0 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 7.0% | 6.0–8.1 |
| Loneliness among adults | 29.5% | 25.1–34.3 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 6.9% | 5.9–8.0 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | IA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 13.9% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 8.5% (2.7–19.1%) n=931 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 6.3% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 5.4% (0.7–14.7%) n=931 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 5.6% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 5.1% (1.6–12.9%) n=932 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 17.3% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 20.9% (9.8–36.8%) n=932 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 2.2% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 2.2% (0.0–6.7%) n=932 |
| Households without a vehicle | 2.9% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 2.4% (0.0–7.9%) n=931 |
| Broadband subscription | 77.1% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 88.5% (77.9–95.1%) n=931 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 19.4% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 18.2% (9.0–28.8%) n=931 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.2% | 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 | 72.5% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 56.8% (43.7–75.5%) n=928 |
| Population 65+ | 32.7% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 20.2% (12.7–31.0%) n=932 |
| Median age | 53.6 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 42.7 yr (34.1–54.7) n=931 |
| Median household income | $52,321 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $73,848 ($55,055–$102,762) n=911 |
| Median home value | $112,900 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $161,100 ($93,820–$278,170) n=892 |
| Median gross rent | $592 | $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 | 76.8 yr ± 0.55 | 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 0.55 years of 76.8, 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