ZIP code
52540
in Pleasant Plain, IowaPopulation 1,088
49.27/ 100
Ranked #17,282 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 46%)
Ranked #722 of 922 Iowa ZIPs (bottom 22%)
Ranked #19 of 21 Iowa City, IA ZIPs (bottom 9.6%)
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.
Binge drinking
20.7%
in the top 3.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST74thUS96thDefinition & 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 ›Fatal road crashes
27.6 per 100,000 residents per year
in the top 16% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST90thUS84thDefinition & source ›
The annual rate of fatal road crashes per 100,000 residents, pooled over a ten-year window.
A rate per resident population. Where a ZIP has too few residents for the rate to be reliable — about 30% of US ZIPs — no value is published rather than an unstable one; those ZIPs are absent from this comparison, not counted as crash-free.
Full methodology ›Poverty rate
20.8%
in the top 17% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST93rdUS83rdDefinition & source ›
The share of residents whose income is below the federal poverty line, from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Full methodology ›Median household income
$55,000
in the bottom 21% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST10thUS21stDefinition & source ›
The middle household income in this ZIP — half of households earn more, half earn less — in dollars per year.
Full methodology ›Housing-cost burden
31.8%
in the top 24% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS76thDefinition & source ›
The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
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
Pleasant Plain, Iowa (ZIP 52540), in overall standing, comes out in the bottom 46% nationally (17,282nd) and the bottom 22% of Iowa (722nd).
A few readings each way define this mixed profile: modeled pfas rests in the bottom 17% nationally. Pulling the other way, modeled binge drinking settles in the top 3.9% nationally, and radon lands in the top 10.4% nationally. Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility rests at the national minimum, shared with about 31% of ZIPs. Fatal road crashes settles in the top 16% nationally, and modeled obesity lands in the top 13.4% nationally. Poverty rests in the top 17% nationally, and modeled energy burden settles in the top 13.0% nationally. Recreation lands at the national minimum, shared with about 35% of ZIPs. Modeled arsenic rests in the top 18% nationally.
Defined simply, for reference, radon is a radioactive soil gas the EPA identifies as the top cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. 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. 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. The closest healthier ZIP overall is ZIP 52248, 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. Compare it against the US, this state and the Iowa City, IA metro area.
Compared with the ZIP codes measured across all nine scoring domains — not with all US ZIP codes.
Lifting this score
Preventive Care
healthier than 63%
13%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 45%
21%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 56%
14%
Mental Health
healthier than 55%
8%
Disability
healthier than 55%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 47%
5%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 17%
16%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 26%
11%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 34%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 81%
14%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 82%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 38%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 12%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 23%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 23%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 10%
8%
Disability
healthier than 38%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 14%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 60%
14%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 60%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 20%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 5%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 30%
13%
Risk Behavior
in the bottom 0.00%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 15%
8%
Disability
healthier than 30%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 15%
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
52248
Iowashares a border
Score 51.02
Closest healthier
52353
Iowashares a border
Score 49.81
Similar health profile
17721
Pennsylvania92% similar profile
Score 47.32
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% | 27.8–32.7 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 38.5% | 35.5–41.3 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 9.7% | 9.0–10.5 |
| Current asthma among adults | 10.5% | 9.5–11.5 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 7.5% | 6.8–8.3 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 8.4% | 7.4–9.4 |
| Depression among adults | 22.1% | 19.7–24.6 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 12.5% | 11.2–13.9 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 38.1% | 35.1–41.1 |
| Obesity among adults | 41.9% | 36.8–47.1 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.7% | 3.4–4.1 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 11.8% | 10.1–13.7 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 7.1% | 5.9–8.4 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 79.7% | 77.6–81.6 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 78.5% | 75.9–81.0 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 85.1% | 83.4–86.7 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 66.7% | 62.8–70.3 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 64.7% | 61.9–67.5 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 77.5% | 72.0–82.4 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 20.7% | 18.3–23.3 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 17.2% | 15.2–19.5 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 27.0% | 23.8–30.4 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 31.9% | 27.4–36.5 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 19.6% | 17.5–21.9 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 17.0% | 15.5–18.6 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 14.4% | 13.0–15.9 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 14.4% | 12.9–15.9 |
| Any disability among adults | 30.2% | 27.3–33.4 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 8.3% | 7.5–9.0 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 8.1% | 7.2–8.9 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 14.6% | 13.0–16.3 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.9% | 3.5–4.3 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.6% | 4.2–5.1 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 23.1% | 20.4–25.9 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 11.9% | 10.1–13.9 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 10.7% | 9.0–12.7 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 9.1% | 7.8–10.5 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 6.8% | 6.0–7.7 |
| Loneliness among adults | 32.7% | 29.1–36.3 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 6.5% | 5.7–7.4 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | IA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 20.8% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 8.5% (2.7–19.1%) n=931 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 9.3% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 5.4% (0.7–14.7%) n=931 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 11.5% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 5.1% (1.6–12.9%) n=932 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 20.8% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 20.9% (9.8–36.8%) n=932 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 1.5% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 2.2% (0.0–6.7%) n=932 |
| Households without a vehicle | 1.3% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 2.4% (0.0–7.9%) n=931 |
| Broadband subscription | 84.3% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 88.5% (77.9–95.1%) n=931 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 31.8% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 18.2% (9.0–28.8%) n=931 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.5% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 82.1% (66.8–93.5%) n=931 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 0.6% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 0.4% (0.0–3.3%) n=931 |
| Foreign-born population | 1.5% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 1.0% (0.0–7.2%) n=932 |
| Single-parent households | 54.7% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 56.8% (43.7–75.5%) n=928 |
| Population 65+ | 21.8% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 20.2% (12.7–31.0%) n=932 |
| Median age | 49.4 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 42.7 yr (34.1–54.7) n=931 |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $73,848 ($55,055–$102,762) n=911 |
| Median home value | $115,300 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $161,100 ($93,820–$278,170) n=892 |
| Median gross rent | $681 | $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 | 78.5 yr ± 0.84 | 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 0.84 years of 78.5, 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