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ZIP code

52729

in Calamus, IowaPopulation 886

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

48.31/ 100

Ranked #18,538 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 42%)

Ranked #767 of 922 Iowa ZIPs (bottom 17%)

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.

Transportation noise

22.6%

in the top 2.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US98th
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 ›

Recreation access

1.3 per 1,000 residents

in the top 5.0% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST94th
US95th
Definition & source ›

The number of places for physical recreation — gyms, sports, and fitness venues — inside this ZIP’s boundary, per 1,000 residents.

Counted from establishments located inside this ZIP’s boundary, so one just across the line is not counted. Where a ZIP has too few residents for the density to be reliable, no value is published rather than an unreliable one.

Full methodology ›

Binge drinking

19.6%

in the top 7.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST47th
US92nd
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 ›

Outer-floodplain exposure

2.4%

in the top 13.4% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST92nd
US87th
Definition & source ›

The share of this ZIP’s land area inside FEMA’s 0.2%-annual-chance flood band — the “500-year” zone, a lower but real 1-in-500 yearly chance.

Measured from FEMA’s mapped flood panels. Where a panel has not been mapped, no value is published for that ZIP — those ZIPs are absent from this comparison rather than counted as unexposed.

Full methodology ›

Floodplain exposure

24.4%

in the top 13.5% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST93rd
US87th
Definition & source ›

The share of this ZIP’s land area inside FEMA’s 1%-annual-chance floodplain — the “100-year” flood zone, where flooding has about a 1-in-100 chance in any given year.

Measured from FEMA’s mapped flood panels. Where a panel has not been mapped, no value is published for that ZIP — those ZIPs are absent from this comparison rather than counted as unexposed.

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 ›

High blood pressure

41.6%

in the top 25% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US75th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have high blood pressure.

Full methodology ›

The read

On balance, and by the composite measure, Calamus, Iowa (ZIP 52729) ranks in the bottom 42% nationally (18,538th) and the bottom 17% of Iowa (767th).

continue reading

The burdens that read clearest in the data come first: modeled transportation noise lands in the top 2.0% nationally, and binge drinking registers in the top 7.9% nationally. Distance to a community health center sits in the top 11.7% nationally, and outer-floodplain exposure rests in the top 13.4% nationally. Floodplain exposure is in the top 13.5% nationally, modeled arsenic stands in the top 13.7% nationally, and modeled radon settles in the top 16% nationally. Walkability lies in the bottom 14.7% nationally. Better still, recreation resides in the top 5.0% nationally, and fiber broadband lands in the top 10.9% nationally.

Compared with the ZIPs it borders, transportation noise runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. In plainer terms, arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. 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. For a healthier nearby ZIP overall, look to ZIP 52254, 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 73%

13%

Mental Health

healthier than 78%

8%

About typical

Disability

healthier than 48%

7%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 29%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 34%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 26%

14%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 24%

11%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 30%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 14%

5%

Lifting this score

Mental Health

healthier than 68%

8%

About typical

Preventive Care

healthier than 47%

13%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 10%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 40%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 35%

14%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 18%

11%

Disability

healthier than 23%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 9%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 39%

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 adults34.0%30.1–37.6
High blood pressure among adults41.6%37.1–46.0
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults10.7%9.6–11.8
Current asthma among adults10.1%8.9–11.4
Coronary heart disease among adults8.7%7.7–9.8
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults9.2%7.9–10.6
Depression among adults19.9%16.7–23.2
Diagnosed diabetes among adults13.9%12.0–16.0
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened40.3%35.8–44.6
Obesity among adults40.6%33.3–47.7
Stroke among adults4.2%3.8–4.7
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years12.7%10.3–15.4
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years6.5%5.2–8.0
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure81.0%78.0–83.7
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults79.3%76.0–82.4
Cholesterol screening among adults86.9%85.1–88.6
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years68.6%63.7–73.2
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults64.1%60.5–67.6
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years76.8%69.2–83.1
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults19.6%16.4–23.1
Current cigarette smoking among adults17.5%14.6–20.5
No leisure-time physical activity among adults27.3%22.6–32.2
Short sleep duration among adults33.9%28.0–40.1
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults19.8%16.8–22.7
Frequent mental distress among adults15.7%13.7–17.7
Frequent physical distress among adults14.8%12.9–16.8
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults13.4%11.6–15.2
Any disability among adults30.5%26.2–34.9
Hearing disability among adults9.3%8.2–10.5
Independent living disability among adults8.1%7.0–9.2
Mobility disability among adults15.9%13.6–18.3
Self-care disability among adults4.3%3.7–4.8
Vision disability among adults4.9%4.3–5.5
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults21.9%18.7–25.5
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults11.7%9.7–14.1
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults10.8%8.9–13.0
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults8.7%7.3–10.3
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults6.6%5.8–7.7
Loneliness among adults30.0%25.6–34.7
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults6.6%5.7–7.7
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)IA median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate5.7%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3648.5% (2.7–19.1%) n=931
Uninsured 18–6410.9%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+)13.9%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50520.9% (9.8–36.8%) n=932
Unemployment rate (16+)0.8%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2742.2% (0.0–6.7%) n=932
Households without a vehicle0.9%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3222.4% (0.0–7.9%) n=931
Broadband subscription84.4%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32288.5% (77.9–95.1%) n=931
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)15.9%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32218.2% (9.0–28.8%) n=931
Homeownership rate90.7%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32282.1% (66.8–93.5%) n=931
Crowded housing (>1 per room)1.2%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.4% (0.0–3.3%) n=931
Foreign-born population0.0%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5531.0% (0.0–7.2%) n=932
Single-parent households77.0%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08756.8% (43.7–75.5%) n=928
Population 65+26.4%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55320.2% (12.7–31.0%) n=932
Median age40.0 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29242.7 yr (34.1–54.7) n=931
Median household income$87,500$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$73,848 ($55,055–$102,762) n=911
Median home value$178,800$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$161,100 ($93,820–$278,170) n=892
Median gross rent$642$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 birth78.3 yr ± 1.1278.9 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 1.12 years of 78.3, 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