ZIP code
53821
in Prairie du Chien, WisconsinPopulation 7,780
46.67/ 100
Ranked #20,555 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 36%)
Ranked #696 of 763 Wisconsin ZIPs (bottom 8.8%)
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.
Dental provider access
1.4 per 1,000 residents
in the top 3.0% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS97thDefinition & source ›
The number of dental offices located 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 ›Loud transportation noise
1.9%
in the top 8.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST95thUS92ndDefinition & 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 ›Transportation noise
10.0%
in the top 8.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST96thUS91stDefinition & 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 ›Pharmacy access
0.38 per 1,000 residents
in the top 8.9% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST97thUS91stDefinition & source ›
The number of pharmacies located 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
19.2%
in the top 9.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST61stUS90thDefinition & 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 ›PFOS in drinking water
64.4%
in the top 15% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS85thDefinition & source ›
The share of residents served by public water systems where PFOS, one of the most common “forever chemicals,” was detected in EPA testing.
Measured from EPA records for the public water systems that serve this ZIP. Households on private wells — roughly 30% of the US population — are not covered by this measure, and this figure says nothing about their water.
Full methodology ›Dry extreme heat
9.5 days/year
in the top 37% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS63rdDefinition & source ›
The average number of days per year with a modeled daily high of at least 95 °F.
Full methodology ›The read
Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin (ZIP 53821), on the composite measure, lands in the bottom 36% nationally (20,555th) and the bottom 8.8% of Wisconsin (696th).
The profile cuts both ways, and the readings bear that out: dental providers stands in the top 3.0% nationally, and pharmacy is in the top 8.9% nationally. Distance to a community health center rests at the national minimum, shared with about 23% of ZIPs. Distance to a nursing home sits at the national minimum, shared with about 27% of ZIPs. Grocery registers in the top 14.7% nationally. Working the other way, modeled loud transportation noise lands in the top 8.2% nationally, and transportation noise resides in the top 8.6% nationally. Modeled binge drinking lies in the top 9.8% nationally, and radon settles in the top 16% nationally. PFOS in drinking water stands in the top 15% nationally.
In everyday language, radon is a radioactive soil gas the EPA identifies as the top cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. PFOS in drinking water is a common one of the man-made "forever chemicals" that build up in the body and environment instead of breaking down. 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. A healthier neighbor overall sits at ZIP 52146, 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
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 64%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 67%
13%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 70%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 27%
21%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 37%
14%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 13%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 38%
8%
Disability
healthier than 35%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 37%
5%
Lifting this score
Healthcare Access
healthier than 83%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 50%
16%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 14%
21%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 27%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 35%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 5%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 10%
8%
Disability
healthier than 13%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 8%
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
52146
Iowashares a border
Score 51.80
Closest healthier
53804
Wisconsinshares a border
Score 47.54
Similar health profile
42740
Kentucky98% similar profile
Score 46.06
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 | 32.4% | 30.7–35.1 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 39.5% | 37.4–42.7 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 10.2% | 9.6–11.0 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.5% | 10.7–12.5 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 8.8% | 8.1–9.5 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 9.0% | 8.1–10.0 |
| Depression among adults | 24.8% | 22.8–27.5 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 14.3% | 13.2–15.8 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 38.1% | 36.0–41.4 |
| Obesity among adults | 41.5% | 37.7–47.7 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.4% | 4.1–4.8 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 14.0% | 11.3–16.7 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 9.1% | 8.0–10.6 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 81.2% | 79.8–83.1 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 79.2% | 77.4–81.6 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 86.2% | 85.0–87.6 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 67.8% | 62.9–72.1 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 62.6% | 59.0–66.1 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 78.1% | 70.9–84.0 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 19.2% | 17.5–21.8 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 17.8% | 16.0–19.9 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 32.3% | 29.5–36.1 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 35.2% | 29.0–41.7 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 22.1% | 20.2–24.4 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 17.0% | 15.8–18.5 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 15.8% | 14.6–17.3 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 14.8% | 13.6–16.2 |
| Any disability among adults | 35.5% | 33.0–39.0 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 9.3% | 8.6–10.1 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 9.7% | 8.9–10.6 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 17.5% | 16.0–19.3 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 4.5% | 4.2–5.0 |
| Vision disability among adults | 5.6% | 5.1–6.1 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 20.8% | 17.6–24.1 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 13.7% | 11.5–16.0 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 15.2% | 13.0–17.5 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 10.3% | 8.8–11.9 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 7.3% | 6.4–8.3 |
| Loneliness among adults | 30.2% | 25.5–35.5 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 6.2% | 5.3–7.1 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | WI median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 14.1% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 8.5% (3.6–16.0%) n=765 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 9.1% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 6.7% (2.4–14.9%) n=764 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 7.4% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 5.9% (2.3–12.6%) n=768 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 18.0% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 23.5% (12.7–44.0%) n=768 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 1.9% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 2.6% (0.9–5.6%) n=763 |
| Households without a vehicle | 6.4% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.6% (0.8–9.0%) n=764 |
| Broadband subscription | 85.2% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 88.8% (80.0–94.8%) n=764 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 21.1% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 21.8% (14.7–29.1%) n=764 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.9% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 81.3% (62.1–91.8%) n=764 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 1.1% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.1% (0.0–3.7%) n=764 |
| Foreign-born population | 1.1% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 1.9% (0.3–6.8%) n=768 |
| Single-parent households | 62.2% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 59.0% (47.7–72.8%) n=762 |
| Population 65+ | 25.0% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 20.4% (13.9–32.2%) n=768 |
| Median age | 48.0 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 44.2 yr (36.2–56.1) n=765 |
| Median household income | $60,647 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $75,147 ($57,542–$101,625) n=755 |
| Median home value | $168,300 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $231,900 ($160,140–$367,300) n=755 |
| Median gross rent | $801 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $914 ($696–$1,261) n=706 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | WI median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.5 yr ± 1.31 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 80.4 yr (77.7–83.6) n=712 |
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 1.31 years of 79.5, 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