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ZipVitals

ZIP code

57042

in Madison, South DakotaPopulation 7,756

56.53/ 100

Ranked #7,721 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 24%)

Ranked #89 of 360 South Dakota ZIPs (top 25%)

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.

Radon

3.9 pCi/L

in the top 2.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST81st
US98th
Definition & 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 ›

Grocery access

0.25 per 1,000 residents

in the top 5.1% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST94th
US95th
Definition & source ›

The number of full supermarkets 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. ZipVitals’s food-access signal is derived from these in-ZIP densities — it is not USDA’s food-desert designation, which measures distance to the nearest supermarket. Where a leg is missing, a ZIP reads “not determinable,” never “not a food desert.”

Full methodology ›

Distance to a Superfund site

76.4 mi

in the top 5.6% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST36th
US94th
Definition & source ›

The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Superfund site — an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has listed for cleanup.

Full methodology ›

Expected annual disaster loss

$0

in the top 8.1% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US92nd
Definition & source ›

FEMA’s modeled estimate, in dollars per year, of the average harm to people expected from natural hazards — an annualized average, not a forecast for any single year.

Full methodology ›

Outer-floodplain exposure

4.2%

in the top 8.5% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST73rd
US92nd
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 ›

Fine-particle (PM2.5) exceedance

1.1%

in the top 9.2% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST67th
US91st
Definition & source ›

The share of days in the year when modeled fine-particle (PM2.5) pollution was above the EPA’s daily limit of 35 micrograms per cubic meter.

Full methodology ›

Binge drinking

19.3%

in the top 9.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST86th
US91st
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 ›

Natural-disaster risk

in the top 11.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST93rd
US88th
Definition & source ›

This area’s national rank on its single highest non-flood natural hazard — such as wildfire, tornado, or earthquake — in FEMA’s modeled National Risk Index; flooding is shown separately.

Full methodology ›

Obesity

32.3%

in the bottom 25% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST6th
US25th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults with obesity, defined as a body-mass index of 30 or higher.

Full methodology ›

The read

Madison, South Dakota (ZIP 57042) ranks in the top 24% healthiest ZIPs nationally (7,721st) and the top 25% of South Dakota (89th).

continue reading

Several signals sit on each side of the ledger here: grocery settles in the top 5.1% nationally. Distance to an emergency room rests at the national minimum, shared with about 11% of ZIPs. Distance to a Superfund site lands in the top 5.6% nationally, and elder services settles in the top 12.5% nationally. Working the other way, modeled radon rests in the top 2.3% nationally, modeled expected annual loss lands in the top 8.1% nationally, and outer-floodplain exposure settles in the top 8.5% nationally. Modeled fine-particle rests in the top 9.2% nationally, binge drinking lands in the top 9.3% nationally, and disaster risk settles in the top 11.6% nationally.

For context, radon is a radioactive soil gas the EPA identifies as the top cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. Distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. Expected annual loss is FEMA's modeled estimate, in dollars, of average yearly harm to people from natural hazards. The closest ZIP that ranks healthier overall is ZIP 57016, 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

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 75%

21%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 60%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 82%

8%

Disability

healthier than 67%

7%

About typical

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 60%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 51%

13%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 55%

5%

Holding it back

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 27%

14%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 25%

5%

Lifting this score

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 84%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 76%

16%

Disability

healthier than 65%

7%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 70%

5%

About typical

Mental Health

healthier than 55%

8%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 41%

5%

Holding it back

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 17%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 31%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 36%

11%

“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 ›

Findings that name this ZIP

One of our published findings lists this ZIP code. Each finding compares one published measure against a stated benchmark, and names only the ZIP codes whose estimates are reliable enough to rank. See all surprising findings.

  • Above what income predicts

    The ZIP codes that outlive their incomes

    Estimated life expectancy is 80.6 ± 1.5 years. A median household income of $71,868 predicts 78.8 years — 1.9 years above.

    Ranked #1,013 of the 5,842 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by years above what income predicts, highest first.

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 adults25.3%22.4–28.6
High blood pressure among adults32.4%28.8–36.5
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults9.3%8.5–10.3
Current asthma among adults9.9%8.8–11.3
Coronary heart disease among adults6.7%6.0–7.5
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults6.6%5.7–7.6
Depression among adults20.2%17.2–23.8
Diagnosed diabetes among adults10.7%9.2–12.3
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened33.2%29.2–37.5
Obesity among adults32.3%25.2–40.4
Stroke among adults3.4%3.0–3.8
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years11.4%9.2–13.8
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years8.5%6.9–10.6
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure75.9%73.1–78.6
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults75.8%72.2–79.6
Cholesterol screening among adults84.1%81.8–86.2
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years68.6%63.4–73.6
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults69.1%65.5–72.4
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years77.0%69.3–83.7
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults19.3%16.2–23.1
Current cigarette smoking among adults13.6%11.5–16.0
No leisure-time physical activity among adults22.7%18.9–27.1
Short sleep duration among adults31.8%25.6–38.9
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults16.1%13.8–18.6
Frequent mental distress among adults14.8%13.0–16.8
Frequent physical distress among adults12.0%10.5–13.6
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults13.3%11.6–15.3
Any disability among adults29.0%25.2–33.3
Hearing disability among adults8.2%7.3–9.2
Independent living disability among adults7.6%6.6–8.6
Mobility disability among adults12.4%10.6–14.2
Self-care disability among adults3.4%3.0–3.8
Vision disability among adults4.5%4.0–5.0
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)SD median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate8.1%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3648.8% (1.1–33.5%) n=364
Uninsured 18–647.6%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2869.6% (0.0–33.2%) n=365
No HS diploma (25+)5.9%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5056.0% (0.8–15.3%) n=366
Bachelor's or higher (25+)36.6%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50524.6% (10.3–40.7%) n=366
Unemployment rate (16+)3.9%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2741.1% (0.0–8.0%) n=365
Households without a vehicle4.7%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3221.9% (0.0–9.6%) n=364
Broadband subscription86.0%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32287.9% (73.7–96.3%) n=364
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)27.4%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32217.5% (5.2–30.6%) n=364
Homeownership rate67.4%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32279.9% (57.2–94.8%) n=364
Crowded housing (>1 per room)0.4%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.6% (0.0–10.2%) n=364
Foreign-born population2.3%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5530.6% (0.0–5.3%) n=367
Single-parent households56.5%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08756.7% (32.7–81.4%) n=362
Population 65+23.6%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55320.3% (8.4–33.0%) n=367
Median age43.1 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29241.5 yr (27.6–56.7) n=365
Median household income$71,868$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$74,865 ($51,211–$102,582) n=336
Median home value$228,200$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$177,400 ($79,000–$321,400) n=311
Median gross rent$963$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$763 ($544–$1,089) n=243
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)SD median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth80.6 yr ± 0.7878.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,30880.7 yr (77.4–84.2) n=357

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 0.78 years of 80.6, 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