ZIP code
57256
in Ortley, South DakotaPopulation 238
43.36/ 100
Ranked #24,056 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 25%)
Ranked #305 of 360 South Dakota ZIPs (bottom 15%)
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.
Distance to a community health center
53.3 mi
in the top 0.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS99thDefinition & 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 ›Unemployment rate
25%
in the top 1.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST96thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The share of the civilian labor force that is unemployed.
Full methodology ›Home broadband subscription
52.3%
in the bottom 1.8% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST3rdUS2ndDefinition & source ›
The share of households with a broadband internet subscription.
Full methodology ›Distance to a Superfund site
115.3 mi
in the top 2.9% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST64thUS97thDefinition & 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 ›Lithium in drinking water
72 µg/L
in the top 5.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST90thUS95thDefinition & source ›
The average detected level of lithium — a natural trace metal with no federal drinking-water limit yet — across the public water systems serving this ZIP, in micrograms per liter.
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 ›Distance to a nursing home
14.3 mi
in the top 5.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST85thUS94thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing home.
Full methodology ›Fine-particle (PM2.5) exceedance
1.4%
in the top 6.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST89thUS93rdDefinition & 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 ›Energy-cost burden
5.4%
in the top 5.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST86thUS94thDefinition & 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 ›Hearing disability
11.3%
in the top 7.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST81stUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing.
Full methodology ›Outer-floodplain exposure
4.6%
in the top 7.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST75thUS92ndDefinition & 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 ›The read
By the composite health measure, Ortley, South Dakota (ZIP 57256) ranks in the bottom 25% nationally (24,056th) and the bottom 15% of South Dakota (305th).
Where the load on this area runs deepest, the data leads: distance to a community health center lies in the top 0.9% nationally, and unemployment lands in the top 1.3% nationally. Home broadband subscription sits in the bottom 1.8% nationally, and lithium in drinking water is in the top 5.5% nationally. Distance to a nursing home settles in the top 5.9% nationally, modeled fine-particle resides in the top 6.9% nationally, and modeled energy burden registers in the top 5.9% nationally. Modeled hearing disability rests in the top 7.5% nationally, and outer-floodplain exposure stands in the top 7.9% nationally. More encouragingly, distance to a Superfund site lies in the top 2.9% nationally.
Read against the ZIPs closest to it, outer-floodplain exposure runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. To spell things out, distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. Lithium in drinking water is a natural metal that dissolves into some groundwater and has no federal drinking-water limit yet. Fine-particle is fine airborne particles about one-thirtieth the width of a hair, counted on modeled days above the EPA standard. Close by, ZIP 57235, just across the boundary, ranks healthier overall.
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
Mental Health
healthier than 72%
8%
About typical
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 55%
14%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 58%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 38%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 6%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 24%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 26%
11%
Disability
healthier than 22%
7%
Healthcare Access
in the bottom 0.6%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 79%
14%
About typical
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 47%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 24%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 5%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 13%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 12%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 30%
8%
Disability
healthier than 13%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 1%
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
57235
South Dakotashares a border
Score 52.92
Closest healthier
57263
South Dakotashares a border
Score 54.70
Similar health profile
99677
Alaska95% similar profile
Score 42.16
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 | 28.1% | 25.6–30.7 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 36.8% | 33.7–39.9 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 9.3% | 8.5–10.0 |
| Current asthma among adults | 10.1% | 9.2–11.2 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 9.4% | 8.5–10.4 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 8.9% | 7.8–10.1 |
| Depression among adults | 20.2% | 17.8–22.8 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 14.7% | 13.0–16.4 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 34.7% | 31.5–37.8 |
| Obesity among adults | 41.5% | 35.2–47.6 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.7% | 4.2–5.2 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 15.9% | 13.5–18.6 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 13.5% | 10.8–16.4 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 77.6% | 75.5–79.6 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 75.5% | 72.5–78.1 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 82.9% | 80.9–84.8 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 62.3% | 58.3–66.3 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 61.4% | 58.4–64.4 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 75.4% | 69.4–80.6 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 17.3% | 15.0–19.6 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 18.5% | 16.1–21.2 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 32.1% | 27.9–36.6 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 32.8% | 28.0–37.9 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 22.7% | 20.0–25.7 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 16.3% | 14.8–18.1 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 15.1% | 13.5–16.8 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 16.2% | 14.5–18.2 |
| Any disability among adults | 35.7% | 31.9–39.7 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 11.3% | 10.3–12.4 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 10.0% | 8.9–11.2 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 17.0% | 15.0–19.2 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 5.0% | 4.4–5.6 |
| Vision disability among adults | 6.9% | 6.1–7.7 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | SD median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 14.7% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 8.8% (1.1–33.5%) n=364 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 10.0% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 9.6% (0.0–33.2%) n=365 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 26.9% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 6.0% (0.8–15.3%) n=366 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 13.8% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 24.6% (10.3–40.7%) n=366 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 25.0% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 1.1% (0.0–8.0%) n=365 |
| Households without a vehicle | 0.0% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 1.9% (0.0–9.6%) n=364 |
| Broadband subscription | 52.3% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 87.9% (73.7–96.3%) n=364 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 13.6% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 17.5% (5.2–30.6%) n=364 |
| Homeownership rate | 86.4% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 79.9% (57.2–94.8%) n=364 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 1.1% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 0.6% (0.0–10.2%) n=364 |
| Foreign-born population | 1.3% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 0.6% (0.0–5.3%) n=367 |
| Single-parent households | 34.9% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 56.7% (32.7–81.4%) n=362 |
| Population 65+ | 16.8% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 20.3% (8.4–33.0%) n=367 |
| Median age | 46.3 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.5 yr (27.6–56.7) n=365 |
| Median household income | $66,500 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $74,865 ($51,211–$102,582) n=336 |
| Median home value | $225,000 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $177,400 ($79,000–$321,400) n=311 |
| Median gross rent | — | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $763 ($544–$1,089) n=243 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | SD median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.0 yr ± 1.36 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 80.7 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 1.36 years of 81.0, 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