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ZipVitals

ZIP code

57446

in Hecla, South DakotaPopulation 223

58.53/ 100

Ranked #5,970 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 19%)

Ranked #43 of 360 South Dakota ZIPs (top 12.0%)

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

3.6 pCi/L

in the top 4.2% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST58th
US96th
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 ›

Short sleep

26.7%

in the bottom 1.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST3rd
US1st
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who usually sleep less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.

Full methodology ›

Distance to a Superfund site

123.8 mi

in the top 2.6% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST69th
US97th
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 ›

Colon-cancer screening

76.6%

in the top 1.3% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults aged 45–75 who are up to date on colorectal-cancer screening.

Full methodology ›

Walkability

1.3 intersections/sq mi

in the bottom 3.9% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST33rd
US4th
Definition & source ›

The number of street intersections per square mile — a standard street-connectivity measure; denser networks correlate with more walkable neighborhoods.

Full methodology ›

Housing-cost burden

5.2%

in the bottom 5.2% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST10th
US5th
Definition & source ›

The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.

Full methodology ›

Distance to a community health center

23 mi

in the top 6.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST68th
US93rd
Definition & 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 ›

Lithium in drinking water

67 µg/L

in the top 6.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST85th
US93rd
Definition & 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 ›

Fine-particle (PM2.5) exceedance

1.4%

in the top 6.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST89th
US93rd
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 ›

Poverty rate

2.2%

in the bottom 7.5% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST14th
US7th
Definition & source ›

The share of residents whose income is below the federal poverty line, from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

Full methodology ›

The read

By the composite health measure, Hecla, South Dakota (ZIP 57446) ranks in the top 19% healthiest ZIPs nationally (5,970th) and the top 12.0% of South Dakota (43rd).

continue reading

The signals balance out across the profile, strengths against concerns: modeled short sleep sits in the bottom 1.3% nationally, and distance to a Superfund site is in the top 2.6% nationally. Modeled colon screening settles in the top 1.3% nationally, and housing-cost burden resides in the bottom 5.2% nationally. Unemployment registers at the national minimum, shared with about 15% of ZIPs. Set against that, modeled radon rests in the top 4.2% nationally, walkability stands in the bottom 3.9% nationally, and distance to a community health center lies in the top 6.6% nationally. Lithium in drinking water lands in the top 6.8% nationally, and modeled fine-particle sits in the top 6.9% nationally.

To spell things out, 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. Lithium in drinking water is a natural metal that dissolves into some groundwater and has no federal drinking-water limit yet. Close by, ZIP 57433, 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.

Compare within

Lifting this score

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 70%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 97%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 92%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 96%

8%

Disability

healthier than 62%

7%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 36%

21%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 36%

14%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 37%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 5%

5%

Lifting this score

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 85%

16%

Preventive Care

in the top 0.00%

13%

Risk Behavior

in the top 0.9%

11%

Mental Health

in the top 0.5%

8%

About typical

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 42%

14%

Disability

healthier than 55%

7%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 21%

21%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 11%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 32%

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 adults36.5%33.1–39.9
High blood pressure among adults39.6%35.9–43.3
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults13.6%12.2–14.9
Current asthma among adults9.3%8.2–10.5
Coronary heart disease among adults9.0%7.8–10.2
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults7.7%6.4–9.2
Depression among adults18.3%15.8–21.0
Diagnosed diabetes among adults14.0%12.1–16.2
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened40.4%36.7–44.1
Obesity among adults34.4%29.5–39.3
Stroke among adults4.2%3.7–4.8
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years7.1%5.8–8.7
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years6.4%4.9–8.1
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure84.3%81.5–86.7
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults82.9%80.3–85.3
Cholesterol screening among adults90.4%89.0–91.8
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years76.6%73.2–79.8
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults73.5%70.8–76.0
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years79.5%74.4–84.3
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults13.9%11.7–16.2
Current cigarette smoking among adults12.8%10.4–15.3
No leisure-time physical activity among adults24.8%20.8–29.0
Short sleep duration among adults26.7%23.4–30.2
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults16.6%13.9–19.4
Frequent mental distress among adults12.1%10.6–13.7
Frequent physical distress among adults13.1%11.3–15.0
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults10.8%9.2–12.5
Any disability among adults32.1%28.1–36.4
Hearing disability among adults10.6%9.3–12.0
Independent living disability among adults6.8%5.8–7.9
Mobility disability among adults15.5%13.1–18.2
Self-care disability among adults3.5%3.0–4.1
Vision disability among adults4.1%3.5–4.8
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)SD median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate2.2%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3648.8% (1.1–33.5%) n=364
Uninsured 18–6418.9%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2869.6% (0.0–33.2%) n=365
No HS diploma (25+)4.8%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5056.0% (0.8–15.3%) n=366
Bachelor's or higher (25+)10.6%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50524.6% (10.3–40.7%) n=366
Unemployment rate (16+)0.0%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2741.1% (0.0–8.0%) n=365
Households without a vehicle0.0%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3221.9% (0.0–9.6%) n=364
Broadband subscription94.8%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32287.9% (73.7–96.3%) n=364
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)5.2%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32217.5% (5.2–30.6%) n=364
Homeownership rate94.8%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32279.9% (57.2–94.8%) n=364
Crowded housing (>1 per room)0.0%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.6% (0.0–10.2%) n=364
Foreign-born population1.8%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5530.6% (0.0–5.3%) n=367
Single-parent households79.1%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08756.7% (32.7–81.4%) n=362
Population 65+53.8%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55320.3% (8.4–33.0%) n=367
Median age66.1 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29241.5 yr (27.6–56.7) n=365
Median household income$44,375$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$74,865 ($51,211–$102,582) n=336
Median home value$50,400$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
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)SD median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth84.0 yr ± 1.9478.9 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 1.94 years of 84.0, 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