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ZipVitals

ZIP code

57621

in Bullhead, South DakotaPopulation 294

26.24/ 100

Ranked #31,323 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 2.4%)

Ranked #339 of 360 South Dakota ZIPs (bottom 5.9%)

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.

Vision disability

13.0%

in the top 1.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST95th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who are blind or have serious difficulty seeing even with glasses.

Full methodology ›

Colon-cancer screening

48.2%

in the bottom 1.5% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST5th
US1st
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Independent-living disability

16.1%

in the top 1.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST95th
US98th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have difficulty doing errands alone, such as visiting a doctor’s office, because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition.

Full methodology ›

Unemployment rate

47.1%

in the top 0.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The share of the civilian labor force that is unemployed.

Full methodology ›

Distance to a nursing home

49.9 mi

in the top 0.7% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing home.

Full methodology ›

Poverty rate

67%

in the top 0.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST98th
US99th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Crowded housing

22.8%

in the top 0.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST97th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The share of occupied homes with more than one person per room, the Census definition of crowded housing.

Full methodology ›

Self-care disability

7.9%

in the top 3.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US97th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults with difficulty dressing or bathing.

Full methodology ›

Fair or poor health

35%

in the top 2.7% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST96th
US97th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who rate their own general health as fair or poor.

Full methodology ›

Cognitive disability

23.4%

in the top 2.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US98th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults with serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.

Full methodology ›

Cross-source signals

Health need and barriers to care documented here

On our reading, this ZIP code carries the overlap at its acute level: acute means at least three of the six health-need readings and at least three of the six access barriers apply to the same place.

These are two separate readings of public data that both apply to this place — never a claim that one causes the other, never a severity score, and never a statement about any person who lives here.

Health need documented here

  • People living in poverty
  • Adults reporting fair or poor health
  • Chronic conditions

Barriers to reaching care

  • Distance to the nearest emergency room
  • Distance to the nearest community health center
  • Households with no vehicle

A reading appears below only where this ZIP code is among the most-affected 10% of US ZIP codes on it — one national bar, the same for every ZIP in the country.

See the full care-deserts analysis →

The read

Bullhead, South Dakota (ZIP 57621) ranks in the bottom 2.4% nationally (31,323rd) and the bottom 5.9% of South Dakota (339th).

continue reading

Plainly, the numbers point to a handful of defining readings: modeled vision disability sits in the top 1.3% nationally, and colon screening resides in the bottom 1.5% nationally. Modeled independent living disability stands in the top 1.6% nationally, and unemployment sits in the top 0.3% nationally. Distance to a nursing home resides in the top 0.7% nationally, poverty stands in the top 0.8% nationally, and crowded housing sits in the top 0.9% nationally. Modeled self-care disability resides in the top 3.0% nationally, fair or poor health stands in the top 2.7% nationally, and cognitive disability sits in the top 2.0% nationally.

Against its neighbors, unemployment runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. The closest ZIP that ranks healthier overall is ZIP 57641, just across the boundary. The area also shows documented health need overlapping with barriers to reaching care, sitting in the most-affected 10% of US ZIP codes on several need measures and several access barriers.

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

Environmental Hazard

in the top 0.04%

14%

About typical

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 46%

5%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 15%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 2%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 3%

13%

Risk Behavior

in the bottom 0.9%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 9%

8%

Disability

healthier than 1%

7%

Healthcare Access

in the bottom 0.2%

5%

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

in the top 0.00%

14%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 7%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 1%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 2%

13%

Risk Behavior

in the bottom 0.9%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 1%

8%

Disability

in the bottom 0.9%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 25%

5%

Healthcare Access

in the bottom 0.00%

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 adults27.6%24.1–31.4
High blood pressure among adults38.6%33.9–43.5
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults5.2%4.6–5.9
Current asthma among adults14.6%12.7–16.7
Coronary heart disease among adults8.3%7.1–9.6
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults10.8%8.8–13.0
Depression among adults23.6%19.8–27.7
Diagnosed diabetes among adults20.9%17.9–23.9
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened31.3%27.0–35.8
Obesity among adults48.1%40.0–56.2
Stroke among adults5.5%4.7–6.4
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years23.7%19.5–28.5
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years14.3%10.4–18.7
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure71.4%67.1–75.5
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults73.6%69.1–78.0
Cholesterol screening among adults78.0%74.3–81.7
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years48.2%42.4–53.8
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults47.1%43.2–51.3
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years65.9%56.5–74.7
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults16.7%13.4–20.3
Current cigarette smoking among adults36.8%29.8–43.2
No leisure-time physical activity among adults38.2%31.2–45.4
Short sleep duration among adults39.6%33.4–46.1
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults35.0%29.3–40.7
Frequent mental distress among adults23.0%19.6–26.3
Frequent physical distress among adults21.1%17.8–24.4
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults23.4%19.5–27.5
Any disability among adults45.6%39.2–52.1
Hearing disability among adults11.4%9.8–13.1
Independent living disability among adults16.1%13.4–19.2
Mobility disability among adults23.2%19.4–27.2
Self-care disability among adults7.9%6.5–9.6
Vision disability among adults13.0%10.8–15.3
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)SD median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate67.0%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3648.8% (1.1–33.5%) n=364
Uninsured 18–6430.4%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2869.6% (0.0–33.2%) n=365
No HS diploma (25+)18.7%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5056.0% (0.8–15.3%) n=366
Bachelor's or higher (25+)8.9%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50524.6% (10.3–40.7%) n=366
Unemployment rate (16+)47.1%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2741.1% (0.0–8.0%) n=365
Households without a vehicle14.0%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3221.9% (0.0–9.6%) n=364
Broadband subscription91.2%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32287.9% (73.7–96.3%) n=364
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)31.6%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32217.5% (5.2–30.6%) n=364
Homeownership rate22.8%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32279.9% (57.2–94.8%) n=364
Crowded housing (>1 per room)22.8%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.6% (0.0–10.2%) n=364
Foreign-born population0.0%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5530.6% (0.0–5.3%) n=367
Single-parent households27.1%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08756.7% (32.7–81.4%) n=362
Population 65+4.8%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55320.3% (8.4–33.0%) n=367
Median age19.7 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29241.5 yr (27.6–56.7) n=365
Median household income$32,589$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$74,865 ($51,211–$102,582) n=336
Median home value$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$177,400 ($79,000–$321,400) n=311
Median gross rent$592$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 birth82.6 yr ± 3.1278.9 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 3.12 years of 82.6, 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