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ZIP code

59527

in Hays, MontanaPopulation 1,345

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

26.20/ 100

Ranked #31,334 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 2.3%)

Ranked #332 of 341 Montana ZIPs (bottom 2.7%)

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.

Energy-cost burden

8.6%

in the top 0.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST97th
US99th
Definition & 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 ›

Mental-health provider access

0.85 per 1,000 residents

in the top 0.3% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The number of mental-health clinics 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 ›

Mammography

63.8%

in the bottom 2.0% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST3rd
US2nd
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of women aged 50–74 who had a mammogram within the past two years.

Full methodology ›

Distance to a nursing home

34.3 mi

in the top 1.2% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST93rd
US99th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Lack of transportation

22.1%

in the top 1.4% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST97th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who lacked reliable transportation in the past 12 months.

Full methodology ›

Cognitive disability

23%

in the top 2.4% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST97th
US98th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Unemployment rate

23.2%

in the top 1.5% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST98th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The share of the civilian labor force that is unemployed.

Full methodology ›

Independent-living disability

14.5%

in the top 3.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST97th
US97th
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 ›

Crowded housing

16.6%

in the top 1.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US98th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Tooth loss

28.2%

in the top 4.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST97th
US96th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults aged 65 and older who have lost all of their natural teeth.

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

  • Food insecurity
  • Housing insecurity
  • Adults reporting fair or poor health

Barriers to reaching care

  • Distance to the nearest emergency room
  • Distance to the nearest community health center
  • Thin local supply of pharmacies

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

Hays, Montana (ZIP 59527), in overall standing, comes out in the bottom 2.3% nationally (31,334th) and the bottom 2.7% of Montana (332nd).

continue reading

A rural profile defined by a handful of clear readings: modeled energy burden resides in the top 0.6% nationally, modeled mammography sits in the bottom 2.0% nationally, and distance to a nursing home stands in the top 1.2% nationally. Modeled transportation resides in the top 1.4% nationally, modeled cognitive disability sits in the top 2.4% nationally, and unemployment stands in the top 1.5% nationally. Modeled independent living disability resides in the top 3.3% nationally, and crowded housing sits in the top 1.8% nationally. Modeled tooth loss stands in the top 4.3% nationally. On the stronger side, mental-health providers resides in the top 0.3% nationally.

Set within its surrounding area, mental-health providers runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Defined simply, for reference, energy burden is the share of household income that goes to home energy bills. The closest healthier ZIP overall is ZIP 59523, just across the boundary. Beyond that, the ZIP 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

healthier than 92%

14%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 97%

5%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 29%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

in the bottom 0.3%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 2%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 2%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 3%

8%

Disability

healthier than 5%

7%

Healthcare Access

in the bottom 0.7%

5%

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 95%

14%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 63%

5%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 25%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

in the bottom 0.00%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 2%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 1%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 2%

8%

Disability

healthier than 3%

7%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 6%

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 ›

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.

  • Clean environment, heavy chronic burden

    Where the environment and chronic illness point in opposite directions

    Environmental-hazard standing 91.7 (top 10%); chronic-disease standing 28.9 — 63 points apart, cleaner on the environment than it is on chronic illness.

    Ranked #1,540 of the 18,187 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by the gap from cleanest environment to heaviest chronic burden, 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 adults26.5%23.5–29.5
High blood pressure among adults34.4%30.6–38.3
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults5.5%4.9–6.1
Current asthma among adults15.7%13.8–17.7
Coronary heart disease among adults7.3%6.4–8.2
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults9.2%7.8–10.8
Depression among adults26.2%22.4–30.2
Diagnosed diabetes among adults15.5%13.5–17.6
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened29.5%26.0–33.2
Obesity among adults45.4%38.6–52.4
Stroke among adults4.7%4.1–5.3
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years28.2%23.7–32.8
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years14.0%10.9–17.3
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure68.4%65.1–71.6
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults67.5%62.9–71.8
Cholesterol screening among adults74.3%70.8–77.7
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years55.2%49.9–60.1
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults44.5%40.9–48.1
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years63.8%55.4–71.7
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults19.1%15.8–22.7
Current cigarette smoking among adults27.9%23.6–32.4
No leisure-time physical activity among adults30.6%25.7–36.1
Short sleep duration among adults37.7%32.2–43.4
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults31.4%27.3–36.1
Frequent mental distress among adults24.7%21.9–27.9
Frequent physical distress among adults20.5%18.0–23.3
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults23.0%19.8–26.5
Any disability among adults44.7%39.4–50.2
Hearing disability among adults10.8%9.6–12.2
Independent living disability among adults14.5%12.4–16.9
Mobility disability among adults19.6%17.0–22.5
Self-care disability among adults6.1%5.2–7.1
Vision disability among adults10.1%8.8–11.6
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults32.3%27.6–37.5
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults35.8%30.3–41.9
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults26.8%21.9–32.0
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults25.4%21.3–29.6
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults22.1%19.0–25.6
Loneliness among adults38.0%32.6–44.0
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults19.5%16.7–22.5
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)MT median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate22.2%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3649.7% (1.9–27.5%) n=360
Uninsured 18–6447.8%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,28611.1% (0.0–33.1%) n=357
No HS diploma (25+)12.8%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5054.7% (0.0–14.1%) n=360
Bachelor's or higher (25+)15.3%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50526.6% (12.3–46.1%) n=360
Unemployment rate (16+)23.2%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2741.8% (0.0–10.2%) n=357
Households without a vehicle10.5%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3221.7% (0.0–9.5%) n=360
Broadband subscription80.3%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32287.3% (72.1–100.0%) n=360
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)9.2%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32221.1% (7.3–37.2%) n=360
Homeownership rate58.0%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32278.0% (56.9–95.8%) n=360
Crowded housing (>1 per room)16.6%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.9% (0.0–6.6%) n=360
Foreign-born population0.9%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5530.9% (0.0–4.9%) n=360
Single-parent households37.9%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08761.3% (39.9–84.5%) n=356
Population 65+10.1%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55324.0% (12.9–44.0%) n=360
Median age33.2 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29246.0 yr (32.9–62.3) n=358
Median household income$54,500$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$66,875 ($44,980–$95,192) n=321
Median home value$80,800$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$292,450 ($127,430–$548,550) n=312
Median gross rent$625$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$877 ($544–$1,329) n=213
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)MT median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth76.4 yr ± 1.3178.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,30879.7 yr (76.7–83.7) n=358

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 76.4, 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