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ZIP code

59821

in Arlee, MontanaPopulation 2,994

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

41.46/ 100

Ranked #25,701 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 20%)

Ranked #297 of 341 Montana ZIPs (bottom 13.0%)

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.

Fine-particle (PM2.5) exceedance

5.3%

in the top 1.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST93rd
US99th
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 ›

Slow internet speeds

2.4%

in the top 4.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST76th
US95th
Definition & source ›

The share of homes whose fastest available download speed is under 10 Mbps.

Full methodology ›

Fatal road crashes

40.1 per 100,000 residents per year

in the top 6.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST79th
US93rd
Definition & source ›

The annual rate of fatal road crashes per 100,000 residents, pooled over a ten-year window.

A rate per resident population. Where a ZIP has too few residents for the rate to be reliable — about 30% of US ZIPs — no value is published rather than an unstable one; those ZIPs are absent from this comparison, not counted as crash-free.

Full methodology ›

Air-toxics cancer risk

19.9 per million

in the bottom 7.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST78th
US8th
Definition & source ›

The EPA’s modeled estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air toxics, in cases per million people exposed over a lifetime.

Full methodology ›

Mammography

68.2%

in the bottom 8.1% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST11th
US8th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Floodplain exposure

0.38%

in the bottom 9.1% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST27th
US9th
Definition & source ›

The share of this ZIP’s land area inside FEMA’s 1%-annual-chance floodplain — the “100-year” flood zone, where flooding has about a 1-in-100 chance in any given year.

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 ›

Distance to a nursing home

11 mi

in the top 9.4% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST46th
US91st
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Colon-cancer screening

58.7%

in the bottom 10.8% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST9th
US11th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

High cholesterol

32.9%

in the bottom 9.1% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST17th
US9th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults with high cholesterol, among those who have ever been screened for it.

Full methodology ›

Lack of transportation

11.7%

in the top 14.5% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST91st
US86th
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

The read

Arlee, Montana (ZIP 59821), in overall standing, comes out in the bottom 20% nationally (25,701st) and the bottom 13.0% of Montana (297th).

continue reading

An even profile, with readings pulling both ways: modeled air-toxics cancer risk lands in the bottom 7.9% nationally, floodplain exposure rests in the bottom 9.1% nationally, and modeled humid heat settles in the bottom 11.5% nationally. Against that, modeled fine-particle lands in the top 1.0% nationally, slow internet speeds rests in the top 4.8% nationally, and fatal road crashes settles in the top 6.8% nationally. Modeled mammography lands in the bottom 8.1% nationally, and distance to a nursing home rests in the top 9.4% nationally. Modeled radon settles in the top 12.9% nationally, and binge drinking lands in the top 10.5% nationally.

Set within its surrounding area, park land runs far lower than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Defined simply, for reference, fine-particle is fine airborne particles about one-thirtieth the width of a hair, counted on modeled days above the EPA standard. Air-toxics cancer risk is a modeled EPA estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air, per million people. Radon is a radioactive soil gas the EPA identifies as the top cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. The closest healthier ZIP overall is ZIP 59808, 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

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 98%

5%

About typical

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 40%

21%

Holding it back

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 23%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 8%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 10%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 33%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 16%

8%

Disability

healthier than 25%

7%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 15%

5%

Lifting this score

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 65%

5%

About typical

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 41%

21%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 55%

5%

Holding it back

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 19%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 11%

14%

Preventive Care

healthier than 6%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 11%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 10%

8%

Disability

healthier than 13%

7%

“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 adults30.7%28.4–33.1
High blood pressure among adults35.3%32.6–38.2
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults8.6%8.0–9.3
Current asthma among adults12.9%11.8–14.1
Coronary heart disease among adults7.8%7.2–8.5
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults8.6%7.8–9.6
Depression among adults26.0%23.5–28.7
Diagnosed diabetes among adults13.3%11.9–14.7
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened32.9%30.3–35.7
Obesity among adults34.4%30.4–38.9
Stroke among adults4.5%4.1–4.8
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years17.8%15.3–20.5
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years10.1%8.7–11.7
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure74.2%71.7–76.7
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults73.6%70.9–76.3
Cholesterol screening among adults81.8%80.1–83.6
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years58.7%54.5–62.4
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults54.6%51.6–57.6
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years68.2%61.5–74.1
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults19.1%17.0–21.6
Current cigarette smoking among adults17.9%15.9–20.0
No leisure-time physical activity among adults23.9%21.2–26.9
Short sleep duration among adults34.0%29.8–38.4
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults23.1%21.0–25.5
Frequent mental distress among adults19.3%17.7–21.0
Frequent physical distress among adults16.8%15.4–18.4
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults16.4%15.0–18.0
Any disability among adults34.7%31.8–37.8
Hearing disability among adults10.0%9.2–10.9
Independent living disability among adults10.2%9.3–11.2
Mobility disability among adults16.7%15.1–18.5
Self-care disability among adults4.9%4.5–5.4
Vision disability among adults6.8%6.3–7.4
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults23.6%21.0–26.5
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults18.5%16.3–20.9
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults13.7%11.8–15.7
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults13.8%12.2–15.6
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults11.7%10.5–12.9
Loneliness among adults31.8%28.4–35.5
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults10.4%9.3–11.8
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)MT median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate16.0%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3649.7% (1.9–27.5%) n=360
Uninsured 18–6423.2%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,28611.1% (0.0–33.1%) n=357
No HS diploma (25+)6.1%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5054.7% (0.0–14.1%) n=360
Bachelor's or higher (25+)24.9%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50526.6% (12.3–46.1%) n=360
Unemployment rate (16+)7.4%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2741.8% (0.0–10.2%) n=357
Households without a vehicle0.9%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3221.7% (0.0–9.5%) n=360
Broadband subscription88.9%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32287.3% (72.1–100.0%) n=360
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)24.0%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32221.1% (7.3–37.2%) n=360
Homeownership rate75.8%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32278.0% (56.9–95.8%) n=360
Crowded housing (>1 per room)2.6%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.9% (0.0–6.6%) n=360
Foreign-born population1.3%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5530.9% (0.0–4.9%) n=360
Single-parent households51.9%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08761.3% (39.9–84.5%) n=356
Population 65+19.5%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55324.0% (12.9–44.0%) n=360
Median age39.0 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29246.0 yr (32.9–62.3) n=358
Median household income$66,458$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$66,875 ($44,980–$95,192) n=321
Median home value$375,200$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$292,450 ($127,430–$548,550) n=312
Median gross rent$967$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 birth80.1 yr ± 2.0278.9 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 2.02 years of 80.1, 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